Totemism, animism, fetishism and magic are the first religions of ancient people. The phenomenon of totemism: what is it? The term totemism is fixed in science thanks to the works
Totemism is a widespread in the past, but still existing religious and social system. It is based on the worship of the totem. The term "totem" was first mentioned in the late eighteenth century by Long, and was borrowed from the Ojibwa tribe, where the word totem meant the emblem of the clan. Also, a sacred animal, to which the clan rendered a special cult, was called a totem.
Today, the concept of "totem" means a class of objects that is given special worship by a social group, phratry, clan, tribe, and sometimes even one individual. In most cases, those who worship the totem call themselves by its name and consider themselves bound by family ties. Perhaps there is no such object in the world that could not act as a totem, but most often people worshiped animals.
Features of totemism lie in the fact that people perceive objects of nature as full-fledged and animated representatives of the world. Many objects, at the same time, were endowed with supernatural qualities. Tribes that adhered to the system of totemism had a worldview built on emotional, cultural, mystical and ideological relationships with nature. The following characteristics of totemism are distinguished:
The totem serves as the guardian of the human soul, patron and helper. The power of the totem affects the mind, inspires fear, awe and respect.
In totemism there is a historically established system of names and symbols.
Fans of totemism compare their personality and the totem, and also symbolically become like it.
Animals and plants that are part of the hierarchy of totemism are protected and revered. These objects are untouchable, and their death at the hands of man is the most serious sin.
Active use of totemic rituals.
Rows of cults and numerous magical rites are included in the list of totemic teachings. The mixture of magical and religious components somewhat complicates the understanding of totemism as an integral system. Group totemism is considered the most common form of this system. This species is characterized by the following features:
The existence of a mystical connection between a social group and a plant or animal.
Close connection between the name of the social group and the totem.
The symbolism of the totem, its emblem, as well as taboos were related both to the whole group and to subdivisions.
It was believed that the totemic group occurred as a result of the marriage of a person and an animal, more rarely simply forced submission.
The first origin of totemism arose in shamanic circles, where the animalistic guardian god originated from an individual totem. Totemism was inherited from ancestors to descendants, establishing a taboo on a certain type of animal or plant. Based on this, it was forbidden to eat the meat of a totem animal, as this was equated with eating one's own flesh, or the flesh of one's father. Healers and shamans associated themselves with their own totems. If the totem was insulted or physically harmed, the shaman also suffered bodily or mental illness.
The totem is also designed to protect its keeper during sleep from various dangers. There is a belief that if a danger creeps up to a sleeping person, then the spirit of the totem inhabits the body of the owner, warning of the danger and awakening.
Despite the fact that totemism arose in the era of the ancient tribal system, totemistic beliefs are very stable. Taking on a different role and significance, they continue to be preserved to this day in Australia, North America, India, Africa and even Central Asia.
TOTEMISM - English. totemism; German totemismus. 1. A complex of beliefs in a supernatural relationship between groups of people (genus, tribe) and certain totems (animals, plants, natural phenomena, inanimate objects) ... sociological dictionary
Totemism is a primitive belief system that arose at the dawn of human civilization. Today, the totem is a symbol of the past: evidence of the wild imagination of uneducated people who knew nothing about the world around them. But in the old days, such illusions did not seem like something fantastic and unreal. Then the totem was direct evidence that the ancient spirits and deities tirelessly watch their two-legged relatives.
The meaning of the word totem
For the first time the concept of "totemism" was introduced by the English scientist John Long in 1791. As a naturalist explorer, he often traveled to different countries, collecting bits and pieces of old stories and myths. Ultimately, he came to the conclusion that the religion of many primitive peoples is in many ways similar to each other.
Long decided to systematize his knowledge, combining them in a new theory about the ancient religion of totemism. The very word "totem" he borrowed from the North American Indian people of the Ojibwa. They called them the sacred coat of arms of the clan, which depicted the ancestor spirit.
What are totems for?
Totemism is a religion that exalts some object or being instead of the gods. Most often, the totem is an animal or a tree. Although there are many cases when people endowed wind, fire, rock, river, flower and so on with sacred properties. At the same time, it should be understood that not a single object or animal is chosen as a totem, but their entire species as a whole. That is, if a tribe honors a bear, then its respect extends to all clubfoot in the district.
