subtotemn.
/sʌbˈtəʊtəm/, U.S. /ˌsəbˈtoʊdəm/ Anthropology.
A totem, other than the principal totem, which is of significance to a tribe, clan, or individual; a secondary or subordinate totem.
ΚΠ
1883 A. W. Howitt in Smithsonian Rep. 818 A larger or smaller group of what I have called subtotems, but which might be appropriately termed pseudo-totems.
1909 tr. L. Hopf Human Species 300 The necessity for setting up sub-totems first arose from the great extension of the totem in a single tribe, and it was convenient to take the sub-totem from the father who transferred his totem-name to his son.
1967 J. Pouwer in Behavioral Sci. Res. New Guinea ii. 87 A hierarchy of totems and subtotems that represent natural phenomena as well as the local flora and fauna.
1995 K. E. Fields tr. E. Durkheim Elem. Forms Relig. Life ix. 376 The Crow is considered an associate of the Black Snake—in other words, its subtotem.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1883