Anthropology And Totemism Essay

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2. Totemism - Totemism is "special symbolic and spiritual association between a person or a group of persons and a natural phenomenon, individual, or kind" (Heider, 2007, p. 452). This allows for a type of primitive anthropology (Heider, 2007, p. 342) a concept in which humans can relate in a social construct in the natural world. This allows anthropologist to observe and record individual connections to both natural world and spiritual worlds, understanding ones personal or community beliefs that is represented in relationships embedded in social construct. The Aborigines celebrated their totems both as individuals and "bound people together into sacred corporations" (Heider, 2007, p. 342). This allows researchers to also understand human characteristics, specifically if a human takes on a specific animal persona. In addition, it allows …show more content…
It was his grandmother's belief (told down from her ancestors) that spiders are our ancestors watching and taking care of us. Spiders represent the spirits, these spirits from time to time want to visit us, they help us by eating the other bugs around the house, feeding our ancestors. The spider became a symbol of connection and praise in our family. We always gently caught the spider in a glass jar to free it outside after saying thank you.
3. Shamanism vs. Witchcraft - A shaman is a type of healer that communicates with spirits they may or may not go into altered states "to heal their clients of physical, psychological, or emotional illness" for the greater and individual good. (Heider, 2007, p. 346). Witchcraft is the practice or use psychic powers to inflict harm commonly by witches or sorcerers. (Heider, 2007, p. 347). In many cultures the power of belief and wisdom is common way to treat illnesses, often the underlying culture will have a traditional belief of a spiritual world. This is the basics for many anthropological studies,

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