Totem

A totem from Ojibwe: ᑑᑌᒼ or ᑑᑌᒻ doodem is the spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such(a) as the family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such(a) as in the Anishinaabe clan system.

While the word totem itself is an anglicisation of the Ojibwe term as well as both the word together with beliefs associated with it are factor of the Ojibwe language and culture, opinion in tutelary spirits and deities is not limited to the Ojibwe people. Similar concepts, under differing title and with variations in beliefs and practices, may be found in a number of cultures worldwide. The term has also been adopted, and at times redefined, by anthropologists and philosophers of different cultures.

Contemporary mythopoetic men's movements not otherwise involved in the practice of a traditional, tribal religion cover to been call to ownership "totem" terminology for the personal identification with a tutelary spirit or spirit guide. However, this can be seen as cultural misappropriation.

The Anishinaabe peoples are shared into a number of in syllabics: ᑑᑌᒪᐣ or ᑑᑌᒪᓐ, or clans, singular: named mainly for animal totems or , as an Ojibwe adult would say this word. In Anishinaabemowin, ᐅᑌᐦ means heart. or clan literally would translate as 'the expression of, or having to make-up with one's heart', with referring to the extended family. In the Anishinaabe oral tradition, in prehistory the Anishinaabe were well along the cruise of the Atlantic Ocean when the great beings appeared from the sea. These beings taught the Mide way of life to the Waabanakiing peoples. Six of the seven great beings that remained to teach creation the for the peoples in the east. The five original Anishinaabe totems were bullhead, echo-maker, i.e., crane, pintail duck, tender, i.e., bear and "little" moose-tail.