Totem means the sacred symbol adopted as an emblem by tribes or clans because they regard them as their ancestors and protectors. The totem is usually a pole or column and can be represented by an animal, plant, or other object.
Totem is a word derived from "odoodem" meaning "family mark" in the Ojibwe Indian language of the North American Indians.
Totems are seen as Luck charm, objects of veneration and worship among the group. In some tribes, the totem can be symbolized by a design of the group's coat of arms, used on various objects as the identity of the family to which it belongs.
A totem could be an animal, plant, object or phenomenon considered sacred by a given society. It consists of a familiar symbol with supernatural powers and protective features. Totems were surrounded by an aura of fear, superstition and magic.
Among North American Indians, the totem is usually a meticulously crafted wooden design forming an enormous sculpture. Original totem poles built in the 19th century can be seen in museums across the United States and Canada. In the United States, the totem is seen as a protective spirit of the person in question.
Totemism
Totemism is a religious belief that uses the totem as a spiritual element of worship in which there is a close and mysterious relationship between a human being and a natural being. This relationship is based on a common origin between the two beings. This religion is often associated with shamanism as it is also a religion of indigenous origin.
Believers in totemism could not kill, eat meat or even touch the animal representing the totem. Totemism emerged in hunter communities, primarily in the United States, South Asia, Australia, New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan.
