Low Man
by Jon Burch Photography
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Price
$700
Dimensions
16.000 x 24.000 inches
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Title
Low Man
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture And Enhancement
Description
The meanings of the designs on totem poles are as varied as the cultures that make them. While a pole may recount familiar legends, clan lineages, or notable events, some poles celebrate cultural beliefs while others are mostly artistic. Certain types of totem poles are part of mortuary structures, and incorporate grave boxes with carved supporting poles, or recessed backs for grave boxes. Poles illustrate stories that commemorate historic persons, represent shamanic powers, or provide objects of public ridicule.
Totem poles were never objects of worship. Very early European explorers thought they were worshiped, but later explorers noted that totem poles were never treated reverently; they seemed only occasionally to generate allusions or illustrate stories, and were usually left to rot in place when people abandoned a village. The association with "idol worship" was an idea from local Christian missionaries of the nineteenth century, who considered their association with Shamanism as an occult practice.
The vertical order of images on totem poles is widely believed to be a significant representation of importance. This idea is so pervasive that it has entered into common parlance with the phrase "low man on the totem pole". This phrase is indicative of the most common belief of ordering importance, that the higher figures on the pole are more important or prestigious. A counterargument frequently heard is that figures are arranged in a "reverse hierarchy" style, with the most important representations being on the bottom, and the least important being on top. There have never been any restrictions on vertical order; many poles have significant figures on the top, others on the bottom, and some in the middle. Other poles have no vertical arrangement at all, consisting of a lone figure atop an un-decorated column. - Wikki
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Image copyright 2014 Jon Burch Photography
Uploaded
September 14th, 2014
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