totemismn.
/ˈtəʊtəmɪz(ə)m/, U.S. /ˈtoʊdəˌmɪz(ə)m/ A belief system involving totems; the practices associated with such a system.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > that which identifies or distinguishes > [noun] > sign of a totem clan > the use of totems
totemism1791
the world > the supernatural > deity > [noun] > idol > worshipped by specific people > American Indians > use of
totemism1791
1791 J. Long Voy. Indian Interpreter 87 This idea of destiny, or, if I may be allowed the phrase, ‘totamism’,..is not confined to the Savages.
1870 J. Lubbock Origin of Civilisation (ed. 2) iv. 119 Nature-worship, or Totemism; in which natural objects..are worshipped.
1883 A. Lang in Contemp. Rev. Sept. 414 Totemism is the name for the custom by which a stock (scattered through many local tribes) claims descent from some plant, animal, or other natural object.
1914 Man 14 174 This form of totemism is found in the Pita-pita and other tribes of Western Queensland.
2013 A. Kenny Aranda’s Pepa (e-book, accessed 1 Aug. 2017) ii. 67 At least two further layers of culture..had brought new cultural elements like totemism, the boomerang and the spear thrower to mainland Australia.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1791