A message stick normally accompanied a messenger and spoken account rather than replacing them. Its marks could support memory and authority without recording the whole message. Interpret an isolated artifact through corroborating provenance and community knowledge, preserving what remains unknown instead of translating shapes as complete sentences.
- FamilyTool
- Category of its source unitCodes & Communication Systems
- DomainMeaning & Clarity
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Family
Tool
In this series, Tool names the editorial family primarily used to act on, examine, measure or organize communication. It includes instruments, methods, practices, protocols, codes and institutional arrangements. Membership does not certify effectiveness, portability or safe use in every setting.
Editorial orientation · Category
Codes & Communication Systems
Articulates signs and conventions through which information or meaning can be represented, recorded or transmitted. Interpretation depends on the relevant language, practices, users and context, not on a sign looking self-evident.