Talk:Totem

message: I removed the language discussing chinese totem poles. The heading is "North American."  A comparison of different types of totem poles (especially when such comparisons include totem poles with origins outside of North America) should not appear under the "North American" section, but rather under a "comparison" heading.
I think the totem pole section should either be extended or removed entirely. The thing reads like a retarded children's book. "They may have arms, legs, and wings." Really, how interesting.
68.103.235.157 (talk) 06:08, 23 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  North American Totem Poles 

message: what about maori totem's?- they're everywhere in NZ
" Similar totemism-like beliefs have been historically found throughout much of the world, including Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Arctic polar region."
Africa, I believe. But Europe? I'd really like to see some examples!Djadek 00:03, 3 May 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Do you think heraldic charges were chosen just for looks? —Charles P. (Mirv) 07:50, 12 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Examples are good, but I don't think a Disney movie is a good one to start off with. KyleGarvey 23:51, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Examples, please! 

message: I'm having a hard time relating the ideas in these three articles. They seem to be describing three completely different concepts. If they're really unrelated, that should be explained. If they are in fact related, then there's something wrong with the articles. The totemism article says the word comes from an Ojibwe word, but the totem article seems to imply that it's from Chinese. Or is the Chinese word totim actually derived from the English word totem? I think this should be clarified. --Bcrowell 15:51, 19 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: [[totem]], [[totemism]], [[totem pole]]

message: If it would be of interest to anyone, I would be happy to write up and add information regarding the different totems, i.e., Bear's medicine is intellectuality and self-healing, as well as love. Porcupine's medicine is innocence, coming from the habit of porcupine to 'mind it's own business', if you are observant and gentle, you can actually pet a porcupine without getting hurt, but if you are careless, or intend to harm, you will draw back a handfull of quills. --Sumariel-- 00:06, 22 Aug 2005 EDT
The problem is that different totems have different meaning depending on what culture or tribe you are dealing with. The mythology is different. For example, I don't agree with what you stated above about Bear. Therefore, it would not be helpful in a generic sense. ~ True Dog 13:50, 17 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: [[totems]]

message: The Chinese word "tu teng" is a transliterated loanword which did not exist as a term until modern times.  While the first character does mean "image", it's either a complete coincidence or, more likely, a witty choice of word chosen by early translators.  The pronunciation similarity between "tu teng" and totem is, of course, completely unremarkable.  I've removed the sentences suggesting such. Uly 09:05, 9 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This strategy of forming neologisms which retain a phonetic resemblance to the source but are also (partly) meaningful in terms of the language of the neologism, hence are camouflaged loanwords, is well-known in Mandarin Chinese, by the way. --Florian Blaschke (talk) 15:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: [[Tu Teng]]

message: ...animal totems/symbols.  Because from a religious point of viewes animal totems/symbols do have metaphysical effects.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.27.5.28 (talk) 07:03, 21 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Call for international legislation or international standardization of using.... 

message: As if there's a significant difference. 71.248.115.187 (talk) 03:24, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  totemic/heraldic 

message: As animal founders of a people, would these qualify as totems of the Romans?--Mongreilf (talk) 12:12, 11 October 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: "animal founders of a people"? Equivamp(talk) 14:56, 11 October 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes. Wolf founders of the Romans. "In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem." Romulus and Remus seem to qualify.--Mongreilf (talk) 09:47, 12 October 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Except that Romans aren't a clan.·ʍaunus·snunɐw· 12:31, 12 October 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Romulus and Remus 

message: I deleted the sentence, "there is a Walt Disney film Brother Bear, expressing this concept very well done." from the Jung section because it did not fit. FWIW, there is a Wikipedia page on Brother Bear. --BB12 (talk) 06:29, 6 January 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Disney reference 

message: why are you reverting the prioritization of Indigenous definitions? This is about an Ojibwe concept and terminology, that was later adopted and adapted for related concepts. As we're dealing with oral cultures pre-contact, just finding an early publication by Euros doesn't mean settlers originated the word or concept. - CorbieVreccan ☊ ☼ 16:23, 18 August 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: Are you establishing yourself as the long arm of prioritizations? This is about editing Wikipedia. "Totem Pole" is a late invention of Canadians and there is no reason it starts an article if it's not itself even mentioned in the lead. --Askedonty (talk) 16:49, 18 August 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: All I did was re-arrange the existing sections, and add some clarifications. Actually, a better article on the topic is Anishinaabe clan system, which many link to instead of this article. A summation of that article would be better as the first section here. I added a link to that in the lede, which you removed with your "undo". - CorbieVreccan ☊ ☼ 17:12, 18 August 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: I imported/adapted some text and sourcing from that article, and added a bit more "compare and contrast" type text to the lede to acknowledge the anthro and philosophical usages. - CorbieVreccan ☊ ☼ 17:36, 18 August 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: Indeed. The Anishinaabe clan system link was generating confusion with the totem poles subject just after. Sorry if I interfered.  --Askedonty (talk) 17:45, 18 August 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ojibwe 

message: Clan 41.121.54.57 (talk) 07:11, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: Clan 41.121.54.57 (talk) 07:11, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  What is a clan 

message: Lineage 41.121.54.57 (talk) 07:16, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  What is a lineage