The potlatch among Athabaskan peoples

Last updated

The traditional potlatch among Athabaskan peoples was a gathering that combined aspects of competition, peacekeeping and a show of wealth. [1]

Contents

History

The traditional Athabaskan potlatch had "social, religious and economic significance." [2] It was a gathering that combined aspects of competition, peacekeeping and a show of wealth. [1] During a potlatch, members of the society with a surplus of food and supplies provide these for all members of a clan, and in situations with other clans this sharing of resources is either a competitive showing or one of creating loyalties, and sometimes both simultaneously.

Traditionally the village was centered on the chiefs' house, and this is where potlatches were held. This was because the chief had the biggest cache where the food was stored. [3]

There were many different reasons to hold a potlatch in Athabaskan culture, including the birth of a child, a surplus of food, or a death in the clan. The most elaborate of Athabaskan potlatches was the mortuary or funeral potlatch. [2] This marked "the separation of the deceased from society and is the last public expression of grief." [4]

There were slight variations in the funeral and mortuary potlatches depending on the status or role of the member of the clan who had died. Different songs and dances were performed for a warrior than for an elder. Because of the tight-knit manner of a group or clan, usually due to extended family ties, [3] the death of an elder, in particular, had a very large effect on the tribe. The corpse would first be dressed by the women of the clan and be prepared, while the mobilizing and putting together of the funeral would be taken care of by the closest male relative of the deceased. [5] The preparations would differ but the proceedings of the funerals themselves were generally similar.

The potlatch generally consisted of "the feast, dancing & singing, oratory, and the distribution of gifts". [6] The feast was provided by a wealthier member of the group to communicate "sentiment, affection, familiarity and goodwill." [4] Dancing and singing were a reciprocation of the guests to the hosts for their generosity. Stories were told in the same manner, and for entertainment. The act of giving out gifts was possibly the most dynamic aspect of the traditional Athabaskan potlatch. This was a generous act of sharing one's wealth with the rest of the tribe, and simultaneously a show of the abundance and superiority of the host. [4]

Modern potlatches still contain many of the traditional aspects of sharing food, giving gifts, singing, dancing and telling stories, but now the purpose has changed. Most modern potlatches can be held for similar reasons, such as a birth or a death, but now they are no longer so much a show of wealth, but a celebration to keep the tradition alive.

Food

As with other aspects of the potlatch, food plays a significant role in the social structure; providing large amounts of food for the guests is symbolic of the host's love and care for his guests, and also for the nourishment he symbolically provides to future generations. [4] Due to the overabundance of food, leftovers are distributed first to elders, then the remainder of the guests. According to Simeone, doing so is "a reminder of the host's generosity long after the event." [4]

Preparation

As the potlatch is attended by dozens to hundreds of people from neighboring villages, and is often hosted by one or two people, food and money are given as a gift to the host by family members, to help offset the cost of feeding so many. [7] Several men of the village are tasked with hunting moose specifically for a potlatch; it is not uncommon for three or more moose to be killed to feed the guests over the two or three days feasting. One account of a potlatch in the village of Tetlin claimed 22 moose were killed and butchered in preparation of a particularly large feast. [4] In addition to moose meat, many other types of wild food are harvested or donated, such as beaver, duck, salmon, and berries. Traditional subsistence foods provide a reminder of the relationship between the Athabaskan and the land which has historically sustained them.

Meals

Breakfast and lunch are served each day for potlatch attendees and are less formal than the evening meal. Breakfast is offered each morning; eggs, bacon, coffee, and potatoes are common fare. Lunch consists of soup, sandwiches, and tea. [4] The evening meal is scheduled for a specific time and all potlatch attendees are expected to attend. It is the most significant spiritual and social event of the potlatch and is treated as such by the attendees. Large rolls of white butcher paper are rolled out on the floor to serve as place settings and many participants sit next to each other on the floor. Benches and chairs are provided for elders.

Types

Moose is normally cooked by the men of the potlatch. It is served roasted, fried, and as moose head stew, which consists of the meaty portions of the moose's head mixed with vegetables and rice in large stew pots. Grilled and smoked salmon is served, as is soup made from round whitefish. Wild cranberries and blueberries are incorporated into desserts.

The traditional wild food is supplemented by store-bought items, most notably black loose leaf tea, which was introduced to the Athabaskan by traders in the 1800s [4] and remains a staple among present day potlatches. Bannock, also known as fry bread, rolls, and salads are also served.

Dance

The celebration of dance for the Athabaskan people plays a vital role in the success of a potlatch. Unlike many cultures that have changed their mourning over the course of many generations, the Athabaskan people have stayed strong and true to the old ways of song and dance.

