Material Culture
From The Encyclopedia of Mormonism
See this page in the original 1992 publication.
Author: Thatcher, Elaine
The artifacts of a society are known as its material culture. Latter-day Saints, like all other cultural groups, have altered their physical surroundings to reflect their own worldview. Every object created or modified by members of a group is part of that group's material culture. LDS material culture encompasses a particular constellation of objects, only a few of which are unique. But, taken together, they create what can be identified as a Mormon environment.
In parts of the American West settled heavily by Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century, the landscape reflects their peculiar approach to town building (see Community; Colonization). One of the top priorities for early settlers was the establishment of extensive irrigation systems that brought mountain water to every farm. Ditches were dug, and dams of a variety of designs were and still are used to divert water onto a plot of land in a rotating calendar of "water turns." The influence of irrigation can be seen to this day in Mormon-settled areas where green fields, shady, flower-filled yards, and rows of Lombardy poplars mark the landscape, even in the driest desert areas (see Agriculture).
A settlement pattern used frequently by Mormon pioneers has become known as the Mormon village (see City Planning; Ward), with homes and businesses situated closely around the central square, streets oriented toward the cardinal directions, and farm lands extending out around this settlement. Farmers left the village to work fields allotted to them by their ecclesiastical leaders. Designs of outbuildings and houses were based on settlers' previous experience or on knowledge gained from neighbors through a process of oral tradition and example (see Folklore). Hay was stacked with a "Mormon derrick," a device that can still be seen in several variations although no longer used, in the Mormon-settled West.
The most distinctive Mormon architecture has been in religious buildings: temples, tithing houses, and meetinghouses, for instance. Important LDS symbols, such as the beehive; the sun, moon, and stars; and the all-seeing eye, appear on many of these structures.
Most material objects found in early LDS homes were similar to those found in other American homes. Ethnic origins of the makers often influenced furniture design. Some furniture built by Mormon craftspeople bore cultural symbols similar to those found on buildings. Prior to the coming of the railroad, locally made furniture was distinctive, mostly because it had to be built out of local softwoods rather than eastern hardwoods. Thus, spindles, legs, and other parts had to be thicker than normal to support the same weight. One item of furniture, a lounge with a section that pulled out to accommodate two sleepers, became known as the "Mormon couch" because of its popularity in Utah.
Today, Latter-day Saints continue to surround themselves with objects typical of their home countries. In addition, an LDS home may contain elements that identify its occupants as practicing Saints. Often, there is a picture of a temple-usually the one where the residents received their endowments or were married. The temple motif may be carried out in other objects, such as quilts and embroidery (see Folk Art). Photos of family members are often found in profusion, reflecting the cultural and personal emphasis on family.
The Church's emphasis on emergency preparedness, especially home food storage, has caused members to devise methods for creating storage space in homes of limited size. What appears to be a round table covered by a long tablecloth may actually be a large cylindrical container of wheat, beans, or rice. Food practices of the Latter-day Saints, also a part of material culture, often focus on the rotating use of storage foods.
LDS women contribute to their material culture through monthly Relief Society homemaking meetings, where they share recipes, craft ideas, and work methods. Particularly popular are inexpensive projects that transform utilitarian objects into decorative ones, such as a small kitchen strainer becoming a Christmas reindeer decoration through the application of colored felt shapes. A craft that becomes popular can sweep through homemaking meetings throughout the Church, and eventually may be seen in a majority of LDS homes for a time.
Even after death, material reminders of Latter-day Saints' religious values can be found in their gravestones. Symbols such as clasped hands and doves, while not unique to Mormon culture, evoke images of eternity for Latter-day Saints that are reflective of their beliefs. Modern gravestones often have an image of a temple on one side, with a list of the couple's children on the other, emphasizing again the idea that a good marriage and family are the best measures of a life well lived.
The Church itself contributes to the material culture of its members. It produces or has produced books of scripture, pictures, journals, lesson manuals, videotapes, Sacrament trays, Primary bandalos, commemorative jewelry, and other items used by members in practicing their religion. Some, such as printed programs for ward Sacrament meetings, are ephemeral, but they are no less part of the material culture.
Today, as the Church spreads throughout the world, it is more difficult to identify specifically LDS objects. The Salt Lake Temple is one symbol that is frequently represented in crafts from many cultures, including Tongan tapa cloth and Native American beadwork. Some symbols and objects may be universal to all Church members, while others will be localized. A bottle of home-preserved peaches is not unique in itself, but the sense of religious obligation to "put up fruit" and the implications of righteousness attached to the preserver are unique to this culture. All objects identifiable as "Mormon" are expressive of the values of their makers. Latter-day Saints will continue to manipulate their physical environment, mixing their religious values with influences from their ethnic or national cultures to create a landscape that is uniquely their own.
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