ANIMISTIC BELIEFS iii 



the relation as due to one of their ancestors having 

 become a crocodile. In another case we saw that 

 some ill-defined relation to the gibbon is claimed 

 by a community of Kenyahs whose house is 

 decorated with carvings of the form of the gibbon, 

 and whose members will not kill the gibbon. And 

 in yet another case we saw that a Kayan house is 

 decorated with conventionalised carvings of some 

 animal whose species has been forgotten by the 

 community. In each of these last three cases, it 

 seems highly probable that the special relation to 

 the animal was established by some such process 

 as we see going on in the preceding case ; so that 

 we seem to have in this series one case of incipient 

 totemism and others illustrating various stages of 

 decay of abortive beginnings of totemism. And it 

 is easy to imagine how in the absence of unfavour- 

 able conditions such beginnings might grow to a 

 fully developed totem-system. For suppose that 

 in any one community there happened to be at 

 one time two or more prosperous families, each 

 claiming to be related with and protected by some 

 species of animal as the result of friendly overtures 

 made by the animals to members of the families in 

 their dreams. It would then be highly probable 

 that members of other families, envious of the good 

 fortune of these, would have similar dream ex- 

 periences, and so come to claim a similar protection ; 

 until very soon the members of any family that 

 could claim no such protection would come to be 

 regarded as unfortunate and even somewhat disre- 

 putable beings, while the faith of one family in its 

 guardian-animal would react upon and strengthen 

 the faith of others in theirs. So a system of clan- 

 totems would be established, around which would 

 grow up various myths of origin, various magical 

 practices, and various religious rites. 



It is well known that such dreams as convince 



