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How can beliefs about shared ancestors connect people with animals or plants?
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Totemism
Totem fish mask from the Orokolo Bay area of New Guinea. Painted bark cloth over rattan frame with fringe of dried grass. Height 1.63 m.
In the context of totemism, beliefs about shared ancestors connect people with animals or plants through the concept of descent and mystical kinship. These relationships are often articulated in myths that narrate the origin of a social group and the discovery of its totem, which serves as an emblem or symbol for that group.123
The connection functions in several ways:
- Genealogical Ties: Central to many totemic traditions is the figure of an animal or plant ancestor. By identifying with this ancestor, a group establishes a genealogical relationship that maps their place within the cosmos and their social identity.2
- Mystical Kinship: Totemism expresses the belief that a group of people shares a mystical bond with a specific species. This is often viewed as a relationship of companionship, protection, or shared fate.145
- Symbolic Identification: Members of a group may engage in symbolic assimilation to their totem, such as wearing animal skins or using specific names and emblems. This reinforces the idea that the group and the totem are fundamentally related.35
These beliefs often include social obligations, such as exogamy (marrying outside the clan) and taboos against harming the totem species, which serve to honor the ancestral connection.15