South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-05-28
The Romance
of The Totem
CHIEF SHAKES TOTEM POLE,
WRANGLE, ALASKA.
IL. Carrcft II CpPViSS

In the American Museum of Natu-
raj History there are some fine speci-
mems of American family crests.'
They belong to the native Americans,
the red men, and they show that fam
ily pride was. and is, as strong among
the original people of this land as II
has ever been among the white race
that displaced them.
The Indian coats-of-arms or family
crests. are in the form of tall totem
poles" carved with faces and figures,
human and animal, as grotesque as
anything the Chinese or Japanese i'm
aginatfOn ever produced. and Orna-
mented with colOrs which are often
staringly brilliant when newly exposed
TO the sunshine, but the weather soon
softens their tones. without destroy
ing their picturesque effect. Many of
the totem poles come from Alaska,
and some OF them are SO old that the
Indians themselves, il is said, have no
knowledge OF the time when they
were made.
In one form or another totemism
has existed from the most ancient
times in all parts OF the world but
the word totem" is OF American
Indian origin. and it is here, in
America. that the institution has sur
vived in its most striking form In
calling a totem pole a family coat of
arms we must conceive of the family
in a larger sense than that in which
we ordinarily employ the word 1t
means a clan. which may include
many families. or domestic units.
While plants may be totems II is
usually some animal that plays that
part. IL may be a bear a wolf. a fox.
a beaver. a fish. etc In a certain
sense the totem is regarded as the
common ancestor Of the clan bearing
its name Whatever the chosen ami
nal may be. il is treated as sacred by
all members OF the clan. 1t is for
hidden to kill or 20 eat the totem OF
your clan. other clans, having other
animals for their totems, of course
exercise no such restraint with regard
TO the treatment OF your particular
totem Sometimes, under the pressure
of hunger. a savage may kill the to-
tenn Of his clan, or tribe but he first
begs the animals pardon for the un-
natural crime which he is compelled
To commit.
II has been pointed out that the
traditional symbols OF nations, such
as the Russian bear, the English lion'
the French cock. the Siamese ele-
plant, the American eagle, etc. al
though they have been deliberately
adopted without any superstitious no
tOns as To their powers. are, never
theleSs. indications Of the survival OF
primitive ideas. and thus may be
classed under the head of totems.
In addition TO the clan totems there
ere also family tOtems in the mar
rover sense, and individual totems.
A curious instance OF the survival
of an ancient totem worship is 10 be
found in the city OF Berne. Switzer-
land. As all travellers know, Berne
Possesses a celebrated bear pit. In
which number OF bears are kept at
the public charge. That this custom
originated i'm no mere desire to estab-
lsh a menagerie Tor the entertain
ment and instruction or the citizens
OF the city and their visitors. and
that IL does not date. as had often
been averred. from the killing OF a
huse bear that ravaged the environs
OF Berne In the ninth century, was
proved some years ago by the dis
eoFery near Berne OF an ancient
bronze votive Offering showing con-
clusiFely that bear was worshipped
IN antiquity as the totem OF a clan
which then Inhabited the country
where Berne now stands