This vintage book contains a fascinating investigation into totems and totenism in tribal societies, with a special focus on their use by Australian Aborigines. Written by Andrew Lang, it explores the origins of totenism and its relationship with ancestor worship and the natural order, and offers interesting and unique insights into its role and purpose. The chapters of this book include: “The Origin of the Totem”, “Method of Inquiry”, “Theory of Primal Promiscuity”, “The Arunta Anomaly”, “The Theories of Dr. Durkheim”, “The Author’s Theory”, “Rise of Phratries and Totem Kins”, “A New Point Explained”, etcetera. Many vintage texts such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now, in an affordable, high-quality, modern edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned biography of the author.