Early Indigenous Literatures

Utility and Ornament

Visually, the book’s binding appears to be caught between impulses towards utility and ornament. To my eye, this spiraling line appears to be a meandros, a geometric pattern typically found in ancient Greek architectural friezes, which could signal an attempt to marshal scholarly authority through association with historically significant Western visual forms. Although it is the only decorative element adorning the cover, the pattern’s neat repetition and somber color have a muted effect.

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