Dancing is a very important part of Athabaskan culture, and it is often the focal point of the potlatch, particularly after the evening meal. During potlatches a variety of songs are sung; the first songs sung of the weeklong event are called the mourning songs. Traditionally new songs are sung first to give thanks to the hosts that are sponsoring the potlatch, followed by the singing of old songs.

Poldine Carlo, an Athabaskan from Interior Alaska, noted that "The potlatch usually lasted for a week. The first night we would have a big potlatch at the community hall and then the mourning songs were sung, the new songs first for the ones the potlatch was being given for and then the old, old songs that we have been singing for a long time. The women would stand in line all across the hall and dance." [8]

An excerpt from the book Rifles, Blankets, & Beads tells of "sorry songs" that were sung at a potlatch that took place in Tanacross: "At one potlatch in Tonacross, for example, a sequence of sorry songs began with one made especially for the person that had just died. It followed by songs for a young man who died in a house fire 10 years before; a boy who drowned in the river while attempting to draw water and for Elisha's father, who died in the 1960s." [4] [9]

The grieving process within the Alaskan Native community is rather unusual, it is shared not just by the family but by both local and neighboring communities. If one member of the family of the deceased does not show up or is late, this is considered to be such a great insult that tribal chiefs have been known to interrupt potlatches in order to publicly shame those who have arrived late or have not communicated with the rest of the community concerning their loss. Grieving is expected to be shared, and thus the burden of grief is lifted from the individual to the group.

Dance is the outlet that allows potlatch attendees to vent their grief; "sorry songs" give way to "happy songs" and dances, such as the calico dance, where colorful bolts of cloth are passed among female participants, who dance in a large circle. Such dances serve to restore harmony among the relationships within the tribe.

Gifts

A traditional Athabaskan potlatch is concluded with the giving of gifts. Valuable trade items, traditionally dentalium shells, now largely replaced by rifles, blankets, cash, and beaded items, are collected by the host from members of their mother's moiety and are redistributed by the host to members of his father's moiety in exchange for their contributions of celebration and participation in the potlatch. For instance, an exceptional dancer might be rewarded for her abilities, and likewise a grave digger or pallbearer would be compensated at a funeral potlatch. [4]

At the conclusion of a potlatch, gifts are piled high in the center of the meeting hall and distributed to guests. By distributing guns and blankets to the assembled guests, the host demonstrates his relationship to and his feelings for his paternal relatives and potential marriage partners. Through these distributions the host gains prestige as he symbolically ensures his guests' existence by giving them guns to hunt with and blankets to keep them warm. [4]

Beaded items are also commonly given as gifts at potlatches, including necklaces, moccasins, gloves, vests, and gun cases. Beads, like the dentalium they have come to replace, are symbolic of social relations that, when expressed in the form of necklaces or sashes, literally surround or embrace the individual. Today Tanacross people see dentalium shells not only as symbols of prestige but also as expressions of affection. [4]

While rifles, blankets and beaded items are traditional potlatch gifts, they are not the only ones. Other gifts might include furs, afghans, quilts, moose hide jackets, calico, snowshoes, gloves, hats, coffeepots, enameled plates, snow shovels, suitcases, frying pans and many others both practical and symbolic. [10]

Dentalium shells and moose hide jackets are often worn by the host while distributing gifts. [10] In some communities, gifts are given out while wearing gloves. If the gloves are kept, it is believed that the wealth will be stored in them, and eventually return to the giver. [4]

Often a potlatch host will fully deplete their savings and give away their entire material wealth. [10] The potlatch is an honorable ceremony, and in giving everything away, the host gains prestige. A rich man who does not share his possessions is, to an Athabaskan, a stingy man who is to be pitied. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potlatch</span> Gift-giving festival and economic system

A potlatch is a 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. This includes the Heiltsuk, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures. Potlatches are also a common feature of the peoples of the Interior and of the Subarctic adjoining the Northwest Coast, although mostly without the elaborate ritual and gift-giving economy of the coastal peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwakwakaʼwakw</span> Indigenous ethnic group of the Pacific Northwest Coast

The Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, also known as the Kwakiutl, are one of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their current population, according to a 2016 census, is 3,665. Most live in their traditional territory on northern Vancouver Island, nearby smaller islands including the Discovery Islands, and the adjacent British Columbia mainland. Some also live outside their homelands in urban areas such as Victoria and Vancouver. They are politically organized into 13 band governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snohomish people</span> Lushootseed-speaking people of Puget Sound

The Snohomish people are a Lushootseed-speaking Southern Coast Salish people who are indigenous to the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Most Snohomish are enrolled in the Tulalip Tribes of Washington and reside on the reservation or nearby, although others are enrolled in other tribes, and some are members of the non-recognized Snohomish Tribe of Indians. Traditionally, the Snohomish occupied a wide area of land, including the Snohomish River, parts of Whidbey and Camano Islands, and the nearby coastline of Skagit Bay and Puget Sound. They had at least 25 permanent villages throughout their lands, but in 1855, signed the Treaty of Point Elliott and were relocated to the Tulalip Reservation. Although some moved to the reservation, the harsh conditions, lack of land, and oppressive policies of the United States government caused many to leave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haisla people</span> Ethnic group

