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Potlatch: The Platch Tradition

98 Words1 Pages
Potlatch is a traditional ceremony that validates identity and culture. Tlingit’s believe that all life has equal value and should be equally respected (Waterbury, 1987). The Pacific Northwest tribes were thought to be unstable and evil for giving away their possessions and between 1885 and 1951 potlatches in Canada were outlawed (BC, n.d.). The potlatch tradition, still present, allows time for respect, paying debts, and displaying one’s wealth and status. This tradition is most celebrated today for events such as adoptions, burials, marriage, the naming of a child, or the building and/or buying of a house (Waterbury, 1987).
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