Year 8 Pewter Casting Masters Research task You should look up 4 symbols altogether, from the following cultures, to help you design your keyrings: Aztec Maori Adinkra (from Ghana) Roman Aboriginal Native American Egyptian etc... Celts
Level 2 - at least 4 symbols Say what culture your symbol is from What does the symbol mean? Why did you chose it? Level 3 - Why do you think it is important to them or to you, if someone received it as a gift why might they like it? Level 4 - What are the good points and bad points about the shape/design? Level 5 - Include in depth research about the culture your favourite symbol comes from and about
Example
Islamic In the 10th century, the Turks accepted Islam on their own will and conquered the Middle East. Within a few centuries, the Turks became extremely powerful and stretched an empire from the gates of Vienna, Austria, Russia all the way to Spain in the west. They brought into Islam their own free spirit, dynamism, Turkish culture, superstitions and serious beliefs as well. This is the origin of how the Crescent Moon & Star came into the Islamic world.the hilal (Star and Crescent moon) does not, in fact represent Islam. It predates Islam by about 2000 years. It appears, for instance, on the seals and decorations of the Moabites, of Israel, at about 1500BC. I think that this symbol is important to Islam because they depend on the Moon And Crescent as when the Muslims have their own year with their own set of months they are only advised that their months have started when the moon and crescent appears in the sky. I chose this symbol because although it is simple it has an interesting story hidden behind it. Star and Crescent This symbol may look easy as an image but it may become difficult as an object because of the space between the crecsent and the star, and getting the exact shape of the star.
Japanese Shinto, also called kami-no-michi, is a Japanese ethnic religion that focuses on ritual practices to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past."shinto gods" are called kami. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami. I think that Shinto is important to the japanese because it represents how you live your life, which makes it different than most other religions that are focused on preparation for the next life meaning that Shinto is more of a day to day religion that's unconsciously observed on how you go about your daily tasks. This symbol I found very unique and interesting in a way, so that's why I decided to look more into Shinto. Shinto The good things about this symbol is that it is symmetrical and simple however trying to get the exact angles might be a problem that occurs
Jainis The hand mwith a wheel on the palm symbolizes Ahimsa in Jainism. The word in the middle is "Ahimsa" meaning noninjury and the Jain Vow of Ahimsa, meaning non-violence. The wheel represents the dharmachakra, which stands for the resolve to halt cycle of reincarnation through the pursuit of truth. The semi-circular topmost portion symbolizes siddhashila, which is a zone beyond the three realms. All of the siddhas or liberated bodiless souls reside on this forever, liberated from the cycle of life and death. The three dots on the top under the semi-circle symbolize the Ratnatraya right belief, right knowledge, and right conduct. Every creature in this world can become free from the cycle of life and death. This gives the message that it is This symbol represents nonviolence and non-injury suggesting for you not to be afraid and to stop and think before you act to assure that any type of possible violence is avoided. I think that this symbol creates a huge impact on the life of a Jainism and that they then respect their actions if they did / did not do anything wrong. I love the way this symbol looks and thought it was a really good design in the middle. Just after looking at the symbol made me want to research it much further. The symbol of Ahimsa in Jainism
Buddhist The dharmachakra is one of the Ashtamangala of Indian religions such as Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. It has represented the Buddhist dharma, Gautama Buddha's teaching of the path to Nirvana, since the time of early Buddhism.The dharma wheel, or dharmachakra in Sanskrit, is one of the oldest symbols of Buddhism. Around the globe, it is used to represent Buddhism in the same way that a cross represents Christianity or a Star of David represents Judaism. It is also one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism. Similar symbols are found in Jainism and Hinduism, and it is likely the dharmachakra symbol in Buddhism evolved out of Hinduism. Dharma is an important term in Indian religions because In Hinduism it means 'duty', 'virtue', 'morality', and even 'religion'. It refers to the power which upholds the universe and society. The Bhavachakra, The Wheel of Life or Wheel of Becoming, is a mandala which is a complex picture representing the Buddhist view of the universe. To Buddhists, existence is a cycle of life, death, rebirth and suffering that they seek to escape altogether. I chose this because I thought the name was interesting and so was the design. I think that each section on the wheel represents the stages of life. Buddhist Wheel of Dharma