Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1889-04-18

somo totem peoples. II not among all,
the totem has something Of the quail
" Of fetch. rs we'll ne The siQnia-
canoe Of family emblcnh
Duk rs Mr. j. &. Frazer shows, to
TENS are OF az lcast three kinds. There
ia. FIRST, the Clan totem, common TO a
whole clan, and passing by inheritance
IRON generationto to generation. There
is,sccoad, the Sex totem, common either
70 all the males or to all the females
OF a tribe, TO tho exclusion OF the 9TH
er sex. And there Is. third, the Indi.
vldual totem, belonging TO a single in
dividual, and not passing 60 his de-
scondants Thore nre also Cross 70.
aems and some other kinds. which.
however, are really only varieties OF
tho Clan totem. and this last is the
most important OF ALI
Regarding Clan totemism, IL is TO be
noted that the relation OF mutual help
and protection includes also the To-
tom itself; that Is TO say. IL man
takes care OF his totem, he expects the
totem 20 return the compliment.
II the totcm is dangerous ANIMAL it
must not hurt his clans-men. The
Scorpion-mcn OF Sencgambia declare
that the most deadly scorpions will
run over their bodies without hurting
them. There Is n Snake clan In
Cyprus which holds to n similar be-
lief. Among tho Moxos, OF Peru,
candidate for the Office OF medicine
man must allow himself TO bo bitten
by n tiger (the totem); and. II he
survives, he proves his kinship and
fitness. Among the Crocodile clan Of
the Beohuanas, II man Is bitten by
a crocodile, or evon has water
splashed on him by one, he is ex-
pelled from the clan. as one esteemed
unworthy by the totem. But a totem
must do more than not injure-it
must help. Members OF Serpent
clans in various parts OF the world
profess TO heal by their touch those
who havo been bitten by serpents
There is a Soaweed clan in Samoa
which, when IL goes out in canoes TO
fight, throws sea-weed into the water
TO hinder the flight OF the enemy; II
the enemy try to pick up the weed, It
sinks, but rises again as soon as some
of the totem clan approach II. The
kangaroo warns the Kangaroo tribes,
and tho crow warns the Crow tribes
OF Australia, Of approaching danger.
This is all very we'll when the totem
is bird. beast, or fish; but one does
not very we'll see how It will work
when the totem is sick. stone, a
cloud. an element. or a color.
The totem bond is much stronger
affair than what we regard as the
bond Of blood or family. All the
members OF totem clan regard each
other as kinsmen, or brothers and
sisters, and are bound TO help each
other. The Clan totem represents
both a religious and a social system.
because all the men and women who
call themselves by the name OF the
totem believe themselves TO be OF one
blood. descendants OF common an
cestor. and bound TO each other BY
common obligations and a common
faith.
Some of the social aspects OF totem
ism may be briefly referred 20. For
one thing, the totem bond is stronger
than the domestic bond. In every
totem tribe there must be members OF
two or moro totem clans. because the
males can not marry the females OF
their own totom. II, then, blood
feud breaks out between their clans,
husband and wife will have to take
opposite sides, aud the children will bo
arrayed with one parent against the
other. according as the custom Of the
people may be TO trace descent through
the mother or the father. Then, II
any thing happens TO a man. all his
clansmen are entitled TO satisfaction,
not from the aggressor alone. but
from the entire clan TO which the ag-
grcssor belongs. A curious illustra-
tion Of this has been noted among the
Goajiros Of Columbia in South Ameri-
ca. This tribe is divided into some
twenty or thirty clans with descent in
the female line; and II is said that
II a man happens 10 cut himself with
his own knifo. to fall OF his own horse,
or TO hurt himself in any way, his
mothers clan Immediately demand
blood-money from him for injuring one
OF their totemsl
Then, as TO marriage, persons OF the
same totem may not enter into conjugal
union. This rule is what is called
exogamy. Some tribes say OF those
who marry within the clan, that their
bones will dry up and they will die.
Among the Australian tribes. death is
the regular penalty for u breach OF
this rigorous rule.
Speaking generally. It may be said
that marriage prohibition extends
only TO a mans own totem clan. But
there are also numerous cases where
the prohibition extends further.
Thus, Panther OF the Creek Indians
may not marry a Panther; but he is
also prohibited from marrying a
Wildcat woman. The Senecas were
diyided into two groups OF four totems
each; The Bear. Wolf, Beaver and
Turtle clans could not intermarry;
nor could the Deer. Snipe. Heron and
Hawk clans;but a member of any one OF
the totems Of one group was compelled
10 seek mate in one OF the totems OF
the other group
II Is impossible TO 60 thoroughly
into the origin and nature Of totemism
within the limits OF an article such rs
this. But enough has been said TO
show that its main use among
primitive peoples has been with refer
ence to marriage. As 10 whether or
not 1t took its origin in some religious
idea, or whether the religious aspect
has been an aftergrowth Of the social
custom, opinions continue 10 differ
widely. In brief. It may be said that
Mr.. M'Lennan thought that totemism
naaussiItf