A totem in the Ugandan context is a symbol that represents
a group of people with a common ancestral origin known
as a clan. This might be an animal, a bird, a fish or
a plant and the idea behind it is that you can't hunt,
eat or kill your totem. You become a protector of the
very species that represent you and your entire bloodline.
All the species displayed on this website are totemic
in many parts of Uganda. The first known ruler to use
this culture to conserve wildlife was Ssekabaka Kintu
of Buganda in about 1200 AD. He decreed that each family
must have two animals to protect because the population
of animals was falling at an alarming rate due to the
exodus of people coming into Buganda. Each group that
came without a totem was assigned one along with an
estate for settlement. Today, everyone who has a totem
in Uganda treasures it because, besides conserving wildlife,
a totem defines one's identity and origin and prevents
incest through the refined naming system. Welcome to
the first part of the Totems of Uganda.
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