The potlatch is a ceremonial gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, including the Heiltsuk, Haida, Tlingit, Kwakwaka'wakw and Coast Salish, in which a host gives away or sometimes deliberately destroys valuable property to demonstrate wealth, power and status. Far more than a party, the potlatch functioned as these peoples' primary institution of governance, law and economic redistribution. Franz Boas documented the practice extensively beginning in the late 1880s, recording in 1888 that 'it is a strict law that bids us to distribute our property among friends and neighbors,' and he later publicly criticized the Canadian government's 1884 legal ban on the potlatch. That ban remained in force from 1885 to 1951; the potlatch was decriminalized in 1951 and has since been actively revived. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountPacific Northwest Coast of North America (present-day British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest United States), among the Heiltsuk, Haida, Tlingit, Kwakwaka'wakw and Coast Salish peoples specifically. 1 Documented YearSourced to the subject's own accountBoas's earliest documented ethnographic account; the practice was banned by Canada in 1885 and Boas's documentation and public criticism of the ban followed through subsequent decades. Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Gift Economy
Studied By
Source Wikipedia: Potlatch
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Wikipedia: Potlatchopening definition and Boas discussiontier 3Quote, opening definition and Boas discussion
Potlatch is the gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States, among whom it is traditionally the primary governmental institution, legislative body, and economic system.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Wikipedia: Potlatchopening definition and Boas discussiontier 3Quote, opening definition and Boas discussion
Potlatch is the gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States, among whom it is traditionally the primary governmental institution, legislative body, and economic system.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Potlatch
Wikipediaopening definition and Boas discussion
Potlatch is the gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States, among whom it is traditionally the primary governmental institution, legislative body, and economic system.
Boas quote section
The second reason for the discontent among the Indians is a law that was passed, some time ago, forbidding the celebrations of festivals.
opening definition
A potlatch involves giving away or destroying wealth or valuable items in order to demonstrate a leader's wealth and power.
term itself, from Chinook Jargon
The word comes from the Chinook Jargon, meaning "to give away" or "a gift"
- Studied By: Franz Boas, Boas discussion, documentation beginning 1888
View the Source Wikipedia: Gift Economy
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