This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

A totem is any entity which watches over or assists a group of people, such as a family, clan or tribe (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary [1] and Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition). Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... For other uses, see Clan (disambiguation). ...

Totems support larger groups than the individual person. In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem. Normally this belief is accompanied by a totemic myth. Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... Apical, from the Latin apex (plural apices) meaning to be at the apex or tip, may refer to: An apical consonant, a consonant produced with the tip of the tongue Apical dominance An apical bud An apical pulse: apical pulse is your heart rate when counted with a stethoscope (steth... An ancestor is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an ancestor (i. ...

Although the term is of Ojibwa origin, totemistic beliefs are not limited to Native American Indians. Similar totemism-like beliefs have been historically found throughout much of the world, including Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Australia and the Arctic polar region. This article is about the native North American people. ... For other uses, see Native Americans (disambiguation). ...

In modern times, some single individuals, not otherwise involved in the practice of a tribal religion, have chosen to adopt a personal spirit animal helper, which has special meaning to them, and refer to this as a totem. This non-traditional usage of the term is prevalent in, but not limited to, the New Age movement, and the Mythopoetic men's movement. The term Modern Times is used by historians to loosely describe the period of time immediately following what is known as the Early Modern Times. ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... The mythopoetic mens movement is a general style of psychological self-help, largely inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell. ...

Totemism

Personal Totem of Mohegan Chief Tantaquidgeon, commemorated on a plaque at Norwich, Connecticut.

Totemism (derived from the root -oode- in the Ojibwe language, which referred to something kinship-related, c.f. odoodem, "his totem") is a religious belief that is frequently associated with shamanistic religions. The totem is usually an animal or other naturalistic figure that spiritually represents a group of related people such as a clan. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 743 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2241 × 1809 pixel, file size: 4. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 743 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2241 × 1809 pixel, file size: 4. ... The Mohegan tribe is an Algonquian-speaking tribe living in eastern (upper Thames valley) Connecticut [1] that was jointly ruled by the Pequot tribe until 1637. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa or Anishinaabemowin in Eastern Ojibwe syllabics) is the third most commonly spoken Native language in Canada (after Cree and Inuktitut), and the fourth most spoken in North America (behind Navajo, Cree, and Inuktitut). ... The Anishinaabe, like most Algonquian-speaking groups in North America, base their system of kinship on patrilineal clans or totems. ... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual... For other uses, see Believe. ... This article is about the practice of shamanism; for other uses, see Shaman (disambiguation). ...

Totemism played an active role in the development of 19th and early 20th century theories of religion, especially for thinkers such as Émile Durkheim, who concentrated their study on primitive societies (which was an acceptable description at the time). Drawing on the identification of social group with spiritual totem in Australian Aboriginal tribes, Durkheim theorized that all human religious expression was intrinsically founded in the relationship to a group. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Émile Durkheim Émile Durkheim (IPA: ; April 15, 1858 – November 15, 1917) was a French sociologist whose contributions were instrumental in the formation of sociology and anthropology. ... Australian Aborigines are the indigenous peoples of Australia. ...

In his essay Le Totemisme aujourdhui (Totemism Today), Claude Lévi-Strauss shows that human cognition, which is based on analogical thought, is independent of social context. From this, he excludes mathematical thought, which operates primarily through logic. Totems are chosen arbitrarily for the sole purpose of making the physical world a comprehensive and coherent classificatory system. Lévi-Strauss argues that the use of physical analogies is not an indication of a more primitive mental capacity. It is rather, a more efficient way to cope with this particular mode of life in which abstractions are rare, and in which the physical environment is in direct friction with the society. He also holds that scientific explanation entails the discovery of an arrangement; moreover, since the science of the concrete is a classificatory system enabling individuals to classify the world in a rational fashion, it is neither more nor less a science than any other in the western world. It is important to recognise that in this text the egalitarian nature of Lévi-Strauss and his work is manifested in all its force, and more importantly Lévi-Strauss diverts the interest of anthropology towards the understanding of human cognition. This article is about the anthropologist. ... Human cognition is the study of how the human brain thinks. ... Logic (from Classical Greek λόγος logos; meaning word, thought, idea, argument, account, reason, or principle) is the study of the principles and criteria of valid inference and demonstration. ... Analogy is both the cognitive process of transferring information from a particular subject (the analogue or source) to another particular subject (the target), and a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process. ... This article is about the concept of abstraction in general. ... For other uses, see Society (disambiguation). ... A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ... Occident redirects here. ... This article is about the social science. ...

