Professor Ralph Linton first brought the ritual of the Nacirema to the attention of scholars over 50 years ago, but the culture of these people is still poorly understood. A look at their culture is very important in order to understand primitive societies.
Most cultures exhibit a particular configuration or style.
A single value or pattern or perceiving the world often leaves its stamp on several institutions in the society. The anthropologist has become so familiar with the diversity of ways in which different people behave in similar situations that he is not apt to be surprised by even the most exotic customs. In fact, if all of the logically possible combinations of behavior have not been found somewhere in the world, he is apt to suspect that they must be present in some yet undescribed tribe. In this light, the magical beliefs and practices 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. They are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles.