Exploring the Morp

The Nacirema tribe has an annual dancing ritual known as the Morp. The young adults of the tribe, from ages sixteen to eighteen are permitted entrance into the ritual. Any others are strictly prohibited from entering. The only others allowed into the dark room are middle aged men and women designated to observe the young adults’ behaviors throughout the ritual. The young men begin to ask the young women to the ritual months before the actual evening of it. In order to attend, the men must publicly humiliate themselves by choosing a desired partner and requesting to own the woman for the evening. Once the women are claimed by the man they begin preparations for the evening ahead of them.

Both the men and women go to the tribes ristflor where they present a gift in exchange for a collection of leaves that they will later strap on or pin on to the other as a display of ownership. The preparation for the females requires spending several hours of non-stop. During this time, it is common for the women to have their hair pulled on and burnt to create something to make them seem more beautiful. They also go through a process called petimani in which their skin is picked off of from around their nails and the bottoms of their feet are grated until made tender. As they get closer to the event, the women begin painting their faces. First, they use a brush to apply a layer of skin tone colored paint. After the first layer, many faces vary, but a typical face for the Morp would be black around the eyes and red on both the cheeks and lips.

Once their bodies have been properly taken care of, the women drape a long piece of fabric over their bodies so that barely any skin is visible except for the neck region. They then attach a platform to the bottom of their feet to make them appear taller. The platforms send a shooting pain up the legs, making it near impossible to walk even though they must wear these the entire night. The men on the other hand aren’t forced to endure as much pain as the girls. In fact, the men take a different approach to the event by dressing comically instead of conservatively. The men dress in garments that make them look like a penguin with a white stomach and black sleeves. They also have a piece of cloth that they must tighten around their neck to the point of nearly choking them in order to make them look more presentable to their woman of the night.

Once the young men and woman of the ritual walk into the gargantuan room they get packed in so tight they can barely breath. At the front of the crowd of teenagers is the tribe's music man who creates various beats and rhythms. The guests then begin pumping their fists rapidly, jumping up and down, and rotating their hips. This goes on for anywhere from 2-5 hours and is considered the social event of the year.

Even after years of research done on the Nacirema, nobody is sure where the idea for the Morp ritual originated from, nor are they sure of its meaning or purpose. Scientists have speculated its purpose to be a bonding experience for the young community as well as a way for the teenagers to come together in one area at one time and escape the stress of daily life.