American Ritual

As my co-worker and I often do, we discuss the morning local news, or I just complain about the Idaho State Journal. This morning my co-worker was trying to find a way to point out that on one hand, construction has already began at the PMC but the formal ground-breaking has yet begun. This makes me think. Why do Americans, who may not recognize that we have formal traditions as a nation, still engage in these ceremonies?

Ceremonies are very important to humans. Every culture has some. A. Van Gennep, the anthropologist who wrote Rites of Passage, and Victor Turner, who wrote The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure, would say we must use ceremony to move into new social statuses. While this is usually performed on people, we can say that in the case of a Grand Opening, or Ground Breaking, we are changing the social status of Earth.

I often complain orally (and this is the 2nd time in text) that Earth should be more respected. Linguistically, I would argue the word "Earth" should always be capitalized. The rules of capitalization says that proper nouns should be capitalized. Right now the rules on the capitalization for the word "Earth" is when you are talking about the planet.

"Webster says:

Do not, however, capitalize earth, moon, sun, except when those names appear in a context in which other (capitalized) celestial bodies are mentioned. "I like it here on earth," but "It is further from Earth to Mars than it is from Mercury to the Sun."

A proper noun is a one-of-a-kind object. It demands respect, and we should treat Earth more like how we would ideally treat a person. It also will remind us it is not a generic object, but our one chance to interact with it.

But I digress. While many people can't think of an American ritual off the top of their head not related to a National Holiday, we do have many that may go unrecognized. Our ceremonies still abound, especially in the business world. But who is involved in the ceremony, and who decides how it should go? What happens when there is no ceremony?

This example of the PMC ground breaking is an interesting expression of how we do it in the current day. From my knowledge of anthropology and experience being an Pocatello, Idaho native, I can answer some of it.

Who is involved in this ceremony?

Mostly, the public relations people from the PMC and Legacy Partners. Public relations staff are some of the newest creators of rituals. They organize the event, are the ones responsible for inviting guests and deciding which guests will be invited to participate and who will just attend. As an example, a journalist from a TV station is not a participant in the ceremony itself. However, without the media in attendance, events may not exist in the consciousness of the public, just like the ritual creates the change in social status. It is not real without their attendance. To PR and business, while the public is invited, media representatives are of a different status. General public are not given pre-access to information or private time with the guests of honor. In this case, the guests are the Shoshoni and Bannock tribal representatives, and Idaho Lt. Governor Brad Little. In this case, Lt. Governor Little is likely acting in the stead of Governor Otter. Often times when high offices are asked to attend ceremonies and they have more important business, but want to show respect and participate in a social status change but cannot attend, they send their second in command to represent them. Pocatello Mayor Chase will be there so will Chubbuck Mayor England, along with the Bannock County Commissioners ( only 1 was so valuable to the community having this new business opportunity but all 3 will be there).

Why are other people not invited? Tribal people are invited for many reasons. For one they are the traditional "owner", but more like stewards, of the land the PMC will be built on. But they are also invited because without them there would be more trouble. Sincerely, or insincerely, the tribes must be invited. They are a powerful economic force in the area. They must be recognized by the other powerful as here and not invisible. The history of the First Americans in the area, and the city and American history informs this decision. The participation of the tribe re-inforces the importance of the people living in the area. Others that will have an interest and will be recognized at the event would be the President of ISU, Arthur Valais. Idaho State University is an important ally for future partnerships and business opportunities.

But while the event has picked who should be included because of their power and status in the area, we also have those who are not included, I would say, because of their tacit power, or uber-minority status. For example, while people living in the area would say the LDS Church has a lot of influence in the area because of their number of members and the monetary power of their members, they are not performing their religious rites at the ground breaking. The same goes with Hindus in the area. There are plenty of religious diversity in the town that for such an important ceremony that more groups would be included, but the minority groups without power are the ones who are not invited. Only those with power were invited to be incuded.

Another question is what would happen if it did not happen. Technically, ground has already begun at PMC because change have been made to Earth to make upcoming construction easier. Ground has been clearned and literally and figuratively, a stage has been set. The ceremony is not needed to make the construction happen, just like we don't need a birthday ceremony to get older. The point of the ritual is to gather together as one group to move forward. By having a ceremony, the public or groups involved cannot say "I didn't know they had started". It is also a time when you find out who your friends are, by both invitations being sent, and by who shows up.

While it may just be the creation of a non-human business, or the industrial complex's creation. The American ceremony of "ground breaking" is one that carries importance. It is what ideologically creates and memorializes changes.