Taboo and Totem

The practice of taboo and totemism, although one word comes to us from the South Seas and the other from the American Indians, is found all over the less civilized world, and—even more important—it explains many things in the social and religious life of more civilized communities. For instance, the account by modern students of Greek and Roman religion has had to be largely rewritten in the light of what we have learned in the last two generations about taboo and totemism.

The articles Taboo (Vol. 26, p. 337) and Totemism (Vol. 27, p. 79) are both by Andrew Lang, author of Custom and Myth and other standard works on folk-lore. It is unnecessary to outline these two articles here, as the two words have been defined, and the importance of the subject suggested. The reader should refer to the article on Andrew Lang (Vol. 16, p. 171), in which it is said that “he explained the irrational elements of mythology as survivals from earlier savagery....” idealized “savage animism ... maintained the existence of high spiritual ideas among savage races, and instituted comparisons between savage practices and the occult phenomena among civilized races.” His appreciation of the culture of the savage and his remarkably interesting style should induce the student to read Lang’s other and related articles in the Britannica, especially:

Family (Vol. 10, p. 158), (equivalent to 27 pages of this Guide), dealing particularly with the question of marriage as related to totemism, and the practices of marrying only out of the tribe or totem, and of marrying only within the totem (see the articles Endogamy and Exogamy, Matriarchate, Polyandry, Polygamy, Levirate and Couvade).

Name (Vol. 19, p. 157), which discusses the relation of the name to the totem, the strange primitive custom of the individual’s having many names and concealing his true name, etc.; and also the articles Fairy (Vol. 10, p. 134) and Mythology (Vol. 19, p. 128).

Religion

For special forms of superstition, read the articles Magic, Shamanism, Witchcraft, Demonology and Lycanthropy, and in the field of religion, Religion, Primitive (Vol. 23, p. 63), by R. R. Marett, of Oxford University, author of The Threshold of Religion, etc. This article puts particular stress on the importance of ritual in early religion. Compare also the matter, already mentioned, on religion in the article on North American Indians with the short articles Manitou (Vol. 17, p. 568) and Ghost Dance (Vol. 11, p. 925). Besides, the student should road Ordeal (Vol. 20, p. 173), Prayer (Vol. 22, p. 256), Ritual (Vol. 23, p. 370), Sacrifice (Vol. 23, p. 980), Animism (Vol. 2, p. 53), on the attempt to explain religion as due to the fear and worship of ghosts—and Fetishism (Vol. 10, p. 295), by N. W. Thomas, government anthropologist to Southern Nigeria; Ancestor-Worship (Vol. 1, p. 945), Funeral Rites (Vol. 11, p. 329) and Purification (Vol. 22, p. 660), all by Dr. F. C. Conybeare, author of Myth, Magic and Morals, etc.; Tree-Worship (Vol. 27, p. 235) and Serpent-Worship (Vol. 24, p. 676), both bearing on totemism, by S. A. Cook, author of Religion of Ancient Palestine, etc.

Biographical Study

A course of reading on anthropology may well close with the study in the Britannica of the lives of some leaders in this science. The student will thus be familiarized with the theories of each great anthropologist—and will notice the manifold appeal of the science by seeing from what point each approached it—one from his interest in geology, another from travel, a third because of his studies in surgery or biology, another as a psychologist.