A totem is any natural or supernatural object, being or animal which has personal symbolic meaning to an individual and to whose phenomena and energy one feels closely associated with during one's life. A simplified dramatic example of this belief in practice is in the Walt Disney Pictures animated film, Brother Bear. In the film, a boy from a proto-Inuit tribe receives a totem of the B ...

Including:

• Totem - Totemism
• Totem - North American totem poles
• Totem - Ancient totem culture in Sanxingdui China
• Totem - Totems in Zimbabwe

Read more here: » Totem: Encyclopedia - Totem

See also:

Totem, Totem - Totemism, Totem - North American totem poles, Totem - Ancient totem culture in Sanxingdui China, Totem - Totems in Zimbabwe

Read more here: » Totem: Encyclopedia II - Totem - Totemism

In Zimbabwe totems (mitupo) have been in use among the Shona people from the initial stages of their culture. The use of totems identifies the different clans that historically made up the ancient civilizations of the dynasties that ruled the Shona people from Great Zimbabwe. Most notably these symbols were associated with animal names. The purpose of the totem was meant to guard against incestuous behaviour; for the social identity of the clan; and also to praise someone in recited poetry. In contemporary Shona society there are at least 25 ...

See also:

Totem, Totem - Totemism, Totem - North American totem poles, Totem - Ancient totem culture in Sanxingdui China, Totem - Totems in Zimbabwe

Read more here: » Totem: Encyclopedia II - Totem - Totems in Zimbabwe

A fetish (from French fétiche; from Portuguese feitiço; from Latin facticius, "artificial" and facere, "to make") is a natural object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular an object created by people that has power over people. Fetishism - History. The concept was coined by Charles de Brosses in 1757, while comparing West African religion to the magical aspects of Ancient Egyptian religion. He and other 18th century scholars used the concept to apply evolution ...

Including:

• Fetishism - History
• Fetishism - Practice
• Fetishism - Other uses of the term fetishism

Read more here: » Fetishism: Encyclopedia - Fetishism

Aumakua is a Hawaiian word meaning family or personal god, often a deified ancestor. The 'aumakua frequently manifested him or herself as an animal, such as a shark or an owl. 'Aumakuas were worshipped, often at localities or rocks where they were believed to 'dwell'. The appearance of an animal one regarded as an 'aumakua was often believed to be an omen, to be noted and interpreted for good or ill. There are also many stories of 'aumakuas, in animal form, intervening to save their descendants from harm. It was ...

Read more here: » Aumakua: Encyclopedia - Aumakua

An obelisk is a tall, thin, four-sided, tapering monument which ends in a pyramidal top. Ancient obelisks were made of a single piece of stone (a monolith). The term stela (plural stelae) is generally used for other monumental standing inscribed sculpted stones not of classic obelisk form. Obelisk - Ancient obelisks. Obelisk - Egyptian obelisks. In 1911, Encyclopædia Britannica wrote, "The earliest TEMPLE obelisk still in position is that of Senwosri I. of ...

Including:

• Obelisk - Ancient obelisks
• Obelisk - Egyptian obelisks
• Obelisk - Assyria
• Obelisk - Axumite obelisks
• Obelisk - Other ancient obelisks
• Obelisk - Modern obelisks
• Obelisk - Miscellaneous

Read more here: » Obelisk: Encyclopedia - Obelisk

In kinship and descent, an apical ancestor is a common ancestor from whom a lineage or clan may trace its descent. The word apical is used because this ancestor is at the apex of the genealogy. In the case of clans, this may be an assumed or fictional ancestor chosen for unification purposes. If the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is a totem. Category: Kinship and descent Other related archivesKinship and descent, apex, clan, gen

Read more here: » Apical ancestor: Encyclopedia - Apical ancestor

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is one of the five detector experiments (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, TOTEM, and LHCb) being constructed at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. It is optimized to study heavy ion collisions. Pb-Pb nuclei collisions will be studied at a centre of mass energy of 5.5 TeV per nucleon. The resulting temperature and density are expected to be large enough to generate a quark-gluon plasma, a state of matter wherein quarks and gluons are deconfined. Other related archiv

