In some societies, a family's totem is the particular animal, plant, or natural object which they regard as a special symbol and which they believe has spiritual significance.
N-COUNT
标志物;象征物
Something that is a totem of another thing is a symbol of it.
例句
This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。