The Secret of the Totem

"The Secret of the Totem" by Andrew Lang is a study from the early 1900s that seeks to understand totemism, especially in early human societies such as the tribes of Australia. Lang wants to discover the connection between totemism and the development of societies, looking at the difficult tribal rules, wedding restrictions, and cultural habits of native people. It starts by explaining that it builds on prior work about the beginnings of human society, especially those related to ideas from well-known academics. Lang talks about different viewpoints on where totemism came from, giving credit to other people's work while also comparing it to his own ideas. He shows how important names are and the spiritual link they have to the groups they stand for, exploring how totems are both identifiers and signs of a social structure.