Read more here: » A Large Ion Collider Experiment: Encyclopedia - A Large Ion Collider Experiment

Atahualpa (Quechua Atawallpa or Ataw Wallpa, literally "happiness fowl", a totemic bird) (c. 1502 – 1533) was the 13th and last emperor of the Tahuantinsuyo, or Inca empire, who defeated his older half-brother Huáscar in a civil war sparked by his father Inca Huayna Capac succumbing to smallpox. Backed by strong generals and a large army, Atahualpa was able to defeat Huáscar after many years of brutal battles. On his way back to Cusco to claim his recently won throne, Atahualpa stopped in the Andean city of Ca ...

Read more here: » Atahualpa: Encyclopedia - Atahualpa

A clan is a group of people united by kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor. Even if actual lineage patterns are unknown, clan members nonetheless recognize a founding member or apical ancestor. As kinship based bonds can be merely symbolical in nature some clans share a "stipulated" common ancestor, which is a symbol of the clan's unity. When this ancestor is not human, this is referred to as animallian totem. Generally speaking, kinship differs from biological relation, as it also involves ...

Including:

• Clan - Word Origin
• Clan - Albania
• Clan - Armenia
• Clan - China
• Clan - Hong Kong
• Clan - Manchu
• Clan - Ireland
• Clan - Japan
• Clan - Korea
• Clan - Among Serbs
• Clan - Scandinavia
• Clan - Scotland

Read more here: » Clan: Encyclopedia - Clan

ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) is one of the five particle detector experiments (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, TOTEM, and LHCb) being constructed at the Large Hadron Collider, a new particle accelerator at CERN in Switzerland. It will be 45 metres long and 25 metres in diameter, and will weigh about 7,000 tonnes. The project involves roughly 2,000 scientists and engineers at 151 institutions in 34 countries. The construction is scheduled to be completed in 2007. The experiment is expecte ...

Including:

• ATLAS experiment - Background
• ATLAS experiment - Physics program
• ATLAS experiment - Components
• ATLAS experiment - Inner Detector
• ATLAS experiment - Calorimeters
• ATLAS experiment - Muon spectrometer
• ATLAS experiment - Magnet system
• ATLAS experiment - Data systems and analysis

Read more here: » ATLAS experiment: Encyclopedia - ATLAS experiment

Primitive drums are known as Tam Tams or slit drums. The people of Vanuatu in particular, cut a large log with 'totem' type carvings on the outer surface and hollow out the centre leaving only a slit down the front. This hollowed out log gives the deep resonance of drums when hit on the outside with sticks. A gong is any one of a wide variety of metal percussion instruments. The term is Malayu-Javanese in origin but widespread throughout Asia. The instrument itself appears to have origins in the bronze drums of China, cymbals of central Asia, and perhap ...

Including:

• Gong - Types of gong
• Gong - Traditional suspended gongs
• Gong - Chau gongs
• Gong - Nipple gongs
• Gong - Opera gongs
• Gong - Pasi gongs
• Gong - Tiger gong
• Gong - Shueng Kwong
• Gong - Wind gong
• Gong - Modern orchestral gongs
• Gong - Planet gongs
• Gong - Sound Creation gongs
• Gong - Gong - general
• Gong - Gongs - general

Read more here: » Gong: Encyclopedia - Gong

Religion (see etymology below) —sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine; and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions and rituals associated with such belief. In its broadest sense some have defined it as the sum total of answers given to explain humankind's relationship with the universe. In the course of the development of religion, it has taken ...

