Totemism is a phenomenon that most often means one of the most ancient forms of primitive religion.
This term usually refers to the division of a tribe into groups related by kinship along the male or female line. Moreover, each of these groups believes in its kinship with a totem - most often an animal (sons of a coyote, sons of a raven, etc.), less often a plant (sons of a corncob), an inanimate object or even a natural phenomenon (sons of the Big Dipper, sons of Thunder) - which considered the ancestor of this group. Often totemic groups have material emblems that have a sacred meaning (such as the churingas of the Australians, totem poles of American Indians)). The ancestral totem is usually forbidden to kill and eat (sometimes they even avoid meeting it and coming into contact with it in any way), it is considered the mystical patron of this group, and can be influenced using certain magical techniques. In some cases, a connection with a totem is established through its ritual killing and collective consumption, in which all members of a given group participate ( vivid examples: “bear festival” among the Yenisei Kets, during which all members of the group are obliged to eat a killed bear - the totem of the tribe, in order to join this totem; tearing apart and eating a camel among some Arabian tribes in the pre-Islamic period, etc.). The taboo against killing a totem is temporarily lifted, and during a collective meal, group members join in with their common ancestor; at the same time, they often ask him for forgiveness for the murder they committed (this is exactly what they do during the “bear festivals” of the Yenisei Kets, Sakhalin Ainu, etc.). Totemism has its own mythology - this is the idea and myths about the totemic ancestor (ancestors). Sometimes ideas about totemic ancestors are associated with the belief in reincarnation, in the fact that totemic ancestors are eternally embodied in their descendants. Such beliefs were especially widespread among the aborigines of Australia; among other peoples they are less clearly represented. Totemistic ideas also reflect the close connection of the primitive collective with its territory.
Totems North American Indians
The term “totem” itself was taken from the dictionary of the North American Indians (Algonquins) and was first used in European scientific literature J. Long at the end of the 18th century. The interest of the scientific community in this phenomenon has especially increased in late XIX- early 20th century after the works of J. McLennan “On the Cult of Animals and Plants” and J. Frazer “Totemism” and “Totemism and Exogamy”. J. McLennan identified three components in this: fetishism, exogamy (the custom of marrying outside a given group) and matrilineal kinship (i.e., determining kinship along the maternal line). J. Frazer saw the basis of this in the possibility of magical influence on one’s totem (reflected, in particular, in the rituals of “reproduction” of the totem). These views in a more expansive interpretation - the preservation of elements of providential magic in totemistic beliefs (the influence on the totem as an object of providence) - were subsequently expressed by other researchers. W. Robertson-Smith argued that this is based on the concept according to which nature, like humanity, is divided into groups of things by analogy with consanguineous groups in human society. However, E. Taylor also warned against artificially inflating the problem of so-called, emphasizing that, in his opinion, this phenomenon has a rather modest place in religious and social systems; in addition, he drew attention to the fact that exogamy in some cases exists without totemism and, therefore, these phenomena are not inextricably linked.
Interest in totemism was especially great in the 1910-1920s, when many works devoted to this topic appeared, and in the journal “Anthropos”, starting in 1914 and for 10 subsequent years, there was a section “The Problem of Totemism”, in which The works of the most prominent scientists were published. There were many (about 40) versions of the origin of totemism; the famous work of A van Gennep is devoted to their review. Current state totemic problem." From the point of view of the scientist himself, totemism is the distribution between secondary groups of society of areas of territory with everything that lives and grows on it, i.e. there is a close connection between totemism and trade magic.
Even the English ethnologist W. Robertson Smith noted that the blood of a sacrificial animal symbolizes the unity of a primitive collective with its deity, and the ritual killing and eating of a sacrificial animal is the prototype of any sacrifice, the conclusion of an alliance between such a collective and its deity. How ideas about the connection of one or another primitive group with a certain animal arose have been expressed different opinions, although, apparently, they are rooted in the psychology of primitive man. The French anthropologist E. Durkheim considered totemism to be the original form of religion. He came to the conclusion that the main object of totemistic beliefs is not a specific animal, plant or image, but some impersonal and anonymous force that is located within them, but is not mixed with them. He believed this force to be God - impersonal, without name, without history, immanent to the world. Totemic animals and images are thus symbols of this impersonal power. At the same time, the totem is a symbol of the primitive clan, its god, in whose person the clan honors itself. In other words, he defined totemism, partly following Robertson Smith and R. Thurnwald, as a form of self-worship of the primitive collective.
