June is Indigenous History Month, a time to celebrate the contributions, achievements, and culture of the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people of Canada.
Let's explore some Indigenous history and culture together and learn about totemism, and totem poles.
Totemism, a system of belief in which humans are said to have kinship or a mystical relationship with a spirit-being, such as an animal or plant. The entity, or totem, is thought to interact with a given kin group or an individual and to serve as their emblem or symbol.
The term totemism has been used to characterize a cluster of traits in the religion and in the social organization of many peoples. Totemism is manifested in various forms and types in different contexts and is most often found among populations whose traditional economies relied on hunting and gathering, or mixed farming with hunting and gathering.
You probably recognize a totem symbol, or totem pole, as they are common in other cultures and religions as well. Today however, I’ll be talking about the totem symbols and totemism in regards to Indigenous culture, and more specifically- where does the totem pole come from?
