first theory of totemism

is the idea of deposit the external soul for safe keeping in a particular plant or animal... but since the animals or plants of a single species are difficult to distinguish, the savage 'does not know which the dear one is,' and is 'obliged to spare them all from fear of injuring one' thus creating the totemistic relationship.

if one accepted the primitive belief in an external soul, then it was rational to deposit it of safe keeping in a particular plant or animal... but since the animals or plants of a single species are difficult to distinguish, the savage 'does not know which the dear one is,' and is 'obliged to spare them all from fear of injuring one' thus creating the totemistic relationship (Frazer 1900:I, 351, 417) in Stocking 'malinowski 14)

first theory of totemism, n.Definitions

first theory of totemism