totemistic
1
9.6
- adjective
- /ˌtoʊtəˈmɪstɪk/
- Many tribes have totemistic symbols that represent their ancestral lineage.
Examples
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The artwork is totemistic, reflecting the spiritual beliefs of the indigenous culture.
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For instance, remnants of the totemistic cult of the bear, well attested for the Paleolithic age, are found in the mythological record of Saamic people in western Eurasia, throughout Siberia, to the Ainu of northern Japan.
Academic text (2000) -
It's a kind of totemistic thing, you know.
-
Schneider describes them as "protective" or "totemistic."
Academic text (1994) -
We cannot, for example, share in a literal way the Zapotecan religious totemistic beliefs, and therefore, those beliefs can find no niche in the structure of our concerns and interests.
Academic text (1993) -
The festival featured a totemistic celebration, honoring the connection between the community and their totems.
Synonyms
1
8.9
Connected with a special animal or object a group uses as its symbol
How Symbolic
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Totemistic comes from totem, a word taken from a Native American language that meant a 'clan' or 'family sign'. So something totemistic is about those clan signs and the beliefs or art, like a totem pole, that go with them.