Exercises To Promote Cultural Understanding And Insight Into Immigrant Experiences

Ann Brigl, Collections Assistant Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota

General Introduction
These exercises promote insight into the experiences of migrant/immigrant cultures. The article Body Ritual among the Nacirema takes a critical look at a North American tribe. The exercise will give perspective on American culture and world views. (This copyrighted article can be used by educators: https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html.) The second exercise requires the creation of cultures and the interaction of those cultures. This exercise picks apart the process in which new cultures judge and interrelate with one another.

Exercise 1

Body Ritual among the Nacirema By: Horace Mitchell Miner

Nacirema is American spelled backwards! This is a piece written in 1956. It describes the day-to-day cleansing activities of a North American Tribe. Many Americans view outside cultures through the scope of their own customs. This paper was written from a different perspective. The author looks inwardly into his own culture.

Links
Body Ritual among the Nacirema By: Horace Mitchell Miner is a useful exercise (3rd-9th grades). https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html It is copyrighted material but can be used for educational purposes.

Immigration and Nacirema

This might be the view point of a new immigrant coming into North America. Without knowing context for an action, the Ritual might seem confusing. This exercise gives insight into how stereotypes and rumors about cultures arise.

What is he talking about? Can you guess?

1. Scraping and lacerating the face or legs with a sharp instrument 2. Piercing the skin with sharp instruments and then taking great care to keep the holes from closing again 3. Ceremonial painting of the body 4. insertion and ritualistic movement of a bundle of hog hairs in the mouth several times a day 5. The people of this tribe seek out the assistance of medicine men many times during the course of a year to treat physical ailments, release them from the power of devils that have lodged in their heads, and gouge holes in their teeth. 6. The Nacirema gather in large numbers to watch clans within the tribe enact small battles, often with many physical injuries, and to observe individual tribal members fight to unconsciousness

Answers
1. Shaving 2. Ear piercing 3. Painting your nails 4. Brushing your teeth (hog hair was used in toothbrushes during the 1950s) 5. Doctors and Dentists 6. Football

Questions to ask yourself

Where do you think the Nacirema live? List at least 10 adjectives to describe this tribes customs. How many were positive? Negative? If you were a teacher, how would you deal with Nacirema children in your classroom who insisted on maintaining their tribal customs? What does Nacirema spell backwards? Describe everyday events such as shaving, ear piercing, and brushing teeth so they do not sound like primitive customs.

Exercise 2

Create your own Cultures!

The purpose of this exercise is to see how different cultures might interact with one another. This simulates the confusion and disorientation an immigrant might experience when first coming in contact with a new culture.

How to start the exercise.

1. You need to come up with a minimum of three cultures. Ex. - Maroon culture, Blue culture and Purple culture. 2. Assign a unique tradition to each cultural group. Ex. - The Maroon people distribute colorful paper to people they have just met. The men of the Blue culture will not speak to a woman unless she addresses him first. The Purple people cover their mouths with a piece of paper when speaking.

How to start the Exercise

3. Give a reasoning behind each cultural tradition. The Maroon people distribute colorful paper to spread a little joy and happiness into the world. The Blue culture is matriarchal (women are in charge.). Men will not speak directly to a woman due to respect for her position in society. In the purple culture, to show your teeth is a sign of anger. It is common courtesey in the Purple culture to hide teeth when speaking to someone.

Creating the cultural interaction

Split the class into several groups. Assign these groups a culture and give them a print out explaining their cultural tradition and the reasoning behind it. Have the different cultures interact. Let the cultures mingle and act out their cultural traditions. There will be NO explanation (by the instructor or students) about the reasoning behind these cultural traditions.

Impressions Left behind

Ask the different groups about the impression they got from each culture. Ex. Did the other groups think the Blue culture was snobbish? Did the other groups think the Maroon culture was strange? Did the other groups think the Purple culture was modest?

Why did they do that?

Ask the students Why did they do that? Try to speculate why each culture had that tradition.

Finally! The answer!

Tell the students the reasoning behind each cultural tradition. Were your speculations correct? Why did you make those speculations? Were your first impressions accurate?

Immigration History Research Center

An Internationally Known Research Center of Migration, With Archival Collections of U.S. Immigration 311 Andersen Library, 222 21st Ave So Minneapolis, MN 55455 612-625-4800 Please Visit Us At www.ihrc.umn.edu