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Glite Dictionary
totemist

totemist

1 9.9
A person in a clan who believes the clan is spiritually connected to an animal or plant
  • noun
  • /ˈtoʊtəmɪst/
: totemista
  • As a totemist, he believed his clan was spiritually connected to the bear.

Examples

  • The totemist shared stories of their clan's history.

  • Many totemists believe in the spiritual connection to their totems.

  • Anthropologists studied the traditions passed down by the totemist elders.

  • The totemist carefully observed the rituals associated with the tribe's sacred animal.

  • As a totemist, he believed his clan was spiritually connected to the bear.

  • The totemist carefully observed the rituals associated with the tribe's sacred animal.

  • Anthropologists studied the traditions passed down by the totemist elders.

Synonyms

tribesperson
vstotemist
1 6.5

A person who lives in a small community that shares the same customs

recognizes a totem as an emblem or ancestor within the clan

Surface Forms

totemist singular
totemists plural

Morphology

totemist = totem (transparent) = totem + ist

The word is a straightforward agent/noun formation from 'totem' with the productive suffix '-ist'.

Etymology

The word totemist comes from totem, an Ojibwe word meaning 'his clan' or 'his kin'. Think of a totem pole with carved animals that stand for a group's ancestors, so a totemist is a person who belongs to and honors that animal or clan.