If we understand the essence of totemism, then this religion serves as a kind of link between nature and man. Thus, the majority of primitive communities believed that their family descended from an ancient ancestor: an animal or a plant. Therefore, the totem is a symbol of their birthright, explaining their own origin.
For example, once in Rus' there lived a tribe of Lutichs. They believed that their distant ancestors were ferocious wolves who once turned into people. Their entire culture and customs were built around this belief: on holidays, they put on wolf skins and danced around the fire, as if returning to that distant past, when they themselves were wild animals.
The main features of totemism
A tribe can choose any animal or plant as a totem. The main thing is that their decision should be supported by a certain story - a tale that can explain their relationship. Most often, the choice fell on noble beasts, whose skills or strength differed from the rest. This is a primitive desire to show oneself in a better light: others will treat the descendants of a bear with more respect than the children of an earthworm.
In addition, geographic and social factors often influenced the choice of a patron spirit. For example, those tribes that survived by hunting were more likely to classify themselves as predatory animals, while gatherers, on the contrary, sought protection from peaceful and hardworking creatures. Simply put, the totem is a kind of reflection of the soul of the people, its essence and self-affirmation. But there were rare exceptions, when the tribe chose a weak or ugly patron as an idol.
Relation to the totem
The totem is a sacred symbol. Therefore, in many cultures it was deified, which led to the emergence of certain rituals and customs. The most common was the belief that totem animals or plants were forbidden: they should not be killed, maimed, and sometimes even talked about in a bad manner.
As social relations developed, ideas about idols also changed. If at first they served only as a reminder of the distant past, then in later times they were endowed with mystical power. Now the patron spirit could protect from diseases, drought, enemies, fires, and so on. At times this led to a war between the tribes, since some believed that all their troubles were due to the fact that a strange totem was luring all heavenly luck to itself.
Forgotten Faith in the Modern World
For many, this worldview seems childish and primitive. After all, how can a wolf or a bear be an ancestor of a person? Or how a simple beast can affect the weather? Such questions are quite logical for modern people.
However, even in an era of worldwide progress and technological boom, there are those who still remain true to the ancient system of values. For example, totemism is quite common for most South African tribes and Australian Aborigines. Even with satellite television and cellular communications, they still believe in their past relationship with wild animals and plants. Therefore, it is too early to talk about totemism as a faith that has sunk into oblivion.
This religious term means system of beliefs and practices adopted by tribes leading a primitive communal way of life.
The word "totem" is borrowed from the language of the Indians of North America, who so called the symbol of the genus, usually associated with some kind of animal or plant, and sometimes even a natural phenomenon.
Types of totems
Totems used in the cultural traditions of the peoples of different continents. For some tribes, natural phenomena were totems: thunder, wind, lightning, or inanimate objects of nature: the sun, moon, mountain, river, iron.
But most often, a plant, fish or animal, common in the area where the tribe lives, acts as a totem that plays the role of a protector of the clan. Kangaroo, alligator, corn, bear, snake - the symbolism of totems can be very diverse.
Even individual parts of animals, such as the tail of a beaver or the wing of a bird, can act as objects of worship and religious symbols.
Geography of totemism
world view of primitive man constantly confronted in his life with the irresistible forces of nature, the dangers of animal aggression, is marked by a sense of kinship with biological and natural objects.
Genus symbol- totem - was considered at the same time an object of worship, a protective sign and a relative by blood.
For example, members of the kangaroo clan considered their totem an ancestor, the founder of the clan.
Totems in Africa
Totem animals for African tribes were considered senior relatives, respected family members.
Little children were subjected kind of tests- introduced to poisonous snakes, crocodiles, other predators. If the animal did not touch the child, he received the right to life.
According to generally accepted ideas, blood relationship connected the world of animals and people. Even death was unable to break these family ties.
Each member of the clan after death reborn into an animal totem to be reborn in human form. Therefore, killing one's totem animal was considered the greatest sin and was equated with patricide.
