ANT 3241 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Unclean Animal, Swordfish, Seven Laws Of Noah
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Fetish: we hear this (cid:449)ord a(cid:374)d (cid:449)e thi(cid:374)k of se(cid:454)ual de(cid:448)iatio(cid:374)s a(cid:374)d o(cid:271)sessio(cid:374)s , originally, though, fetiche meant an african or polynesian charm thought to be charged with mana or magical energy. Fetishes might be the sacred rattles, masks, or statues used by shamans in ceremonies: a totem is a form of fetish. For example: the hopi have the snakes clan, eagle clan, parrot clan, etc. of the clans that make up the tribe. (relative social status) Totemism: ancestor/animal worship complex, found in animistic societies worldwide, the totem animal of the clan must not be killed or eaten. It is considered kin: totemism governed exogamy or what other clans you could marry into. It also governed the respect and reverence you should show toward the dead of the clan (who were thought to still be near the living). Today, for example, aborigines must not utter the names of the dead. If lost, a shaman might need to recover it.