Including:

• Religion - Etymology
• Religion - Religion and science
• Religion - Philosophy and metaphysics
• Religion - Esotericism and mysticism
• Religion - Spirituality
• Religion - Myth
• Religion - Approaches to the study of individual religions
• Religion - Methods of studying religion subjectively in relation to one's own beliefs
• Religion - Methods of studying religion objectively in a scientific and religiously neutral fashion
• Religion - Development of religion
• Religion - Religion today
• Religion - Approaches to relating to the beliefs of others
• Religion - Exclusivism
• Religion - Inclusivism
• Religion - Pluralism
• Religion - Syncretism
• Religion - Universalism
• Religion - Systemization
• Religion - Religion and other approaches to forming beliefs about the nature of the universe
• Religion - Related philosophical stances
• Religion - Compare with

Read more here: » Religion: Encyclopedia - Religion

totem

(Objibway) "Relative clan", heraldic post, often associated with an emblem or mask of an animal or plant

(See also: Totem, Body Mind and Soul)

Totem: Non human entity, usually but not always an animal, that symbolizes the spiritual essence, and often the first ancestor, of a group.

(See also: Totem, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

TOTEM

Any natural object, plant or animal, not considered as an individual but as a member of a class. A Totem is chosen by a tribal class or its kin. It is then treated as the outward symbol of a secret relation.

(See also: TOTEM, Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul, )

The beginnings of totem pole construction are not known. Being made of wood they decay easily in the rainforest environment of the Northwest Coast, so no examples of poles carved before 1800 exist. However eighteenth century accounts of European explorers along the coast indicate that poles certainly existed at that time, although small and few in number. In all likelihood, the freestanding poles seen by the first European explorers were preceded by a long history of monumental carving, particularly interior houseposts. Edward Malin (1986) h ...

See also:

Totem pole, Totem pole - History, Totem pole - Style, Totem pole - Meaning and purpose, Totem pole - Construction and maintenance, Totem pole - Property, Totem pole - Totem poles of note

Read more here: » Totem pole: Encyclopedia II - Totem pole - History

Each culture typically has complex rules and customs regarding the designs which are represented on poles. The designs themselves are generally considered the property of a particular clan or family group, and this ownership may not be transferred to the owner of a pole. As such, pictures, paintings, and other copies of the designs may be an infringement of posessory rights of a certain family or cultural group. Thus it is important that the ownership of the artistic designs represented on a pole are respected as private property to the same ...

See also:

Totem pole, Totem pole - History, Totem pole - Style, Totem pole - Meaning and purpose, Totem pole - Construction and maintenance, Totem pole - Property, Totem pole - Totem poles of note

Read more here: » Totem pole: Encyclopedia II - Totem pole - Property

Poles of all types share a common graphic style with carved and painted containers, housefronts, canoes, masks, intricately-woven blankets, ceremonial dress, weapons, armor, and many other tools and implements. Two distinct systems of art were developed for two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures, but both were maintained within a complex design system. This artistic system was developed by Northwest Coast Native Peoples (see Native Americans) over many thousands of years, as evinced by stone and bone artifacts uncovered in archeological studies which displa ...

See also:

Totem pole, Totem pole - History, Totem pole - Style, Totem pole - Meaning and purpose, Totem pole - Construction and maintenance, Totem pole - Property, Totem pole - Totem poles of note

Read more here: » Totem pole: Encyclopedia II - Totem pole - Style

Although the otherkin community is a diverse and loosely-defined one and lacks an explicit ideology, some beliefs are especially common. Otherkin tend to have a number of New Age sensibilities and to be very open to supernatural concepts, particularly belief in the soul or spirit. Other common beliefs in the otherkin community include animism, Neo-Paganism, totemism, possession, reincarnation, and other paranormal events. However, just as some otherkin believe that they are physically non-human and some don't, not all otherkin believe in the ...

See also:

Otherkin, Otherkin - History and usage, Otherkin - Reactions, Otherkin - Beliefs, Otherkin - Awakening, Otherkin - Notes

Read more here: » Otherkin: Encyclopedia II - Otherkin - Beliefs