Emblem of bear on top of manuscript (5)
I believe the answer is:
totem
'emblem' is the definition.
(I know that totem is a type of emblem)
'bear on top of manuscript' is the wordplay.
'bear' becomes 'tote' (I've seen this in other clues).
'on top of' says to take the initial letters.
The first letter of 'manuscript' is 'm'.
'tote'+'m'='TOTEM'
'of' is the link.
(Other definitions for totem that I've seen before include "Emblematic animal or object" , "Primitive object of worship" , "Spiritually significant item" , "Sign" , "Emblem of a clan" .)