W. Rivers defined totemism as a combination of three elements: social (connections of an animal, plant, etc.) with a certain (moreover, exogamous) group of people; psychological (belief in the kinship of the members of this group and its totem); ritual (veneration of an animal, plant or material object, expressed in the prohibition of its use, except in certain cases).
Some researchers focused their attention on the social aspect of the problem (E. Lang, G. Kunov, F. Graebner, V. Schmidt, etc.). Others specifically based its religious side (E. Taylor, J. Fraser, W. Rivers, W. Wundt) or psychological (B. Ankerman, R. Thurnwald) - the feeling of unity between a certain social group and totem, as well as the collectivism of primitive thinking which underlay totemistic beliefs.
Z. Freud offered his understanding of the problem of totemism. In the book "Totem and Taboo" he draws an analogy between the attitude towards animals of primitive man and that of a child - both do not completely separate themselves from the animal world. The emergence of phobias of a particular animal, which, according to his theory, is a substitute for the father, for whom the child experiences ambivalent feelings of fear and adoration, occurs as a result of the transfer of these feelings to the animal. Consequently, according to S. Freud, the totemic animal among primitive peoples is a substitute for the image of the father, and totemism itself originated from the Oedipus complex. He explains the totemic sacrifice by the same thing - the desire of the sons to kill and eat the father (his animal substitute) and take his place.
But already in the 1920s. Skeptical views were expressed on the problem of totemism. Thus, some representatives of the American historical school (A. Goldenweiser, R. Lowy) denied totemism as a phenomenon and special form religious beliefs. A. Goldenweiser, in particular, disputed the relationship of three phenomena that many researchers considered to be indispensable attributes of totemism: clan organization, attribution of animal and plant emblems to clans, and belief in the connection between the clan and its totem. R. Lowy was not at all sure of the existence of totemism as such.
Subsequently, there was a decline in interest in the problem of totemism. In "Anthropology" by A. Kroeber (1923), "General Anthropology", written by F. Boas together with his students (1938), " Social structure" J. Murdoch (1949) paid very little attention to it. The connection between totemism and exogamy, which was previously often considered as the cause of the so-called
The head of the cultural-morphological school, Ad. Jensen, denied totemism as a form of religion and believed that it was a transfer of earlier ideas - “real totemism” (belief in mythical half-animal ancestors, going back to the belief in the divine “master of animals”) to the primitive collective. A. Elkin, H. Petri and A. Shlesner identified “cult totemism” in Australia, which, in their opinion, is primary in relation to “social totemism”. The prominent ethnologist and anthropologist A. Elkin did not question the existence of totemism, but he seemed to “fragment this phenomenon, highlighting individual, sexual, etc. totemism.
Proponents of functionalism did not deny the existence of totemism as a phenomenon, but explained it in accordance with their theory. Thus, B. Malinovsky reduces the totemic problem to three questions. He explains the cult of animals and plants in totemism by the fact that they are necessary for humans as food and therefore quite naturally find themselves at the center of the interests of the primitive group. The belief in the kinship of man and animal is rooted, in his opinion, in the similarity of many biological functions of man and animal and even, in the idea of primitive man, in the superiority of some animals over man. The desire to control one or another type of animal (so that it is available as an object of hunting or does not pose a danger) leads, according to B. Malinovsky, to the emergence of the idea of community with the totem animal, as well as to the establishment of prohibitions on killing the totem, etc. p. A. Radcliffe-Brown considered totemism as a special case of formulating human connections with natural species in myth and ritual. He also denied that totemism was a universal phenomenon, believing that there were many different phenomena associated with different institutions; the only thing that unites them is the association of individual segments of society with some plant or animal species.
Totemism in Ancient Egypt
According to E. Evans-Pritchard, the totemic connection is rooted not in the very nature of the totem, but in the associations that it evokes in the human mind, i.e. concepts and emotions that are outside of them are projected onto living beings and objects.
The head of the Vienna School, J. Heckel, believed that totemism developed on the basis of various sources, the main one of which was the “socialization” of certain types of animals.
