4th Block Great Depression Glogster

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AP Review Unit One

Here is the online version of our Unit One Review and some basic information about the AP exam.

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1st Block Glogster

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ISP Holocaust Project

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1920s Website - 4th Block.

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1920s Website - 1st Block

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Dorothea Lange Activity

Body Rituals Among the Nacirema

Body Rituals Among the Nacirema

By Dr. Horace Miner

The anthropologist has become so familiar with the diversity of ways in which different people behave that they are not often surprised, even by the most exotic customs.  In fact, if all of the logical possible combinations of behavior have not been found somewhere in the world, the anthropologist is most likely to believe that they exist in some yet undiscovered tribe.  In this light, the magical beliefs and rituals of the Nacirema present such unusual aspects that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go.

Professor Thomas Linton first brought the rituals of the Nacirema to the attention of anthropologist twenty years ago, but the culture of these people remained poorly understood until my recent excursion with them. 

Little is known of their origin, although tradition states that they came from the east.  According to Nacirema mythology their nation was originated by a culture hero named Notgnihsaw.    The Nacirema are a group of people whose desolate location has left them virtually unchanged for the past 200 years.  

Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy which has evolved greatly in the past 100 years.  While much of the average Nacirema’s time is devoted to economic pursuits, a large part of the fruits of these labors and a considerable portion of the day are spent in ritual activity.  The focus of these ritual activity is the the appearance and health of their body.  Now, while such concerns is not uncommon, the ceremonial aspects of the Nacirema show very unique characteristics. 

The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is ugly.  They appear to believe that a woman/man’s only hope is to avoid showing the bodies natural tendency to grow weak and sick.  They attempt to do this by performing daily rituals and ceremonies that appear to have a religious, or magical, origin.  

Every dwelling in  Nacirema society has one or more shrines devoted to the purpose of these rituals.  The more powerful the individual is in there society the more shrines they will have in their dwelling.  In fact, dwellings are often referred to in terms of the number of such ritual centers it posses.  While each family dwelling has at least one such shrine, the rituals associated with it are not public ceremonies, but private ones.  The rites of these rituals are normally only discussed with children, however, I was able to establish such a positive rapport with the Nacirema that they agreed to allow me to examine and describe these rituals.  

The focal point of the shrines is a box (or chest) which is built into the wall of the shrine.  Within this chest are kept many charms and magical potions without which no native believes he or she could live.  These potions and charms are often obtained from “medicine men” who hold a high status with in the Nacirema society.  The medicine men do not actually provide the charms and potions but instead will write, in an ancient and secret language,  the ingredients down.  This writing is understood only by lesser medicine men who create the required potions and charms.  

After the charm and potion has been used the container is not disposed of.  Instead it is placed back in the box located in the dwelling’s shrine.  Since these magical potions are for specific illness the charm-box of the shrine is usually overflowing.  Although the natives are very vague regarding this tradition I can only assume that the idea of keeping these old potions and charms is to insure that their presence in the shrine will help protect the worshiper.

Every morning members of the family, in succession, enters the shrine room, then they mingle different sorts of potions and charms, and proceeds with a brief ritual of purification.  These rituals vary, depending on the gender of the occupant.  Below is an example of the daily body rituals which are performed only by men: 

Each morning males in the society will enter the shrine with a sharp tool.  The men will then use this sharp tool in a cleansing ritual which involves scraping and lacerating the surface of their face.  The men will then apply a potion to their lacerated face.  This potion has a strong stench and it reportedly will burn and irritate the skin where ever it is applied.

Women in the Nacirema society also perform daily cleansing and purification rituals in the shrine.  The ritual of the women tend to take twice as long as the men and it is also done in secrecy and private.  Women in the Nacirema society will daily use a combination of dyes to paint and decorate their faces.  Often times these decorations are designed to attract a potential mate. 

The Nacirema avoids exposure of his or her body and its natural functions.  Bathing and excretory acts are performed only in the secrecy of the shrines, where they are ritualized as part of the body-rites.  Psychological shock results if the body secrecy is suddenly lost upon entry by another host, even if the intruder is the Nacirema’s partner.  This secrecy is also extended to reproduction and intercourse.  Intercourse is a taboo topic and extreme efforts are made to avoid pregnancy by using magical materials or by limiting intercourse to certain phases of the moon.  Conception is actually very infrequent.  When pregnant, women will often dress as to hide their condition.  The actual birth takes place in secret, without friends or relatives to assist, and the majority of women do not nurse their infants.  

Our review of the ritual life of the Nacirema has certainly shown them to be a magic-ridden people.  It is hard to understand how they have managed to exist so long under the burdens which they have imposed upon themselves.  

4th Block - Modern Day Progressive Project

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1st Block - Modern Day Progressive Project

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What Was The United States Like?

Downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa:  Circa 1902

 Have you ever wondered what life was like for the typical American family in the year 1900?  What did they do for fun and entertainment?  What were the political hot topics of the day?  Did they have electricity?  Indoor plumbing?  What events would they remember?  What new forms of technology were emerging?  What was school like?  What type of jobs did they have?

With this quick activity we will be exploring what the U.S. was like in 1900.  

DIRECTIONS:

Assign each person in your group with the responsibility of covering one of the following areas during the period of 1900-1910.

1. Art and Entertainment
•  How did the average person entertain themselves?  
• Did they listen to music?  Go to the movies?  Read books?  If so, what were the most popular ones?
• Who were the big stars of the time period?
2.  Historical Events
• What major events occurred within the world during 1900-1910?
3.  Technology
• What modern conveniences did they have?
• What type of technology did people use in every day life?
• How was technology used to make their life's simpler?  More complicated?
4.  Politics
• Who were the main politicians of the time?
• What political issues were people talking about?
5. Daily Life
• What was life like for the common American?
• How long did people live?
• Did most people live in the country or in the cities?
• What did their houses look like?
• Did they have indoor plumbing?  Electricity?
• What was school/work like? 

Create a group online bulletin board, at LinoIt, that displays all of your findings in a neat, organized, educational manner.  Be prepared to share this with the class. 

POSSIBLE SOURCES:

Wikipedia
American Cultural History
The 1900s
The 1900 House
Digital History
Genealogy
Technology
Your Textbook

HAS - Technology Survey

Please click HERE to access the technology survey.  Complete the survey to the best of your ability.

HAS - 4th Block

Reflect on the different videos we watched in our Introduction PowerPoint.  Which one did you find the most impressive?  Create a comment to this post stating your choice and why you picked it.

Movie Reviews
1.  Shorewood High School Lip Dub
2.  Boy Scout Video
3.  Dalton Sherman addresses the Dallas School District staff
4.  Jim vs. Dwight

HAS - 1st Block

Reflect on the different videos we watched in our Introduction PowerPoint.  Which one did you find the most impressive?  Create a comment to this post stating your choice and why you picked it.

Movie Reviews
1.  Shorewood High School Lip Dub
2.  Boy Scout Video
3.  Dalton Sherman addresses the Dallas School District staff
4.  Jim vs. Dwight

1st Block AP Government & Politics

Please take the student survey by clicking HERE.

ISP - Digital Storytelling

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Re-Thinking the LMC

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AP Government - Policy PowerPoint

Political Policy from Brad Klitzke

3c- Presidential Roles Project

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AP- 3 Branches Website

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