Why is a Totem very important?

Totems represent different kinds of animals that were, and still are, very important to the Native Americans. Totems to the Native Americans were the equivelant of crosses to Christians and such. Each Totem represented a different animal with significant meaning. For example, the Bear Totem represents love. Native Americans carved and carried totems around to guide and protect themselves; they felt very close to the animal spirits, and the Totems supposedly carried these sprits. I am not sure, but I think when a boy became a Warrior, he was given a Totem that represented the true person inside, or something like that.Hope this helps! :-)