Cl. Levi-Strauss, on the one hand, considered the problem of totemism to be far-fetched, not corresponding to reality. He pointed out the artificiality of the formation of the word “totem” itself, which in this form does not exist in the language of the Ojibwe Indians of the Algonquian group and noted that they had never encountered a belief based on the fact that members of the clan were descendants of a totem animal and that it was an object cult. On the other hand, he considered totemism as a way of classifying natural phenomena, not fundamentally different from the classifications used in the Middle Ages and even in some cases modern science. The logic of totemic classification is based on the idea of similarity. Therefore, the entire system of totemistic beliefs, according to Cl. Lévi-Strauss, is a system of codes that establishes a logical equivalence between natural species and social groups.
Representatives of the Soviet ethnographic school, in their attempts to explain the phenomenon of totemism, adhered, which was inevitable, to the Marxist approach to religion and acted as followers of evolutionist views. S.P. Tolstov considered totemism as a form of consciousness of the connection between members of one group and its opposition to other groups. In his opinion, the basis of totemism is a feeling of connection with certain species of animals or plants, the unity of a human group with the territory it occupies and the productive forces located on this territory. The scientist believed that totemism is a more ancient phenomenon than clan organization. A. Zolotarev argued that totemism is the first form of religious reflection of consanguinity. A. Anisimov saw the central idea of totemism as a historically developed ideological reflection of certain features of the consanguineous structure of social groups. S. Atokarev, believing that the most important and difficult to explain in totemism is the belief in kinship, a certain mystical connection between the primitive clan and its totem, argued that the basis of totemism as the oldest form of religion is the transfer of consanguineous relationships to the outside world, a reflection of the ancient clan structure societies with a prevailing type of consanguineous social ties.
It has been pointed out more than once that in the system of totemistic ideas the animal plays a far from prominent role - it can be a plant, an object, etc. Some researchers (F.Grebner, W.Schmidt, etc.) tried to explain why this or that animal (plant, etc.) becomes a totem of a given group for economic reasons - in their opinion, a totem became an animal or plant that was the subject of export of a given group. Yu.I. Semenov believes that the specialization of individual hunting groups in hunting a particular animal, which subsequently became the totem of this group, played a significant role in the formation of totemism.
The meaning of the ritual killing and eating of a totem, which is usually taboo, is, according to some researchers, to strengthen the clan’s connection with its totem (sometimes this ritual is called “God-eating” as a prototype of later ritual meals).
Turning to the question of totemic ancestors, researchers sometimes considered them real people, deified after their death, although L. Levi-Bruhl noted that the mythological (totemic) and real ancestors of the primitive collective should not be confused. But more often than not, researchers admit that these are not the real ancestors of this or that group, they are often endowed with fantastic features and properties, and ideas about them are quite vague. Following B. Malinovsky, who explained the connection between myth and ritual and pointed out that mythology is a kind of justification for ritual practice, many researchers consider such ancestors to be the mythological personification of the sense of unity of a given group. Totemic ancestors are considered as a religious-mythological sanction of the customs of a given primitive group: the founders of totemic rituals and prohibitions. Some scientists (M. Fortes) generally associate the emergence of so-called with the cult of ancestors, believing that the relationship between people and totemic animals is a symbol of the relationship between people and ancestors in terms of mystical causality.
Some scientists believe that numerous mythological stories about sexual intercourse between people (especially women) and animals were originally associated with totemic ideas about the reincarnation of totemic ancestors.
It was also suggested that totemic ancestors could act as the most ancient “cultural heroes”. Some scientists (L. Levi-Bruhl, D.E. Khaitun) interpret anthropozoomorphic images, as well as images of people in animal masks of the Paleolithic era as images of totemic ancestors.
Some researchers consider various kinds of tabooism, zoolatry (animal worship), worship of zooanthropomorphic deities (having human and animal features), belief in werewolves, ideas about metempsychosis (transmigration of souls), etc. remnants of totemism. Apparently, such a view is legitimate if it is possible to establish a connection between such ideas and the collective (especially if the latter bears the name of a given animal). A number of scientists consider the veneration of a particular animal by a tribe or even an entire nation as a manifestation of a late stage of development of so-called tribal totemism; others deny this phenomenon. Echoes of totemistic beliefs can be traced in the mythological systems of the most diverse peoples (especially in ancient Egypt and India).
