Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-05-02
NOTES ON TOTEMISM.
Queer Custom Of Uncivilized
Tribes the World Over.
Significance and Uses of the Totem-How
1t Affected the Tribal Relations Con-
corning Marriage as
to Its Religious Origin.

What is a Totemp Broadly, the
badge OF clan or tribe, but some
thing signifying great deal more
than mere political or social alliance.
1t is not only tribal emblem. but
also a family signal; not merely
symbol of nationality, but also an ex-
preston of religion; not simply
bond OF union among primitive peo-
pies, but also regulator of the mar
riage laws and Of other social institu-
tions. As defined by Mr.. j. G.
Frazer, totem is a "class of mate
rial objects which savage regards
with superstitious respect, believing
that there exits between him and
every member of the class an intimate
and altogether special relation"
The use of totems seems to have
been first noticed among the North
American Indians, and the word itself
is an Indian one. 1t is taken from the
language of the Ojibways or Chippe-
ways, a branch of the Algonquin race,
who inhabited the region near Lake
Superior. 1t is said to have been in
troduced into our literature by one
Long, an Indian interpreter, who pub
lished book of travels in 1901. Among
the American Indians its meaning is
clear enough; for with them the totems
are well defined, although often Curl
GUS in character. Thus, in the Ojib-
way tribe there are no fewer than
twenty-three different totems, or clan
divisions Nine of these are quadru-
peds, marking out the wolf, the bear,
the beaver and other clans; eight are
birds, five are fishes and one is the
snake. In other words, the members
OF the tribe who carry these devices
by so doing mark themselves as be-
longing to a distinct division of it, to
be for all time and for certain practi-
cal purposes distinguished and sepa-
rate from the other divisions.
Next to the North American Indians,
the aboriginal tribes of Australia pre-
sent the most developed form of totem
ism Of any peoples of our time. Among
the Australians is to be found the same
use of totems as among the Indians,
and chiefly taken from the animal
kingdom. There are kangaroo, opos-
sum, iguana, emu, bandicoot and black
snake divisions among the Kamilaroi
tribes. There are also eagle, crow,
water, mountain, swamp, river, hot
wind and sun totems; and the first
question asked by an Australian black
of stranger is: "Of what murdoo
(family or clan) are youp" In fact,
in Australia the totem seems more of
a family than a clan name.
So in Africa, among the Hettentots
and Bechuanas, are found crocodile
men, monkey-men, buffalo-men and
such family names as Horse, Lion,
Sheep, ASS, etc. The head of the fam
lily is the ''great man" of the animal
whose name he bears, and the men,
bers of the tribe will not eat the flesh
or use the skin of its protecting ami
NAL.
Prof. Robertson Smith, in his work
on Early Arabia, tells us that many of
the Arab tribes take their names from
animals, such as the lion, the panther,
the wolf. the bear, the dog, the fox,
the hyena, the sheep, etc.; and that
animal whose name Is borne by the
tribe is not used for food by that tribe,
and is otherwise treated with respect
Among the hill-tribes of India, similar
clan-badges are also to be found, as
the Heron, Hawk, Crow and Eel clans
of the Oraon and Mundari tribes OF
Chota-Nagpur.
The geographical distribution OF to-
temism is very wide, too wide for us
20 follow within the limits OF this
article. In North America it pre-
walls among all the Indian tribes, but
not among the Eskimos. In Central
America it is found among the tribes
of Panama; and in South America 1t is
found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana
and Patagonia; and traces also have
been supposed among the aborigines
mot the Incas) of Peru In Australia
II is univcrsal-we speak, OF course,
always of aboriginal peoples-and In
Africa it appears to be general in the
south and west and on the equator.
II is found alike in Bengal and IN ST.
IBERIA, and in Polynesia and China
The Chinese system merits word;
and 1t is noteworthy that on the au-
thority of a Russian traveller quoted
nv Mr.. McLennan, "a characteristic
feature in Central Asiatic traditions is
the derivation of their origin from
some animal" Thus. the Tele people
are said 10 have sprung from the mar
riage Of wolf and beautiful Hun
princess the Tusas believe themselves