A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.
Tlingit totem pole in Juneau, Alaska.
Personal totem of Mohegan Chief Tantaquidgeon, commemorated on a plaque at Norwich, Connecticut
A totem pole in Thunderbird Park, Victoria, British Columbia
The Anishinaabe, like most Algonquian-speaking groups in North America, base their system of kinship on clans or totems. The Ojibwe word for clan was borrowed into English as totem. The clans, based mainly on animals, were instrumental in traditional occupations, intertribal relations, and marriages. Today, the clan remains an important part of Anishinaabe identity. Each clan is forbidden from harming its representation animal by any means, as it is a bad omen to do so.
Image: Grus canadensis nbii m 00554A
Image: Common Loon
Image: Black Bear
Image: Águila calva