Literature: Freud Z. Totem and taboo. Pg., b.g.; Zolotarev A. Remnants of totemism among the peoples of Siberia. L., 1934; Khaitun D.E. Totemism, its essence and origin. Dushabbe, 1958; Semenov Yu.I. Emergence human society. Krasnoyarsk, 1962; Tokarev S.A. Totemism // Tokarev S.A. Early forms of religion. M., 1990; Fraser J.G. Totemism and Exogamy. V.1,2. L., 1910; Van Gennep A. L "etat actuel du probleme totemique. 1920; Thurnwald R. Die Psychologie des Totomismus // Anthropos. 1917-1918 Bd.XII-XIII; Goldenveiser A. The method of investigating totemism // Anthropos. 1915-1916. Bd.X-XII; Lowie R. Primitive Society. N.Y., 1925; Les formnes elementaires de la vie religieuse: lt systeme totemique en Australie. ; Malinowski B. Myth in Primitive Psychology. L., 1926; Makarius R., L "origine de l" exogamie et du totemism. (., 1961; Levi-Strauss Cl. Le totemism aujourd "hui. , 1962.
Kets: myths and reality. Rituals, ceremonies, legends
The treasury of Ket mythology is rich in amazing and beautiful legends that explain the creation of the world and the origin of many natural phenomena. Once upon a time, the Kets lived in the upper reaches of the Yenisei, on fertile lands, knowing neither need nor sorrow. But one day they were attacked from the south by a tribe of cannibals. The Kets built boats and sailed in them along the Yenisei, entrusting their fate to the spirit of the river and praying for salvation. The cannibals did not know how to swim, so they grabbed mountains and threw them into the river - this is how river rapids appeared. But the Yenisei broke the mountains with its powerful stream and carried the boats further. In the Turukhansk region, the cannibals staged the most powerful ambush, throwing several huge mountains into the river, and the Yenisei could not break through them. Then it overflowed into a lake, raised its waters and began to flow into the Ob valley. The powerful shaman Alba, watching what was happening, took pity on the people and cut the rocks with a huge knife. So the Yenisei broke through into the Turukhan Valley, where the Kets tribes settled. 
Bear Ritual (Bear Festival)
In the mythology of the Kets, the bear acts as a deity, a guardian spirit, a totem animal, the master of the lower world and the animal double of man. He was considered the shaman's assistant, the embodiment of his soul, and even a werewolf. The cult of the bear permeates the entire concept of the world that the Kets adhere to. The ritual demonstrating the identity of the bear and man is called the “Bear Festival” or “Bear Hunt”. After killing a bear, its skin is removed - this is the first stage of introducing the animal to human nature. Then the eating of bear meat begins - this is how the bear merges with the person, and the differences between them are completely erased. This ritual has been preserved to this day among the Ket tribes. Before a hunt or after its successful completion, as well as during healing rituals, chum salmon perform a ritual dance - wearing bear masks and skins, accompanied by bear songs.
Among the Kets, the bear is considered the patron of healing, and not only the health of people, but also of domestic animals depends on its favor. Therefore, before the shaman was going to treat the patient, he used special spells to summon the spirit of the bear. Particularly powerful shamans themselves can transform into these animals, and during magical rituals they turn into bears and other people.
More about Ket mythology:
Khosedem is the goddess of evil who lives in one of the gorges in the rock on the banks of the Yenisei and sends damage, illness and troubles to people. Tomem is a bright Goddess who opposes Khosedem and lives in the sky, under the sun. She was once Yesya's wife, but then she cheated on him with a month, and he expelled her from his possessions.
One of the active participants in Ket myths is Alba, the first person on earth who took part in the creation of the world. Alba controls people's lives and helps them in case of danger. One day he decided to rid the world of Khosedem and drove her north along the Yenisei, but she turned into a sterlet and disappeared into the dark waters of the river. Alba jumped after her, but she suddenly soared into the sky, turning into a bird. He raced after her across the sky in a huge sleigh, leaving a trail in the form of the Milky Way. As a result, he managed, if not to get rid of Khosedem, then at least to drive her to the north, where she still lives.
