Doug Eyman continues the trend of not being able to place a single definition on the term “digital rhetoric.” I’m unsure if this is becoming more clear or confusing. Digital materials are much different than physical. The Wampum belt is a great example of how communication and rhetoric have developed over time.
Wampum Belt
I appreciate how Angela Haas provided the example of Wampum belts, comparing them to literacy and rhetoric. Wampum belts are made up of a multitude of materials like strings, shells, and beads, which are composed of other materials. Then they all come together to create one object. This concept combines multiple resources that are made from other resources to compose one overall objective, like the Wampum belt. This is a physical, materialistic way of envisioning how multimedia is made up of different components, such as texts, videos, websites, e-learning apps/games, etc.. This also connects to multimode in hypertext. The Wampum belt was not just an accessory. It was a sophisticated communication system among Indigenous people. The belts served as a way to share knowledge, preserve history, and support relationships between other tribes/communities. It was a method of communication.
Reflect
I was subbing for a 4th grade science/social studies class the other day. We were learning about the Eastern territory, the Iroquois people, and none other than the Wampanoag group, who would make these renowned wampum belts. It was said in their elementary text that these belts were traded and gifted as a sign of honor. Other tribes would wear these belts as a sign of respect to those who made them. Some wore them to show other tribes they were in alliance. Even on a 4th-grade level, Wampum belts are introduced as a form of multimodal communication between tribes to convey a message with meaning. It was very interesting to learn about how these artifacts connect to literacy on a college level, and then teach this concept in a similar way to elementary students.
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