Your Totem Animal is the power animal that you are born with and it stays with you all your life. Some say you should not tell anyone else what your power animal or animals are and some say it doesn't matter. Here is some information I've found about them. Some believe that our journey through this life and the spirit realm is actually a journey taken on a big spinning medicine wheel. They are also called Medicine Men.
Shamanism is based upon the principle that there are other realms of existence other than our own.
There are several levels on each realm, too. The Lower Realm is inhabited by animal spirits that also act as teachers. Residents of the upper can travel to the lower and vice versa when necessary. These are those traditions I've found that say they as far as I can tell are specific to a particular tribe or nation. This means they were passed down by either family or tribe through the generations.