It’s a pity that there are very few Kets left - thanks to the Europeanization of Russian territory, the old Kets traditions and cults are dying out. Many suffer from hunger and alcoholism. And scientists’ forecasts are disappointing - over time, this nation will disappear from the face of the earth. And along with it, a rich culture that has developed over many centuries will sink into oblivion. Memories of Ket rites and rituals will remain only in history. Maybe the Kets are simply going back to the stars from where they came? They probably completed their mission on our planet, and Alba ordered them to return back. It's a pity if they leave us...
This religious term means system of beliefs and rituals, adopted by tribes leading a primitive communal way of life.
The word “totem” is borrowed from the language of the Indian tribe of North America, who so called the symbol of the clan, usually associated with some kind of animal or plant, and sometimes even a natural phenomenon.
Types of totems
Totems were used V cultural traditions peoples of different continents. Some tribes had natural phenomena as totems: thunderstorm, wind, lightning, or inanimate objects of nature: sun, moon, mountain, river, iron.
But most often, a plant, fish or animal common in the area where the tribe lives acts as a totem, playing the role of a protector of the clan. Kangaroo, alligator, corn, bear, snake - the symbolism of totems can be very diverse.
Even individual parts of animals, such as the tail of a beaver or the wing of a bird, can act as objects of worship and religious symbols.
Geography of totemism
Worldview of primitive man constantly confronted in his life with the irresistible forces of nature, the dangers of animal aggression, is marked by a feeling of kinship with biological and natural objects.
Symbol of the family– totem – was considered at the same time an object of worship, a protective sign and a blood relative.
For example, members of the kangaroo clan considered their totem an ancestor, the founder of the clan.
Totems in Africa
Totem animals for African tribes were considered older relatives, respected family members.
Young children were subjected unique tests– introduced to poisonous snakes, crocodiles, and other predators. If the animal did not touch the child, he received the right to life.
According to generally accepted ideas, blood kinship connected the world of animals and people. Even death was unable to break these family ties.
Each clan member after death reborn into his animal totem to be reborn in human form. Therefore, killing one’s totem animal was considered the greatest sin and was equated to parricide.
The symbolic connection with the totem was expressed in the making of special masks and outfits, ritual dances that copied the movements of their relatives in the animal world.
Totems in America
The Indian tribes of North America showed their respect for totem animals and plants, declaring their immunity. It was forbidden not only to harm them, but also to simply touch them, wear the skin of a totem animal, eat the fruits of sacred plants, or even sit in their shade.
Worship of totemic symbols required offerings in the form of valuables, and for causing them harm they were threatened with inevitable retribution, equal to blood feud for the murder of a relative.
Often members of the tribe changed their appearance, trying to achieve similarity with their totem: knocking out “extra” teeth or doing a specific hairstyle.
Totems in Australia
Amazing fact– Australian Aboriginal tribes, whose culture was formed without the influence of Europe and America, retained similar customs regarding totem animals.
They also perceive a blood connection with certain animals and plants, the need to perform rituals to secure it, and fear retribution from the spirits of their ancestors for disrespectful attitude to totems.
In gratitude for such devotion, the spirits provide patronage members of their clan: they give them signs indicating places of successful hunting, warn them of impending danger, plot against hostile tribes and clans.
Totems and sacrifices
Complete merging with spirit- the patron saint of the clan in some tribes resulted in the need to always be close to him. Primitive people made it a custom to catch totem animals and keep them in captivity, giving them honors and making offerings. Keeping boas or leopards in cages became the key to good luck and prosperity for the tribe.
Another atavistic way communication with the spirit of an animal - eating its body. "Why did the Aborigines eat Cook?" - a completely legitimate question from the point of view of primitive religions. To eat your deity means to help him move into better world and inherit its best qualities.
Historical development of totemism
Many rituals used in modern religions bear imprints of totemism.
Prohibition on use certain types of food, the priority of religion over relationships in society, the threat of terrible punishments and posthumous torments for sacrilege (damage to church symbols, use of bad words) - all these restrictions were inherited by civilized peoples from their primitive ancestors.
Theories about the origin of totemism
Philosophers have not yet come to a consensus about what class of social phenomena totemism should be classified in and what its origin is.
