to·tem·ism

[toh-tuh-miz-uhm]
noun
1.
the practice of having totems.
2.
the system of tribal division according to totems.

Origin:
1785–95, Americanism; totem + -ism

to·tem·is·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
totemism (ˈtəʊtəˌmɪzəm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the belief in kinship of groups or individuals having a common totem
2.  the rituals, taboos, and other practices associated with such a belief
 
totemist
 
n
 
totemistic
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Totemism is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
totemism [(toh-tuh-miz-uhm)]

The belief that people are descended from animals, plants, and other natural objects. Symbols of these natural ancestors, known as totems, are often associated with clans (groups of families tracing common descent). By representing desirable individual qualities (such as the swiftness of a deer) and helping to explain the mythical origin of the clan, totems reinforce clan identity and solidarity.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences from the web
This is seen as a somewhat peculiar application of animal totemism.
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