SHOOT: Fascinating.Such subtleties in how we view things, and of course, they can make a world of difference. I think I prefer the idea of Totemism personally, a universal spirit Force, flowing through all things.
Whilst having similarities to totemism, animism differs in that it, according to the anthropologist Tim Ingold, focuses on individual spirit beings which help to perpetuate life, whilst totemism more typically holds that there is a primary source, such as the land itself, or the ancestors, who provide the basis to life. Certain indigenous religious groups, such as that of the Australian Aborigines are more typically totemic, whilst others, like the Inuit are more typically animistic in their worldview.[6]
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1 comment:
There is no fundamental contradiction between animism en totemism. The base of animisme is that, to start with hunters and gatherers, they believed that all men, animals and plants had a soul. The main religious belief was the ancestor cult. Man believed that his ancestors could have a good influence on his daily life which was centered around food. Totemism is the belief that a man has a special bond with an animal or a tree, that they have basically the same soul. Totemistisc rituals are meant to increase game, fruit, nuts, honey etc.
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