Durkheim begins his second book by claiming that one cannot understand anything about a religion without first understanding the ideas on which the religion rests. He asserts that to analyze the “totemic religion”, it is necessary to begin from the totem itself (Durkheim pp. 99-100). In order to set up his discussion of the totem, Durkheim first defines the clan, the “group that has a dominant place in collective life” (p. 100). Though one can be assigned to a clan by virtue of their parent’s membership, the basis of kinship in clans is not blood relations; rather, it is member’s names. As a result, a clan can be geographically dispersed or localized, and can have any amount of familial relations (pp. 100-101). With his basic definition of…show more content… Durkheim is quick to explain that the totem is the “archetype of sacred things”, but then qualifies his claim by noting that the totemic creature––the physical manifestation of the symbolic totem––lives among the profane (pp. 118, 127). Totems are more than names and emblems, they are “part of [a religion’s] liturgy” (p. 118). Furthermore, totemic creatures are often considered sacred––for instance, many clans forbid eating such creatures (p. 127). Because totemic beings live among the profane and can at times be killed, Durkheim concludes that the totem is more sacred than the totemic creature itself (p. 133). In addition, Durkheim explains that one’s relationship to a totem is even-sided (like two family members), and not one of idolatry. He describes the sanctity of the human body by noting that people bear the names of their totems, that totemic societies often believe in part-human-part-animal beings, and that many societies regard body parts (such as sideburns and foreskins) as holy (pp. 133-138). Ultimately, he asserts that humans should be reverent toward totems, but not worship