Haisla people are a First Nation who reside in Kitamaat. The Haisla consist of two bands: the Kitamaat people, residing in upper Douglas Channel and Devastation Channel, and the Kitlope People, inhabiting upper Princess Royal Channel and Gardner Canal in British Columbia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twana</span> Indigenous group in North America

Twana is the collective name for a group of nine Coast Salish peoples in the northern-mid Puget Sound region. The Skokomish are the main surviving group and self-identify as the Twana today. The spoken language, also named Twana, is part of the Central Coast Salish language group. The Twana language is closely related to Lushootseed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prehistory of Alaska</span>

Prehistoric Alaska begins with Paleolithic people moving into northwestern North America sometime between 40,000 and 15,000 years ago across the Bering Land Bridge in western Alaska; a date less than 20,000 years ago is most likely. They found their passage blocked by a huge sheet of ice until a temporary recession in the Wisconsin glaciation opened up an ice-free corridor through northwestern Canada, possibly allowing bands to fan out throughout the rest of the continent. Eventually, Alaska became populated by the Inuit and a variety of Native American groups. Trade with both Asia and southern tribes was active even before the advent of Europeans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast</span>

The Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are composed of many nations and tribal affiliations, each with distinctive cultural and political identities. They share certain beliefs, traditions and practices, such as the centrality of salmon as a resource and spiritual symbol, and many cultivation and subsistence practices. The term Northwest Coast or North West Coast is used in anthropology to refer to the groups of Indigenous people residing along the coast of what is now called British Columbia, Washington State, parts of Alaska, Oregon, and Northern California. The term Pacific Northwest is largely used in the American context.

The word dentalium, as commonly used by Native American artists and anthropologists, refers to tooth shells or tusk shells used in indigenous jewelry, adornment, and commerce in western Canada and the United States. These tusk shells are a kind of seashell, specifically the shells of scaphopod mollusks. The name "dentalium" is based on the scientific name for the genus Dentalium, but because the taxonomy has changed over time, not all of the species used are still placed in that genus; however, all of the species are certainly in the family Dentaliidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Button blanket</span> Wool blanket embellished with mother-of-pearl buttons

A button blanket is wool blanket embellished with mother-of-pearl buttons, created by Northwest Coastal tribes, that is worn for ceremonial purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of the Tlingit</span>

The culture of the Tlingit, an Indigenous people from Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon, is multifaceted, a characteristic of Northwest Coast peoples with access to easily exploited rich resources. In Tlingit culture a heavy emphasis is placed upon family and kinship, and on a rich tradition of oratory. Wealth and economic power are important indicators of status, but so is generosity and proper behavior, all signs of "good breeding" and ties to aristocracy. Art and spirituality are incorporated in nearly all areas of Tlingit culture, with even everyday objects such as spoons and storage boxes decorated and imbued with spiritual power and historical associations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nalukataq</span> Spring whaling festival of the Iñupiat of Northern Alaska

Nalukataq is the spring whaling festival of the Iñupiat of Northern Alaska, especially the North Slope Borough. It is characterized by its namesake, the dramatic Eskimo blanket toss. "Marking the end of the spring whaling season," Nalukataq creates "a sense of being for the entire community and for all who want a little muktuk or to take part in the blanket toss....At no time, however, does Nalukataq relinquish its original purpose, which is to recognize the annual success and prowess of each umialik, or whaling crew captain....Nalukataq [traditions] have always reflected the process of survival inherent in sharing...crucial to...the Arctic."

Squamish culture is the customs, arts, music, lifestyle, food, painting and sculpture, moral systems and social institutions of the Squamish indigenous people, located in the southwestern part of British Columbia, Canada. They refer to themselves as Sḵwx̱wú7mesh. They are a part of the Coast Salish cultural group. Their culture and social life is based on the abundant natural resource of the Pacific Northwest coast, rich in cedar trees, salmon, and other resources. They have complex kinship ties that connect their social life and cultural events to different families and neighboring nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xhosa people</span> Ethnic group in South Africa

The Xhosa people, or Xhosa-speaking people are a Bantu ethnic group native to South Africa. They are the second largest ethnic group in South Africa and are native speakers of the isiXhosa language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salish weaving</span>

Salish are skilled weavers and knitters of the Pacific Northwest. They are most noted for their beautiful twill blankets many of which are very old. The adoption of new fabrics, dyes, and weaving techniques allow us to study a wide variety of Salish weavings today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwakwakaʼwakw art</span> Art of Canadian indigenous peoples