- Totemism according to Fraser. Sociologist Fraser viewed totemism as a type of social magic. In his opinion, representatives of individual tribes tried to influence nature, using certain rituals in order to achieve prosperity in business.
- Pikler and Somlo's theory. These scientists associated totems with signs that served to depict various animals.
- Taylor's hypothesis. Taylor suggested that the dangerous life of primitive people prompted them to seek support outside of reality. They associated the death of a family member with a transition to another state - he became a totem, protector and patron of all his descendants.
Totemism is the idea of a supernatural connection, kinship between a group of people and a certain type of animal, plant, or, less commonly, object. The term “totem”, “ototem” is taken from the language of the Ojibwe tribe of North American Indians, for whom it means “his kind”. The totemism of the Australian tribes is the most developed and best studied. Australia is therefore called the “classical” country of totemism. (Indigenous people Australia - Australians at the time of colonization (late 18th century) were at an early stage of the primitive communal system, so their religious beliefs give an idea of the most ancient forms of religion.) Australian clans and phratries (groups of related clans) bore the names of totemic animals and plants; for example, the Arabana tribe consisted of 12 genera, which had names: wedge-tailed eagle, raven, dingo, caterpillar, frog, snake, etc.
The totem was considered the ancestor of the clan, its ancestor, therefore a number of prohibitions were associated with it: the totem was forbidden to kill and eat (except for ritual ceremonies), and it was forbidden to cause any harm to it. Australians perceived the killing of a totem or causing any damage to it by an outsider as a personal insult. Numerous myths tell about totemic ancestors - fantastic creatures, half-humans, half-animals, about their lives, wanderings, and exploits. Some totemic rituals were dramatizations of such myths. Myths and rituals were considered sacred, known only to men who had undergone initiation rites.
The Australians believed in their ability to influence the totem; they had special “intichium” ceremonies (the name is taken from the language of the Aranda tribe), the purpose of which was to magically promote the reproduction of totem animals and plants. The main part of the ceremonies consisted of dancing; their participants strived for their appearance- headdresses, masks, special body painting, - as well as movements to resemble totems. The final part of the ritual was the ritual eating of the totem, which was considered a way of becoming familiar with it.
Totemism is one of the forms of religion of early tribal society; it is closely related to such types of economy as hunting and gathering. Animals and plants that gave people the opportunity to exist become objects of religious cult for them. Totemism also reflected the features of primitive social relations based on the principle of consanguinity. Not knowing any other connections in society other than blood relations, people transferred them to external nature. The connection between the members of the clan and the animal and plant world of their region was perceived by them as a blood relationship.
Totemic views are attested not only among Australians, but also among many other tribes: Indians of North and South America, in Africa, Melanesia, although here they no longer appear in such a “classical” form as among Australians, since these tribes have passed the stage of early tribal society . The Indians had totemic names of clans and phratries, myths of the origin of clans from totems, and totemic prohibitions. In honor of the totem, religious dances were performed: wolf dance, bear dance, raven dance, etc. The totem was considered a patron, so its images were applied to weapons, household items, and homes. The Tlingit people of the northwest coast of North America erected a totem pole in front of each house, covered with images of the totemic ancestor.
On the basis of totemism, later, at a higher stage of development, the cult of animals arose, which existed among many peoples of the world. In ancient Egypt there was a cult of sacred animals - the bull, jackal, goat, crocodile, etc., which were considered incarnations of the gods. Temples were dedicated to them and sacrifices were made. Many Egyptian deities were depicted in the form of animals: the god of the dead Anubis - in the form of a jackal, the goddess of love and fertility Isis - in the form of a woman with the head of a cow. IN ancient india Cows, tigers, monkeys and other animals were revered. Special celebrations were held in honor of the cow. Monkeys in large quantities met on the streets of Indian cities, no one dared to touch them.
identification of a tribe with a certain type of holy animal, totem. This type of religious belief contains a statement about consanguineous ties of a certain community with a totem animal.
