A totem is an object, animal, or symbol that represents a group of people and holds special meaning for them. Many Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest carved tall wooden poles called totem poles, decorated with animals like eagles, bears, ravens, and whales. Each animal on the pole told part of a family's history or represented qualities the family valued.

A clan might consider the wolf their totem, meaning they saw themselves as connected to wolves and the qualities wolves represent: loyalty, cooperation, and strength.

Today, people use totem more broadly to describe any symbol that represents a group. A school might adopt a mascot that becomes their totem. A sports team's logo serves as their totem. When something becomes a totem, it carries deep meaning about who the group is and what they stand for, making it a powerful symbol of identity and shared values.

You might also hear people say something like “baseball is a totem of American culture,” meaning it's a symbol that represents something important about American culture and values.