The Artifact Truth of a Three-Legged Stool - Essay Example

The Artifact Truth of a Three-legged Stool Introduction Material culture refers to cultural manifestation through the manufacture of objects. The main purpose of studying material culture is to enable us to discover various importance, beliefs, thoughts, and assumptions of a certain society or community in a given period. The mere truth is that objects produced by human beings portray the cultural beliefs of those who produced or used the object as well as the cultural beliefs of the society in which the producer belongs (15). The present paper analyzes a particular artifact ‘three-legged stool’ to show the reflected culture and beliefs. Physical description The object has an approximate height of 5 inches; the widest portion of its body has a width of 4 inches, and the three legs have equal height of 3.5 inches. The object’s width is much bigger than its height and one can inscribe it within a form of a rectangle. The primary raw material used to produce the object is wood. The top part is in a circular shape and is firm since it is of a thick wood material. The thickness of this top part is of approximately 2 inches. The surface area of the top part is big enough to allow for anybody sit comfortably on the chair. The legs are firm enough and forms a u-shape to enable them support the weight of the top part firmly and therefore if anyone sits on the stool no matter how heavy he or she is chances of the stool breaking are limited. The wood materials used to construct the object are curved smooth. The object’s top part has two-fit horizontal lines at the part where the top rests and joins the three legs and the other line is at the surface where an individual sits. When one views this object from a side the stool seems to present some V-shapes formed by each two legs. The objects legs are separate from one another at an equal interval and points downwards supporting the top surface. The legs are thick enough to ensure maximum support of the weight of the top part, which seems to be heavy. When one looks at the object from its top, the stool’s top surface seems to present a disc-shape. This means that much of the weight exerted on the stool is supported by the core and the central part of the stool and that why the legs are joined at the outermost part of the top surface for the purpose of maintain balance when an individual sits on the object. This object however consists of four distinctive parts, which include the top body and the three legs. While the legs of the object are in the form of a long rod, its upper portion is in a disc-shape. The top of the object is in disc-shaped and terminates with the smooth top surface area. Analysis of the three-legged stool and what it says about the culture that produced it According to the physical analysis above, one can conclude that this object is a stool. Traditional people of Africa constructed this attractive furniture. This construction of stools using wood materials portrays that metallic raw materials were scarce in that cultural society and or even they were expensive. Since the construction of the stool involves the use of thick and strong materials, using metal raw materials would make the object much heavier. The complex cultural believes and nature of the producers and users of this stool is clearly portrayed in this three-legged stool material culture. The graphic arts and decorations of the object portray Islamic principles. The use of wood and ceramic as the raw materials all represent an Islamic origin. However, although the stool portrays more of Islamic principles it remains that this three-legged stool is resolute and traditionally African. The physical appearance of the stool portrays that the indented users of the stool are the most delegate individuals in the society. This could be individuals such as the clan leaders, family heads, chiefs, kings, or the elder men in the families. The function of the three-legged stool also reflects the society’s traditional believes and values. Since stools are essential objects in many societies, its ownership, display and usage indicates the symbolism of the status of the users and ancestry. The stool portrays some comfort and durability, thus indicating that the major users of this three-legged stool were either chiefs or the highly ranked members of the society. Many people when asked would suggest that the three legs of the object are substantial, cheerful, grandmotherly, reliable, and comfortable. The three-legged stool suggests a series of collection of links between it and people beliefs as well memorial experiences of the users. In order to explain why one would the above words to describe the object, it is essential to note that the top portion seems to be wider and of more weight than that of the legs. Therefore, the top portion of the stool has a firm base that suggests reliability, durability, and stability. Some words such as grandmotherly, cheerful, and comfortable reflect a wider range of experiences. This object clearly depicts how artifacts serve as a metaphorical description of cultures (23). There are two types of metaphors, which include structural conforming to the experience’s shape and therefore resembling actual objects in their physical appearance. The other form of metaphor is textual metaphor, which focuses on the emotional experiences of those who use of the three-legged stool. The object analyzed in this paper refers to a three-legged stool and involves various textual metaphors such as cheerful, reliable, grandmotherly, comfort, among many others. It also has structural metaphors which basis on the shape and appearance of the three-legged stool (27). For instance, the top surface and the three legs resemble a seat metaphor. Conclusion It is logical to conclude that there many insights that the artifact can afford to us since its culture in a metaphorical form (33). For instance, what does the three-legged stool demonstrate to us about the cultural beliefs of the producers and the users? The object gives us an insight that the stool was used by the family leaders as well as the highest ranked individuals in the society and this metaphorically relates to the people’s believe of ruling, ownership, and issuing advices. The three-legged stool also portrays symbolism of charity, leadership, generosity. In addition, the three-legged stool also suggests that the leaders who were supposed to sit on this three-legged stool expected much respect from the society. This portrayed by the stool’s comfort, reliability, and durability portrayed by its physical appearance. Additionally, the structure of the three-legged stool means that it was supposed to used by the honored individuals in the society (the human metaphor), and thus it portrays that all other types of stools were to be used by the elder people especially the men and not the women and children. Work cited Prown, Jules D. Art As Evidence: Writings on Art and Material Culture. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press, 2001. Print. Read More