The symbolic connection with the totem was expressed in the manufacture of special masks and outfits, ritual dances that copied the movements of their relative in the animal world.
Totems in America
The Indian tribes of North America showed their respect for totem animals and plants, declaring their immunity. It was forbidden not only to harm them, but also simply to touch them, put on the skin of a totem animal, eat the fruits of sacred plants, or even sit in their shade.
Worship of totemic symbols required offerings in the form of valuables, and for causing harm to them, an inevitable retribution was threatened, equal to blood feud for the murder of a relative.
Often members of the tribe changed their appearance, trying to achieve similarities with their totem: knocking out "extra" teeth or making a specific hairstyle.
Totems in Australia
Amazing Fact- the tribes of Australian aborigines, whose culture was formed without the influence of Europe and America, retained similar customs regarding totem animals.
They also perceive the blood connection with certain animals and plants, the need to perform rituals to secure it, and fear the retribution of ancestral spirits for disrespectful attitude towards totems.
In gratitude for such devotion, the spirits patronize members of a kind: they give them signs pointing to places of successful hunting, warn of imminent danger, plot against hostile tribes and clans.
Totems and sacrifices
Full merging with the spirit- the patron of the family in some tribes resulted in the need to always be near him. Primitive people made it a custom to catch totem animals and keep them in captivity, paying them honors and bringing offerings. Keeping boas or leopards in cages has become the key to good luck and prosperity of the tribe.
Another atavistic way communication with the spirit of an animal - eating his body. "Why did the aborigines eat Cook?" is a perfectly legitimate question from the point of view of primitive religions. To eat your deity means to help him move to a better world and inherit his best qualities.
Historical development of totemism
Many of the rites used in modern religions bear the imprint of totemism.
Prohibition of use certain types of food, the priority of religion over relations in society, the threat of terrible punishments and death torments for sacrilege (damage to church symbols, the use of bad words) - all these restrictions were inherited by civilized peoples from their primitive ancestors.
Theories about the origin of totemism
Philosophers have not yet come to a common opinion as to which class of social phenomena totemism should be attributed to and what is its origin.
- totemism by Fraser. The sociologist Fraser viewed totemism as a form of social magic. In his opinion, representatives of individual tribes tried to influence nature by applying certain rituals in order to achieve prosperity in business.
- The theory of Pickler and Somlo. These scientists associated totems with signs that served to depict various animals.
- Taylor hypothesis. Taylor suggested that the life of primitive people, full of dangers, prompted them to seek support outside of reality. They associated the death of a family member with a transition to another state - he became a totem, protector and patron of all his descendants.
identification of the tribe with a certain kind of holy animal, totem. This type of religious beliefs contains a statement about the kinship ties of a certain community with an animal-totem.
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totemism
TOTEMISM- one of the early forms of religion, which is based on the belief in the existence of a special kind of mystical connection between a group of people (genus, tribe) and a certain type of animal or plant (less often, natural phenomena and inanimate objects). The name of this form of religious belief comes from the word "ototem", which is in the North American language. Ojibwe Indians means "his kind". During the study of T., it was found that its occurrence is closely connected with the economic activity of primitive man - gathering and hunting. Animals and plants, which gave people the opportunity to exist, became objects of worship. At the first stages of the development of Taurus, such worship did not exclude, but even assumed the use of totem animals and plants for food. Therefore, sometimes primitive people expressed their attitude to the totem with the words: "This is our meat." However, this kind of connection between people and totems belongs to the distant past, and only ancient legends and stable language turns that have come down to researchers from time immemorial testify to its existence. Later, elements of social, primarily consanguineous, relations were introduced into T. Members of the tribal group (blood relatives) began to believe that a certain totem animal or plant was the ancestor and patron of their group, and that their distant ancestors, who combined the signs of people and a totem, had supernatural abilities. This led, on the one hand, to the strengthening of the cult of ancestors, on the other hand, to a change in attitude towards the totem itself. For example, prohibitions arose on the use of a totem for food, except for those cases when eating it was of a ritual nature and reminded of ancient norms and rules. Subsequently, within the framework of T., a whole system of prohibitions arose, which were called taboo. Great Definition
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