THE ANIMAL EFFIGIES OF WISCONSIN AND THE 
TOTEM SYSTEM. 
STEPHEN D. PEET. 
The animal effigies of Wisconsin may he treated in two ways 
—1st—as specimens of the imitative art which prevailed among 
the people; 2nd—as illustrations of one of the many and varied 
forms of Totemism. This word Totemism is not very familiar 
even to scientific men—and to the people in general is Worse 
than Greek for it is not found in any of the ancient languages 
nor in many of the modem. It has, however, been discovered, 
in so many nations and tribes, that ethnologists regard it 
almost as a fundamental system and one which may be found 
in nearly all rude and primitive races. This, however, can he 
said of the animal effigies—that they are peculiar to the state 
of V/isconsin, and are not known as well as they should he. 
One reason for this is that the effigies are scattered over the 
different parts of the state, generally in the forests and fields, 
and at the present time are so worn down that an ordinary 
person would not recognize this shape, and could not trace out 
the system which was contained in them. In this respect they 
differ very much from the totem poles on the northwest coast. 
, These poles, so called, have been transported, and placed in the 
various museums —and have become objects of great curiosity. 
But the effigies have become worn down—many of them have 
lost their shape—and no one notices them, unless special atten¬ 
tion is called to them. The object of the writer is to give a 
brief description of the effigies as they were when seen by him, 
and their shapes, relative positions, and purpose or object were 
