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In which parts of the world was group totemism traditionally common?
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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.
Group totemism, the most widely disseminated form of this belief system, was traditionally common among various peoples across several regions of the world, including:
- Africa: Including the Pygmies and various other groups.1
- India: Where it has been a recognized social or collective belief system.1
- Oceania: Particularly prevalent in Melanesia, such as among the Nor-Papua of New Guinea.12
- North America: Including various Native American peoples, most notably the Northwest Coast Indians, California Indians, and Northeast Indians.1
- South America: Parts of the continent.1
- Asia: Represented in a distinctive form among the Ugrians and west Siberians, as well as among tribes of herdsmen in north and Central Asia.1
- Australia: Including the Australian Aborigines, such as the Wiradjuri people.13