Totems Originated In China and Spread to North and South America
Posted on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
For most people, the word “totem” conjures up images of the beautiful totem poles carved into wood by the natives of the Pacific North West. However, I believe the roots of this art and the belief system that goes along with it began in ancient China. This is such a wide ranging topic that I intend to basically deal with the art portion of this subject and how it connects China with the Americas. There are wonderful sources of information on the aspects of totemism on the Internet.
In order to understand totems you need to have an understanding of the belief system in which totems belong. In ancient times many indigenous people had a belief system that was built around or had a great reverence for nature. They did not believe they were above the animals. They believed they lived on the same level as the animals and plant life and that each life form had positive characteristics for them to emulate. Each individual clan and tribal group would take a few animals and/or plant life forms for their clan identification. These clan members then identified with these animal/plants and endeavored to follow the perceived positive characteristics of these totems in the daily lives. Many scholars on this subject go out of there way to say that totems were not “worshipped”. They were revered. These early people had gods but the totems were not on the god level. For example, Pangu is a god. The raven is a totem. The modern name given to the basic variation of this belief system is Pantheism. In the west Pantheism is commonly thought of as the worship of nature. “The early Taoism of Laozi and Zhuangzi is also pantheistic”.
In understanding why these ancient people spent so much time, energy and resources on creating these huge totems (geoglyphs) and other art forms one must understand the concept of this faith and philosophy. The tie-ins between this belief system with the Native American tribes and the ancient Chinese is indeed remarkable. How could it be a coincidence?
8. Lion Totem of the Chinese Ancient Art
Clawing Asian Lioness
(Note the similarity of this totem drawing with the head/claw portion of #9 an actual geoglyph)
9. The Rene Noorbergen Clawing Lioness Image #2
This massive geoglyph in Russia at the Artic Circle
has a resemblance to #8 (the Lion Totem)
10. Lion/Totem of the Chinese Ancient Art
Here is another lion totem (male) from ancient China where there are no written records of ancient lions. Many scholars say that lions never existed there.
11. Another Totem of the Chinese Ancient Art
Is it just me or does this look very similar to Mayan/Olmec art forms?
12. Parrot/Totem of the Chinese Ancient Art
What is a parrot doing among ancient Chinese totems? Parrots are primarily from South America. Is there any question that this is not a parrot? Note the tiny legs on a huge body as well the curved beak for cracking nuts. Revisit the parrot geoglyph in the Henriette Mertz Collection at Long’s Peak, Colorado for an Asian created parrot in North America.
13. Another Chinese Totem Pole in Beijing
14. Another Chinese Totem Pole in Beijing
There are totem poles, pyramids and ancient art in China that bear a striking resemblance to almost identical art in the Americas. Coincidence? “Google” Chinese totem images// Visit the website www.chinesedragon.org.uk
The Beak of the 10th Sun Raven STILL GLOWS!
