The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-09-01
PoTLATCH 4 PARADOX
Indians of Pacific Coast Fight to Retain
Right TO Hold Them

One Of the most unusual legal battles
in Canadian history has Just been staged
on the Pacific coast of British Column
bia. where some 10 of the Kwakiuti
tribe have been convicted of holding a
'.potlatch," and some of them sentenced
to two months Imprisonment. Among
those convicted was a Squaw. the first in
the history of British Columbia.
The potlatch is one of the outStand-
ing events of life among the Indians of
the Pacific coast, but very little has been
written of it, and this mostly without
understanding of the deep social signi-
ficance of the feast. dancing, ceremonies,
and gift-giving which are a part of the
event called potlatch.
The governments placing restraining
laws against the holding of pOtlatches
was en- the ground that Indians on these
occasions impoverished themselves by
giving away all their earthly possessions,
often the savings of years for when
an Indian gave potlatch, he did give
away everything he owned to members
Of his tribe whom he had invited. In
some cases. where very great chief gave
a potlatch, people of other tribes. often
hundreds of miles away. were invited.
In the years before the white man came,
such feasts lasted from 10 days to a
month.
But though the government was partly
a paradoxical situation, for in giving
away all he possessed an Indian was at
the same time acquiring a vested inter
est-the potlatch was nothing less than
a life-nSurance premium. old-age PEN
sion, and endowment fund all rolled into
one In fact. the Indians had in opera
ton a mutual benefit system long before
the white man.
After the coming of the white man,
the potlatch changed considerably. In
stead of furS the Indians began giving
blankets. -four. guns. and ammunition
bought from the Hudson's Bay company.
As time went on they took full advan-
tage of all the wonders of the white
man. 50 in recent years pOtlatches have
presented one of the most homogeneous
sights perhaps the world has ever seen.
There came into existence sewing-ma-
chimes. and furniture, and gramOphone
pOtlatcheS: pOtlatcheS of cooking uten-
sis and clothes; boots and clothes: fire.
auently furs and some of these articles.
But the chief pOtlatches in recent times
have been gramOphOne, furniture, and
utensils. The writer has been fortunate
in obtaining the most recent photos of
what may be perhaps the last pOtlatches
ever held. These photos also show the
march of the wild men to the great cere-
monial hall.
Should the potlatches be stopped for
ever it will be hard to foretell what will
be the effect on the Indians. 1t is a
fact that quite aside from the vested in
terest acquired by giving a potlatch the
giving of such gave the giver immense
prestige. 1t was the highest peak of so
cial ambition for a coast Indian. strlven
for as eagerly as a nOuveau richie try
ing to break onto New YOrk's 400"
Looked at from this point of view. the
taking away of it may rob the Indians
of initiative and ambition to earn money
to hold One-another paradox in view
of the government passing a prohibitive
law because the pOtlatch impoverished
zine.