Niatsirhc

The paper below was written shortly after reading and in a style mimicking that of Horace Miner of the University of Michigan, in Body Ritual among the Nacirema. In his article, Miner attempts to describe the cultural practices of Americans (the Nacirema) from and outsider's point of view--portraying their actions as alien and bizarre. I tried to describe Christianity in a similar fashion; I apologize if anyone takes offense to this, that surely was not my intention. This is a rough draft, and I will gladly consider any (constructive) feedback.

Note: Much of the formatting edited in Word did not translate to the blog. My apologies.

Kathleen Wilson
Intro to Cultural Anthropology
Brian Adams-Thies
September 19, 2009

The Beliefs and Practices of the Naitsirhc

The accomplished anthropologist is surprised by little; his knowledge and exposure to the practices of various cultures leaves few customs unexplored and little room for amazement. Yet in my experience I have yet to come across any other culture with beliefs like those of the Naitsirhc. [1] For me to say that I don’t fear the Naitsirhc would be misleading, but as is true of most things, much of this fear comes from a lack of understanding. Tonight I attempted to remedy this situation.

I will first explain briefly the knowledge I had of the Naitsirhc people before my experience tonight—the knowledge that has lead to my confusion and fear toward this culture for much of my life.

The first experience I can remember having with the Naitsirhc is from when I was a child. I participated in a ritual performed every year by the Naitsirhc in which the family visits a man dressed as a rodent, presumably representing their god.[2] The man, in full costume, presents the children of the family with gifts: small plastic balls that the children are to crack open to receive a piece of food. I have asked many of the Naitsirhc that I have encountered why this rodent was chosen to represent their deity and why this rodent is sharing (and sometimes hiding) these plastic balls, but none have possessed sufficient knowledge regarding the reasoning behind this practice. That is not to say that there is not good reason for this ritual, only that those practicing it have no greater understanding of it than you or I. I have found the same to be true of many of the Naitsirhc practices.

The Naitsirhc worship three manifestations of their deity[3]—one physical form and two intangible entities—yet they consider themselves monotheistic. None of these manifestations is portrayed in the form of a rodent, much to my confusion, though I am told that the Naitsirhc deity has the ability to take whatever form it chooses. According to Naitsirhc belief, their god will come to Earth someday and bring all of his followers to his home to live forever. Even those who did not follow him for most of their lives and those who have lived to spite him are invited, as long as they apologize and ask for his forgiveness (which he always grants)—that is, unless you are gay.

This week in my current city of residence, the Naitsirhc people have planned a gathering each night to discuss their beliefs. Robert Wagley, a Naitsirhc scholar, will attempt to answer the questions of the Naitsirhc regarding the past, present and future of their culture. Tonight, I attended the first of these lectures.Of all the cultures I have encountered, I find it interesting that the group of people that scare and confuse me the most look just like me. As uncomfortable as I was, I was able to pass myself off as a Naitsirhc for the evening with no trouble. The Naitsirhc people greeted me kindly, and I wondered if their thoughts and actions toward me would be different if they knew I was not one of them. I imagined so, as I have expressed my lack of Naitsirhc belief to a Naitsirhc before and my opinion was not very well accepted.

I took my seat next to a friend I’d brought along (also a non- Naitsirhc) and we observed the Naitsirhc people surrounding us. We assumed most to be total strangers, but it was not long before the Naitsirhc were interacting with each other as though they were old friends. Most discussed aspects of their beliefs as Naitsirhc, and expressed excitement about the coming lecture. It seemed as though simply being Naitsirhc made these people feel connected in some way, which is unsurprising given that Naitsirhc consider themselves to be brothers; all sons of their god.

The lecture was much like any other lecture one might attend, except of course for the material itself. I learned of evil frogs and a beast with six heads (each of a different fierce animal), and watched as the Naitsirhc nodded in agreement with everything Robert Wagley said. Some of the more passionate audience members shouted out parts of Naitsirhc prayer to show their dedication to the Naitsirhc beliefs. During the presentation I overheard some of the Naitsirhc nearby comment on how enlightened they felt, though I obtained only further confusion.

At the end of the evening we were asked to lower our heads and talk to the Naitsirhc deity, but not out loud. We were to think the words we wished the god to hear, and he would understand them. If the Naitsirhc god could hear our thoughts at that moment, he knew exactly what I wanted for dinner and little else from me. To my disappointment, I did not learn anything from the lecture that helped me further understand the culture. In fact, I did quite the opposite. I did, however, benefit from observing the Naitsirhc people during and after the seminar. As I watched the Naitsirhc people get up to leave, I saw the comfort on their faces. Perhaps these beliefs and rituals that the Naitsirhc adhere to serve no other purpose than to make people feel that there is hope for the future—a hope that someday they might live with their god with other good Naitsirhc (and the bad ones that said “sorry”). While I cannot grasp much of the Naitsirhc faith, this desire for hope and understanding is something to which I can relate.

Naitsirhc people walk among us every day. My mother is Naitsirhc. My father was Naitsirhc. My friends are Naitsirhc; my neighbors are Naitsirhc. I, myself, was once identified as a Naitsirhc simply because my ancestors were so. At the age of 14 I sat down to consider the beliefs of these people and realized that I could no longer consider myself one of them. I fear I will never fully understand the Naitsirhc people or how they continue to believe what they do despite blaring evidence in opposition, but I must accept their beliefs and practices just as I would any other culture.



Endnotes

1. Around this point or soon after, I assume you will realize where this paper is going. Truth be told, I’m not quite sure if I would be breaking some sort of rule by not citing where this style came from, so just in case: I wrote this paper mimicking the writing of Horace Miner in his article Body Ritual among the Nacirema.

2. Much of the information contained in this passage was obtained through my personal experience with the Naitsirhc .

3. The beliefs and practices noted in this paper come from the Bible and/or are considered common knowledge for those who have had any experience with the Naitsirhc culture.