totem









totem


noun

  1. a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family, or group.
  2. an object or natural phenomenon with which a family or sib considers itself closely related.
  3. a representation of such an object serving as the distinctive mark of the clan or group.
  4. anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.

noun

  1. (in some societies, esp among North American Indians) an object, species of animal or plant, or natural phenomenon symbolizing a clan, family, etc, often having ritual associations
  2. a representation of such an object
n.

animal or natural object considered as the emblem of a family or clan, 1760, from Algonquian (probably Ojibwa) odoodeman “his sibling kin, his group or family,” hence, “his family mark;” also attested in French c.1600 in form aoutem among the Micmacs or other Indians of Nova Scotia. Totem pole is 1808, in reference to west coast Canadian Indians.

An animal, plant, or other object in nature that has a special relationship to a person, family, or clan and serves as a sign for that person or group.

see low man on the totem pole.

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