Excellent definition
Incomplete definition ↓
totemism
TOTEMISM- one of the early forms of religion, which is based on the belief in the existence of a special kind of mystical connection between any group of people (clan, tribe) and a certain species of animals or plants (less often - natural phenomena and inanimate objects). The name of this form of religious belief comes from the word "ototem", which is in the North American language. Ojibwe Indian means "his kind." During the study of T., it was established that its emergence is closely related to the economic activities of primitive man - gathering and hunting. Animals and plants that gave people the opportunity to exist became objects of worship. In the first stages of T.’s development, such worship did not exclude, but even assumed the use of totemic animals and plants for food. Therefore, sometimes one’s attitude towards the totem primitive people expressed with the words: “This is our meat.” However, this kind of connection between people and totems dates back to the distant past, and its existence is evidenced only by ancient legends and stable linguistic expressions that have reached researchers from time immemorial. Later, elements of social, primarily consanguineous, relations were introduced into T. Members of the clan group (blood relatives) began to believe that the ancestor and patron of their group was a certain totem animal or plant and that their distant ancestors, who combined the characteristics of people and the totem, had supernatural powers. This led, on the one hand, to an intensification of the cult of ancestors, and on the other hand, to a change in attitude towards the totem itself. For example, there were prohibitions on eating totems, except in cases where eating them was ritual in nature and reminiscent of ancient norms and rules. Subsequently, within the framework of T. a whole system of prohibitions arose, which were called taboo. Excellent definition
Incomplete definition ↓
Traditional religions. African traditional religions usually include fetishism, animism, totemism, ancestor worship, etc. Unlike world religions, African traditional religions do not have unified religious texts, their religious norms are not fixed in the scriptures. It is impossible to determine the number of adherents of traditional religions: to traditional cults Both Christians and Muslims turn to us in certain life situations, for example, if necessary, to undergo treatment with traditional methods from local healers.
Totemism
TOTEMISM is one of the early forms of religion, the essence of which is the belief in the existence of a special kind of mystical connection between any group of people (clan, tribe) and a certain type of animal or plant (less often - natural phenomena and inanimate objects). The name of this form of religious belief comes from the word "ototem", which in the language of the North American Indians Ojibwe means "his kind." During the study of totemism, it was found that its emergence is closely related to the economic activities of primitive man - gathering and hunting.
Totem
TOTEM (ototeman - belonging to a clan, from the language of the North American Indians Ojibwe) - a plant or animal supernaturally connected with the life of a group or individual. In Africa and North America also act as a totem natural phenomena(rain, thunder, lightning, wind, etc.), which are also often symbolized by animals. Totems can be group (clan), gender (belonging to the men or women of the clan) or individual. In the case of a clan totem, the totem animal is considered the common ancestor of all members of the clan or group who identify with it.
Totemism (Lopukhov, 2013)
TOTEMISM is a complex of beliefs and rituals of primitive peoples associated with ideas about kinship between groups of people (families, clans, tribes) and totems. As the last different nations V different times animals, plants, stars, even household items appeared. The totem was considered as a powerful patron of one or another primitive social group and as a symbol of its internal cohesion. Totemism corresponded to the level of development of society when man was not yet aware of his difference from nature and did not distinguish himself from it.
Totemism (Kirilenko)
TOTEMISM - belief in a supernatural kinship between human groups (clans, tribes) and certain species of animals, less often - plants or even objects; an early form of religious ideas. Disrespect for the totem - the mythical “ancestor” with which each member of the clan considers himself connected, is a crime that entails punishment. A totem is both the animal or plant itself and its sign.
Kirilenko G.G., Shevtsov E.V. Brief philosophical dictionary. M. 2010, p. 381.
Totemism (Podoprigora)
TOTEMISM is an archaic form of religion based on the belief in a close family relationship between a certain type of animal (less often a plant) - a totem and a clan group. The totem, which is usually thought of as the common ancestor of the clan, gives the name to the totemic group. Totemism is associated with a system of taboo - the prohibition to kill and eat a totemic animal, which was violated during its ritual killing.
Totemism (Frolov)
TOTEMISM (from the word “ototeman”, in the language of the North American Indians of the Ojibwe tribe - its genus) - one of the early forms of religion primitive society. The term was first used by J. Long (late 18th century). The main thing in totemism is the belief in the common origin and blood affinity of any group of people with a certain type of animal, plant, object or phenomenon. The emergence of totemism is due to primitive economy (hunting, gathering) and ignorance of other connections in society other than consanguineous ones. A totem is an ancestor animal, its image or symbol, as well as a group of people.
