Which of the following is a difference between nacirema and vanuatuan society that involves food and eating?

Read or listen to this article.

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What is your first impression (definition:an idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone)about the Nacirema culture after you’ve read or listened to this article?

Did you notice that ‘Nacirema’ spelled backwards is ‘American?’ Now, does that change the way you think about this culture? If you were to go back and re-read the article you might do so with a different frame of mind. For example, the ‘shrine’ in the bathroom refers to the mirror that many of us use daily as we get ready to start our day!

Watch or listen to this video. As you do, you’ll notice some of the concepts, such as cultural relativism (definition:Cultural relativism is the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than judged against the criteria of another culture)will be familiar to you.

As you heard in the video, this is a version of a reading that was first written by an anthropologist named Horace Miner in 1956. The article - Body Ritual Among the Nacirema - describes his observations about the Nacirema culture. It is an example of the ethnographic research method because it is a very detailed description of observations that are written from his perspective as the observer.

Explain how Body Ritual Among the Nacirema helps us to understand the following questions.

1. Our own view of other cultures?
2. How we are viewed by other cultures?

The point of this Minds On activity was to get you to think about how important it is to be objective (definition:not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts)when you are researching or studying other cultures. The concept of ethnocentrism (definition:evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture)that you’ve learned about in this course applies here, too.

As you work through this activity, challenge yourself to be mindful or aware of being objective.

What is a Rite of Passage?

Do you have clear memories of any of these special and specific occasions? Are they happy memories, or would you rather forget them?

Long Description

These examples, from some Western cultures, represent something called rites of passage. Rites of passage are ceremonies that mark a person’s progress from one phase of life into another. Anthropologists (especially sociocultural anthropologists) are very interested in learning more about culturally-specific examples of rites of passages because they reflect the values and beliefs that are important to the culture.

Every culture in the world has some way to mark changes that happen throughout people’s lives. Birth, death, unions/marriage, entering adulthood, mating and reproduction - these are all examples of significant changes, or rights of passages, that likely have a marked or celebrated ritual. A ritual is a term that refers to a ceremonial act that has specific behaviours or traditions that are associated with an event. Rites of passages and rituals are usually important for social or religious/spiritual reasons.

Rites of passages and rituals are examples of culture that influence the way people (humans) act and behave. They are also very important because they help to keep society stable(definition:safe and secure). For example, rites of passages and rituals define the (expected) behaviours or norms that help us cope with unexpected and difficult times in life (e.g., see how personalized Ghanaian coffins celebrate an individual’s identity after death).  This is just one example of how rites of passages and rituals act as socialization in our lives.

Rites of passage often include ritualistic symbols. Ritualistic symbols are special and important, such as different clothing, jewelry, or body  ornamentation (definition:decorations)that stand for important character traits (e.g., strength or courage), values, or beliefs in the culture.

For example, in many Indigenous cultures, an eagle feather is very significant because it symbolizes truth and ideals.

A talking stick, used in some Indigenous cultures, is a communication tool that symbolizes authority and the right to speak and be heard. Whoever holds the talking stick speaks, while all others listen quietly and respectfully.

Rites and Rituals: A Three Stage Process

An anthropologist and ethnographer named Arnold van Gennep was the first person to use the term ‘rites of passage.’ Van Gennep was very interested in studying different religions, Ancient Arabic, and Islamic culture throughout his life. He suggested that rites of passage and rituals follow the three stage process described below.

1. You are changed from something you were to something new or different. This is called separation.
2. You remove yourself from society temporarily in a period of transition. This is called liminality.
3. You re-enter society as a ‘new’ person. This is called incorporation.

This video clip explains van Gennep’s Three Stage Process in more detail. 

Rites of passages and rituals are very different throughout the world. In Western culture, for example, the period of adolescence (approximately 10 years to 19 years old) is very significant. If someone were to ask you to summarize your experience with adolescence (the ‘teenage years’) what would you tell him/her? Has it been positive? Negative? A time of resilience(definition:the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties)?

Adolescence is a time of maturing and transition, and it can sometimes be very stressful because of all of the changing expectations from society, family, peers, etc. In cultures different from your own, the idea of adolescence will vary (think back to Margaret Mead’s research). And, different times in history reflect different expectations, as well.

In a minute, you will watch or listen to this short video to learn about one person’s experience with ‘the teenage years' in Ancient Rome.

Before you do this, ask yourself if you know what these terms (some from Ancient Roman times) mean.

Long Description

How has your experience during adolescence been the same as, or different from that of Lucius?  What cultural expectations (e.g., rights of passage and rituals) are similar to, or different from, his culture?

Compare and contrast how cultural norms and expectations influence behaviour and actions during the ‘teenage years’ by completing this Venn Diagram. (Click here for a reminder of how to create a Venn Diagram.)

