Totemism: The Wiradjuri Tribe

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Neuman 1 Victoria Neuman RELI 1320. 02 Professor Starr 9 October 2017 Modern Examples of Totemism According to New World Encyclopedia, Totemism is a term derived from the Ojibwa Tribe and is defined as “an aspect of religious belief centered upon the veneration of sacred objects called totems”. Totems represents human qualities that a group or an individual desire to achieve to gain as either power and/or energy source from their descendants. Over several millenniums, totemism became more modernized and have appeared especially in today’s entertainment, sports, and politics. In many indigenous cultures, many tribes believed in the concept of totemism to serve as a reminder of their ancestral lineage and that they are being spiritually guided …show more content…

Matrilineal moieties are kinships that are passed through the female lines in smaller clans and groups. In Totemism, Haekel states that group totems are named ‘flesh’ because it is “transmitted from the mother” (Haekel, para. 1) and individual totems are named ‘bala’ (soul companion) or ‘jarawaijewa’ because they are associated with the medicine men and the patrilineal moieties. The Wiradjuris has a strict banning on eating their totem because it’s said that by eating your jarawaijewa is like eating the flesh from your father. As for the medicine men, they emanate totemism from their sleep and/or in a trance-like state in order to collect information. If their totems end up being damaged or harmed then the result of the infliction would cause effect to the doer. The chosen animal of the totem is designed to stand guard and protect these men while sleeping. Then the animal would transport their force back into the medicine men to notify them of any danger. Once the death of the medicine men has occurred, their animal would become the overseer as light flickers near the men’s …show more content…

A national emblem, according to Dictionary.net, defined the term as “an emblem or seal reserved for use by a nation states as a symbol of that nation”. This includes various symbols and emblems such as flags, birds, animals, architecture, songs, literature, etc. One example of national emblems in totemism is the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is a national symbol for the United States of America and in Edsitement, it was originally “designed to be an emblem for of France and the United States’ desire for liberty”. Whenever someone stumble across it and the Statue of Liberty becomes the embodiment of hope and opportunities for the people. The national architecture is influenced the people’s idea for freedom. National emblem in totemism can also be found in a nation’s flag from around the world. In South Korea’s flag is may seem like an ordinary flag with bunch of various bright primary colours and symbols but it does contain a deep

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