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Updated: June 10, 2025
As our review of what may be called totemistic features shows, the one permanent element in the relation between men and nonhuman, nondivine objects is reverence for these last on men's part; and the conception of an alliance, defensive and offensive, between the two groups has been proposed above as an additional differentia of totemism, a sense of kinship being involved.
Thus there arose tree-spirits, river-spirits, and other similar extrahuman beings. It is convenient to employ the term 'spirit' as the designation of the soul in a nonhuman object, isolated and independent, and regarded as a Power to be treated with respect. The term is sometimes used of a disembodied human soul, and sometimes of a deity resident in an object of nature.
Further, the belief in transformation from human to nonhuman forms and vice versa involves the supposition of life in all such things.
The restricted definition suggested above is in part arbitrary, but it may serve as a working hypothesis and as a norm by which to estimate and define the various systems or cults involving a relation between human groups and individuals on the one side and nonhuman things on the other side. +522+. Conditions favorable and unfavorable to totemistic organization.
The totem, it was believed, was able in its turn to inflict injury; and this belief added an element of awe to the feeling with which it was regarded. +572+. In another respect, also, the totem shared the powers of other nonhuman objects it could aid its friends.
The boys' roommates turned out to be a security officer named Hank Leeming and one of the janitors, an elderly man of Mexican descent named Maximilian Rodriguez. On the second day of work Rick met another interesting character, although a nonhuman one, and got an additional duty imposed on him.
Allowing for the alien structure of bone, the nonhuman skin; this creature was delicate, graceful, in its way beautiful, with a fragility of limb which backed up his suspicions. Moved by no pressure from the other, but by his own will and sense of fitness, Shann stooped to cut the control line of his snare. The captive continued to watch as Shann sheathed his blade and then held out his hand.
There is no report of belief in descent from the totem. The hamlets tend to become family groups, but clan exogamy is observed. The system of "linked totems" seems to be designed to secure superhuman aid from all departments of the nonhuman world: ordinarily there will be a bird, a fish, a snake, and a plant the bird has come to be the most important of these.
+571+. Totemic clanship, however, differed from ordinary human clanship in that the nonhuman clan-brother was regarded as a specially powerful being, endowed with the superhuman qualities with which all animals and plants and certain other objects were credited.
Regard for the totem was, thus, part of the regard paid to nonhuman objects in general, only emotionalized and intensified by the belief that the nonhuman group was in a peculiar way allied to the human group. There was not only unwillingness to injure the totem there was fear that one would suffer by such an act.
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