Lévi-Strauss looked at the ideas of Firth and Fortes, Durkheim, Malinowski, and Evans-Pritchard to reach his conclusions. Firth and Fortes argued that Totemism was based on physical or psychological similarities between the clan and the totemic animal. Malinowski proposed that it was based on empirical interest or that the totem was 'good to eat.' In other words there was rational interest in preserving the species. Finally Evans-Pritchard argued that the reason for totems was metaphoric. His work with the Nuer led him to believe that totems are a symbolic representation of the group. Lévi-Strauss saw Evan-Pritchard's work as the correct explanation. The Nuer are a confederation of tribes located in Southern Sudan and western Ethiopia. ...

North American totem poles

Main article: Totem pole

A totem pole in Totem Park, Victoria, BC

The totem poles of the Pacific Northwest of North America have many different designs (bears, birds, frogs, people, lizards, see pictogram). They have arms, wings and legs. A Gitxsan pole (left) and Kwakwakawakw pole (right) at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, British Columbia. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (456x1722, 519 KB) Summary From Totem Park, Victoria, BC. Precise location: [1] This photo was taken by Ryan Bushby(HighInBC) with his Canon PowerShot A520. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (456x1722, 519 KB) Summary From Totem Park, Victoria, BC. Precise location: [1] This photo was taken by Ryan Bushby(HighInBC) with his Canon PowerShot A520. ... Victorias Inner Harbour with the Provincial Legislature in the background. ... A Gitxsan pole (left) and Kwakwakawakw pole (right) at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, British Columbia. ... The Pacific Northwest from space The Pacific Northwest, abbreviated PNW, or PacNW is a region in the northwest of North America. ... North American redirects here. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Possibly totemic culture in ancient China

The mysterious Sanxingdui Culture in southern China, dating back more than 5000 years, possibly placed bronze and gold heads on totems. Chinese transliterates totem as tuteng (圖騰), which means "flags embroidered with animal patterns representing the barbarian tribes". Sanxingdui bronze masks and heads (radiocarbon dated circa 1200BCE) appear to have been mounted on wooden poles. It has been suggested by some that that totemic culture spread from ancient Asiatic populations to the rest of the world, although this is unlikely because totemic cultures in North America are estimated to be over 10,000 years old. Sanxingdui bronze heads with gold foil masks Sanxingdui (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally Three star mound) (also seen locally spelled as Xanxingdui in Sichuan) is an ancient Chinese city where archaeologists discovered remarkable artifacts that radiocarbon dated circa 12th-11th centuries BCE, and Sanxingdui is the name given to this previously unknown...

See also

• Tughra
• Tamga
• Animal worship
• Australian Aboriginal kinship
• Charge (heraldry)
• Kinship and descent
• Moiety
• Totem and Taboo by Sigmund Freud
• Anishinaabe clan system
• HMS Totem (P352)
• Dæmon (His Dark Materials)

The tughra of Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire. ... A tamgha, or tamga (Modern Turkish: damga) is an abstract seal or device used by Eurasian nomadic peoples and by cultures influenced by them. ... Animal worship covers religious and ritual practices including the worship of a living animal considered as a deity incarnate, animal sacrifice as well as the respect for the bones of a slain animal. ... Australian Aboriginal kinship is the system of law governing social interaction, particularly marriage, in traditional Aboriginal culture. ... In heraldry, a charge is an image occupying the field on an escutcheon (or shield). ... Kinship and descent is one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology. ... Look up moiety in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Totem and Taboo: Resemblances Between the Mental Lives of Savages and Neurotics was a book written by Sigmund Freud published in German as Totem und Tabu: Einige Übereinstimmungen im Seelenleben der Wilden und der Neurotiker in 1913. ... Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ... The Anishinaabe, like most Algonquian-speaking groups in North America, base their system of kinship on patrilineal clans or totems. ... HMS Totem (pennant number P352) was a group three T Class submarine of the Royal Navy which entered service in the last few months of World War II. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to be named Totem. ... A dæmon is a physical manifestation of the soul of a conscious person in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Totem poles

• Totem Spirit Animals: Discovering Animal Totems, Dictionaries, Feathers
• Historical Wonders of Sanxingdui
• Welcome to Sanxingdui (with history of excavation)
• Totems in Zimbabwe