Coming-of-Age Ceremonies

Coming-of-Age ceremonies mark or celebrate a very significant time in life - the transition from childhood to youth, or puberty. Coming-of-Age ceremonies continue to be widely practiced throughout many different cultures because puberty is both a biologically and socially important time.

Some Coming-of-Age ceremonies may be important for social reasons, while others may be rooted in religious beliefs.  Here are some common features among Coming-of-Age rituals:

• changing responsibilities that will be expected in adulthood;
• endurance(definition:the ability to go on under pain or hardship);
• focus on paintings or markings; and/or
• body mutilation or adornments to physically mark the transition.

Research opportunity!

Take some time to research a specific Coming-of-Age ritual as a rite of passage in a culture distinct from your own.

Use these guiding questions and statements as you research your chosen Coming-of-Age ceremony. If you aren’t sure which specific culture’s Coming of Age ceremony you would like to learn more about, you may consider starting here.

1. What is the name and/or location of the culture you are researching?
2. Describe the Coming-of-Age ceremony or ritual.
3. Describe any symbolic clothing or jewelry involved. What does it represent?
4. Are there any physical or body modifications (e.g., piercings, tattoos)? If so, describe their significance.
5. What is the reasoning behind the ceremony?

Choose a way to share your findings with your peers and your teacher. You might choose to make a short video, a poster, or write a paragraph to describe your learning.

Growing Up and Moving On

The period of transition into adulthood is often marked with different forms of independence. Moving away from home, for example, is a part of growing older and gaining independence that is different in many cultures throughout the world. However, although the process of leaving home may be different (e.g., age of leaving home) the idea of leaving home is culturally significant.

North America is experiencing a period of social and cultural change when it comes to growing up and ….not leaving home. For many different reasons, more young people (aged 18 to 34) in North American culture are likely to be living at home than in any other living arrangement.

You can either chose to read or listen to the article Still living with mom and dad? You are not alone, and the numbers prove it

OR

Watch or listen to this video: 

CONNECT: How are the ideas and information presented CONNECTED to what you already knew?

EXTEND: What new ideas did you find that EXTENDED or pushed your thinking in new directions?

CHALLENGE: What is still CHALLENGING or confusing for you to understand?

Love, Dating, and Mating

Dating and mating practices differ between cultures throughout the world, and have changed throughout history, as well.

Social change (e.g., social norms, values, and beliefs) can affect love, dating, and mating in some cultures, too. Consider technology, for example. Many different social media networking sites are now used in some cultures to connect people. This has had a great impact on the way we behave and the attitudes we have towards dating, mating, and love.

Assume you are a sociocultural anthropologist and you are very interested in learning more about love, dating, and mating rituals. What do you think the best research method would be to study the rituals and norms (definition:expected behaviours)that are associated with dating and mating in different  cultures?  What makes you say that?  Or, in other words, why did you choose that particular research method?

(Note: If you’re not sure which methods to consider, reach back into Unit 4, Activity 1 for a list of research methods that are used by anthropologists.)

Grief, Death, and Dying

Unfortunately, death is an inevitability (definition:certain to happen)in life. And many people believe that it’s the last rite of passage that people will experience. Although we will all encounter it, no one really knows what death is actually like, and what happens after we die. Because it is such an important rite of passage, many cultures continue to practice traditional customs that relate to the burial process. Many people believe that these practices or traditions help to make sure that the individual who passed away will enter the next stage (if there is one), successfully. Certain religions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and others have specific beliefs about what happens to the body and spirit after (physical) death.

Different cultures have different beliefs about death and the concept of the afterlife. (definition:an existence after death) For example, some cultures/religions believe that, even though the physical body is gone, the soul continues to live or or is reincarnated (definition:the rebirth of the soul in a new body)in another living being.

Much like any other element of socialization, social change and history affect or influence the traditions and practices that are associated with death and grieving. Ancient Egypt provides a fascinating example of death as a rite of passage.

Watch or listen to this video:

Throughout this video, you saw or heard many examples of how Ani’s behaviours, while he existed on earth, may have influenced his afterlife experience.  This is an example of how culture (in this case religious beliefs) influences or socializes us to act or behave in a certain way - another example of how culture is an agent of socialization. This example also gives us an opportunity to note how culture is able to influence or produce very diverse forms of human behaviour.

Anthropologists have noted that preparing the body for death seems to be a universal (definition:existing everywhere)practice.

Long Description

Sri Lanka is an island nation that lies south of India in the Indian Ocean. Its geography is made up of diverse landscapes that range from rainforests to highlands and sandy beaches. In Sri Lanka, learning and education are incredibly important and culturally valued. So much so, that there is a special ceremony - the Akuru Kiyaweema ceremony - that celebrates when the child learns and masters the first letters of the alphabet.

On a predetermined day (based on the child’s horoscope), someone who is educated (e.g., a priest) will teach the first letters to the child, in the company of family and ‘well-wishers.'

This short video clip provides an example of the Akuru Kiyaweema Ceremony.