Kwakwaka'wakw art describes the art of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples of British Columbia. It encompasses a wide variety of woodcarving, sculpture, painting, weaving and dance. Kwakwaka'wakw arts are exemplified in totem poles, masks, wooden carvings, jewelry and woven blankets. Visual arts are defined by simplicity, realism, and artistic emphasis. Dances are observed in the many rituals and ceremonies in Kwakwaka'wakw culture. Much of what is known about Kwakwaka'wakw art comes from oral history, archeological finds in the 19th century, inherited objects, and devoted artists educated in Kwakwaka'wakw traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potlatch ban</span> Ban on indigenous culture by the government of Canada

The potlatch ban was legislation forbidding the practice of the potlatch passed by the Government of Canada, begun in 1885 and lasting until 1951.

'Kwakwaka'wakw music is a sacred and ancient art of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples that has been practiced for thousands of years. The Kwakwaka'wakw are a collective of twenty-five nations of the Wakashan language family who altogether form part of a larger identity comprising the Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, located in what is known today as British Columbia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanana Athabaskans</span> Alaskan Athabaskan peoples

The Tanana Athabaskans, Tanana Athabascans, or Tanana Athapaskans are an Alaskan Athabaskan people from the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group. They are the original inhabitants of the Tanana River drainage basin in east-central Alaska Interior, United States and a little part lived in Yukon, Canada. Tanana River Athabaskan peoples are called in Lower Tanana and Koyukon language Ten Hʉt'ænæ, in Gwich'in language Tanan Gwich'in. In Alaska, where they are the oldest, there are three or four groups identified by the languages they speak. These are the Tanana proper or Lower Tanana and/or Middle Tanana, Tanacross or Tanana Crossing, and Upper Tanana. The Tanana Athabaskan culture is a hunter-gatherer culture with a matrilineal system. Tanana Athabaskans were semi-nomadic and lived in semi-permanent settlements in the Tanana Valley lowlands. Traditional Athabaskan land use includes fall hunting of moose, caribou, Dall sheep, and small terrestrial animals, as well as trapping. The Athabaskans did not have any formal tribal organization. Tanana Athabaskans were strictly territorial and used hunting and gathering practices in their semi-nomadic way of life and dispersed habitation patterns. Each small band of 20–40 people normally had a central winter camp with several seasonal hunting and fishing camps, and they moved cyclically, depending on the season and availability of resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaskan ice cream</span> Athabaskan and Inuit-Yupik dessert

Alaskan ice cream is a dessert made by Alaskan Athabaskans and other Alaska Natives.

A traditional Swazi wedding ceremony is called umtsimba, where the bride commits herself to her new family for the rest of her life. The ceremony is a celebration that includes members of both the bride's - and the groom's - natal village. There are stages to the wedding that stretch over a few days. Each stage is significant, comprising symbolic gestures that have been passed on from generation to generation. The first stage is the preparation of the bridal party before leaving their village. The second stage is the actual journey of the bridal party from their village to the groom's village. The third stage is the first day of the wedding ceremony that spans three days, and starts on the day the bridal party arrives at the grooms’ village. Thereafter the actual wedding ceremony takes place which is the fourth stage of the umtsimba. The fifth stage takes place the day after the wedding ceremony and is known as kuteka, which is the actual wedding. The final stage may take place the day after the wedding day, and is when the bride gives the groom's family gifts and is the first evening the bride spends with the groom. Although the traditional wedding ceremony has evolved in modern times, the details below are based on historic accounts of anthropologist Hilda Kuper and sociological research describing the tradition

References

  1. 1 2 Laurence A. Goldin, The Land is Ours, 1996, Auroroa Films
  2. 1 2 William Simeone, A History of Alaskan Athapaskans, 1982, Alaska Historical Commission
  3. 1 2 A.E. Stephan, The First Athabascans of Alaska:Strawberries, 1996, Dorrance Publishing, ISBN   0-8059-3883-4
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 William Simeone, Rifles, Blankets, and Beads, 1995, University of Oklahoma Press, ISBN   0-8061-2713-9
  5. ↑ Simeone, Identity 183
  6. ↑ Simeone, Identity 210
  7. ↑ Thomas Mishler, Crow is my Boss: the oral history of a Tanacross Athabaskan elder, University of Oklahoma Press, 2005
  8. ↑ Poldine Carlo, Nulato: An Indian Life on the Yukon, Fairbanks, Alaska, 1978
  9. ↑ file:///home/chronos/u-15985fe980d04ec3ec881e482cd33c8a6e32a755/Downloads/fulltext.pdf
  10. 1 2 3 4 Claire Fejes, Villagers: Athabaskan Indian Life Along the Yukon River, Random House, 1981, ISBN   0-394-51673-7
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.