Library and Academic Services: Indigenous Culinary Arts: Potlatch Ceremony

Potlatch Ceremony

Potlach Ceremony

A Potlatch is an opulent ceremonial feast to celebrate an important event held by tribes of Northwest Indians of North America including the Tlingit, Tsimishian, Haida, Coast Salish and the Chinook and Dene people. A Potlatch is characterized by a ceremony in which possessions are given away, or destroyed, to display wealth, generosity and enhance prestige. The term 'Potlatch' has been taken from a Nootka Indian word meaning "gift". The Nootka, are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada. Many other tribes, especially among the Plains Indians, have traditionally practiced some form of potlatch, or give-away ceremonies and customs, highlighted by the lavish distribution of goods and food to tribe members of those of other clans, villages, or tribes.

Potlatch ceremony, Klallam Tribe, Port Townsend, May 1859

Watercolor by James G. Swan, Courtesy Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (2003195)

The potlatch celebrated a change of rank or status with dancing, feasting, and gifts. Like many other societies, those of the Northwest Coast associated prestige with wealth, and the potlatcher gained prestige according to the liberality of his giving. A true chief "always died poor" because he had potlatched his wealth, but he died rich in the rank and honor that he had accumulated for himself through giving and that he would pass on to his family, heirs, and descendants.

This social system, based on the distribution of wealth, was alien to European society and everywhere came under attack by missionaries and government officials. The accumulation of goods merely for giving away seemed to them to produce indigence and thriftlessness, "habits inconsistent with all progress." "It is not possible," wrote an early commentator, "that the Indian can acquire property, or can become industrious with any good result, while under the influence of this mania." It was, agreed a leading legislator, an "insane exuberance of generosity." Such reasoning led the Canadian government to ban the ceremony.

Cole, Douglas. “Underground Potlatch.” Natural History, vol. 100, no. 10, Oct. 1991, p. 50

Books

Cis Dideen Kat - When the Plumes Rise by Jo-Anne Fiske; Betty Patrick
Location: E 99 .T17 F57 2000 (Located at NDC)
Through interviews with community chiefs and elders, oral histories, focus groups, and archival research, Fiske and Patrick have documented and defined a traditional legal system still very much misunderstood. Their findings include material not previously published, making this book essential reading for those involved in treaty negotiations as well as for those with an interest in Aboriginal and state relations generally.
Potlatch As Pedagogy: Learning through Ceremony by Sara Florence Davidson; Robert Davidson
Location: E 99 .H2 D3932 2018 (Located at NDC)
In 1884, the Canadian government enacted a ban on the Potlatch, the foundational ceremony of the Haida people. The tradition, which determined social structure, transmitted cultural knowledge, and redistributed wealth, was seen as a cultural impediment to the government's aim of assimilation. The tradition did not die, however; the knowledge of the ceremony was kept alive by the Elders through other events until the ban was lifted. In 1969, a potlatch was held. The occasion: the raising of a totem pole that Robert Davidson had carved, the first the community had seen in close to 80 years. From then on, the community publicly reclaimed the knowledge that had almost been lost from the Elders who remained to share it.

Videos

The Potlatch by Sharon Shorty
Location: Streaming Video
Publication Date: 1999
Banned by government, denounced by the church, the potlatch has survived as a ceremonial tradition of giving. Using archival photos and footage from the past, this program traces the roots of potlatch with seldom seen details of the outlawed tradition. Present day clips depict the new perspective of cultural celebration that has moved potlatch into the mainstream.

Web-Based Links & Media

Indigenous Resilience: The Potlatch Economy and Canada’s Indian Act

Kwakwaka’wakw Elder Nella Nelson from the ‘Namgis First Nation in Alert Bay talks about the historical impact of Canada’s racist policies on Indigenous economies and how Indigenous peoples, including members of her family, stayed strong and resilient. She also talks about the Potlach system.

Historical Ban on Potlatch Ceremony has Lingering Effects for Indigenous Women (CBC)
The effects of a decades-long ban that dates back to the 19th century on a traditional First Nations ceremony are still being felt today, particularly by women, say some Indigenous leaders and activists. The ban on the potlatch was legislated under an 1884 amendment to the 1876 Indian Act by the Canadian government, which came into effect in 1885.
Potlatch: What I Learned as a Guest
If you are fortunate enough to be invited to a potlatch, consider it an honour and privilege as you have been asked to witness a ceremony that has its roots in the far distant past. The ceremony has survived and thrived despite the best efforts of the Canadian government to legislatively assimilate Indigenous Peoples and destroy their culture.

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