by Dr. G. A. Anderson

Created on: May 21, 2009

"Potlatch" is a word that is unfamiliar in many cultures, yet a popular event in others. Trying to imagine what the meaning of the word is could bring to mind several possible images. A fastener on a pot would be the most common first impression, but that actually has nothing to do with the term. If you've heard of a "pot luck" meal, you're closer to the definition.

A potlatch, according to Barbara Miller, author of Cultural Anthropology (2007), is "a feast in which the host lavishes the guests with abundant quantities of the best food and many gifts." This is quite a bit more involved in the contributions of favorite casseroles brought to the pot luck meal today.

A British Columbian people in the late eighteenth century, the Kwakwaka'wakw, were a tribal group who honored neighboring tribes with the potlatch. The best and most honorable foods were fish oil, high-bush cranberries, and seal meat. The serving dishes were the best - ceremonial dishes - and made of wood. Gifts were also exchanged and included blankets with fine embroidery, household items such as wooden boxes with intricate carvings, mats woven by the host tribe, canoes, and food items.

The chief decided what would be given, and his status would rise as he gave more. His guests would then be indebted to him. Then later, when it was their turn to hold the potlatch, they would try to outdo the previous tribal host's efforts. Although this seems to be a pleasant tradition, it was much more than that. It was symbolic of prosperity and also served a practical purpose. As food supplies were sometimes uneven due to weather conditions in the Pacific Northwest, the sharing of surplus was a way to help others. Groups that had a surplus sponsored potlatches, and the groups that were experiencing hardships were the guests. Miller states, "In this way, potlatching established a social safety net across a wide area of the Northwest."

Potlatching is one means of sharing, which is common in other cultures, as well. It is a way of redistribution of prosperity in a balanced exchange, and is used as a "leveling mechanism." It is a "key value" among Native American groups, such as the Cheyenne of the Great Plains region of the United States. They share within one's extended family and with other families. Some of the exchange items there include food, tools, jewelry, and sometimes vehicles.

Among the native people of Canada and the northwest coast of the U.S., there was strict opposition from the Europeans and

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