Chapter II: Leading Conceptions of the Elementary Religion

I.--_Animism_

Distinction of animism and naturism 48

I.--The three theses of animism: Genesis of the idea of the soul;
Formation of the idea of spirits; Transformation of the cult of
spirits into the cult of nature 49

II.--Criticism of the first thesis--Distinction of the idea of
the soul from that of a double--Dreams do not account for the
idea of the soul 55

III.--Criticism of the second thesis--Death does not explain the
transformation of a soul into a spirit--The cult of the souls
of the dead is not primitive 60

IV.--Criticism of the third thesis--The anthropomorphic
instinct--Spencer's criticism of it; reservations on this
point--Examination of the facts by which this instinct is
said to be proved--Difference between a soul and the spirits
of nature--Religious anthropomorphism is not primitive 65

V.--Conclusion: animism reduces religion to nothing more than
a system of hallucinations 68

CHAPTER III

LEADING CONCEPTIONS OF THE ELEMENTARY RELIGION--(_continued_)

II.--_Naturism_

History of the theory 71

I.--Exposition of Max Müller's naturism 73

II.--If the object of religion is to express natural forces, it
is hard to see how it has maintained itself, for it expresses
them in an erroneous manner--Pretended distinction between
religion and mythology 78

III.--Naturism does not explain the division of things into
sacred and profane 84

CHAPTER IV

TOTEMISM AS AN ELEMENTARY RELIGION

I.--Brief history of the question of totemism 88

II.--Reasons of method for which our study will be given
specially to the totemism of Australia--The place which
will be given to facts from America 93

BOOK II

THE ELEMENTARY BELIEFS

CHAPTER I

TOTEMIC BELIEFS

_The Totem as Name and as Emblem_

I.--Definition of the clan--The totem as name of the clan--Nature
of the things which serve as totems--Ways in which the totem is
acquired--The totems of phratries; of matrimonial classes 102

II.--The totem as emblem--Totemic designs engraved or carved upon
objects; tatooings or designs upon the body 113

III.--Sacred character of the totemic emblem--The churinga--The
nurtunja--The waninga--Conventional character of totemic emblems 119

CHAPTER II

TOTEMIC BELIEFS--(_continued_)

_The Totemic Animal and Man_

I.--Sacred character of the totemic animals--Prohibition to
eat them, kill them or pick the totemic plants--Different
moderations given these prohibitions--Prohibition of
contact--The sacred character of the animal is less marked
than that of the emblem 128

II.--The man--His relationship with the totemic animal or
plant--Different myths explaining this relationship--The sacred
character of the man is more apparent in certain parts of the
organism: the blood, hair, etc.--How this character varies with
sex and age--Totemism is not plant or animal worship 134

CHAPTER III

TOTEMIC BELIEFS--(_continued_)

_The Cosmological System of Totemism and the Idea of Class_

I.--The classification of things into clans, phratries and classes 141

II.--Genesis of the notion of class: the first classifications of
things take their forms from society--Differences between the
sentiment of the differences of things and the idea of class--
Why this is of social origin 144

III.--Religious significance of these classifications: all of
the things classified into a clan partake of the nature of the
totem and its sacred character--The cosmological system of
totemism--Totemism as the tribal religion 148

CHAPTER IV

TOTEMIC BELIEFS--(_end_)

_The Individual Totem and the Sexual Totem_

I.--Individual totem as a forename; its sacred character--
Individual totem as personal emblem--Bonds between the man and
his individual totem--Relations with the collective totem 157

II.--The totems of sexual groups--Resemblances and differences
with the collective and individual totems--Their tribal nature 165