SOCIOL 3A03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Animism, Animal Worship, Veneration Of The Dead
30 Sep 2016
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Chapter two: the principle totemic beliefs ctn, the totemic animal and man. Totem is a brother, member of the kin group, we do not eat that animal, but there are certain occasions where they must eat it. Matrilineal and totem was important, contact between man and his totem was prohibited. Images of the totem being is more scared the totem being itself . Totem animal is not a god but a member clan, it is not higher than any member of the clan. Member of the totemic clan believes he/she is a double, a human being and an animal, this presents a problem which helps durkheim explain totemism. When a member bares the name, they have a part of that animal in themselves. The blood, foreskin, fat, liver, hair has some certain sacred to it, human body conceals in it"s depth that abrupt to the surface at certain circumstances.
