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The Kwakiutl Culture

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Benedict described the Kwakiutl as a Dionysian culture and focused on their competitive giving in the potlatch. Even their shamans competed like chiefs or nobles. Describe the types of competitive giving found in the Kwakiutl culture and especially the potlatch and how it functions for them allowing them to use wealth as a weapon. Why did they say, “We do not fight with weapons. We fight with property.” (p. 189)
There are several kinds of potlatch in the Kwakiutl culture. These include potlatches thrown as a coming-of-age celebration, marriage potlatches, and the more extravagant potlatches of chiefs giving away their possessions, both with the promise that they’d be repaid with steep interest, and that it would bring prestige if they couldn’t …show more content…

The Kwakiutl practiced bride-price, a practice which according to Kottak was “a gift [that] compensates the bride’s group for the loss of her companionship and labour.” The more the bride-price was, then the more prestige the groom and his clan would earn through the marriage. This prestige then had to be repaid with a potlatch thrown for the father of the bride after the first child was born. Fathers of brides would transfer titles and property to their new sons-in-law through lavish potlatches, but unlike in a strictly patrilineal society, the son-in-law wouldn’t control these titles or property; they were held for the daughter’s children when they came of age, making for an interesting blend of both patrilineal and matrilineal trends. Once the first child had been born to a couple, the bride-price repayment potlatch was thrown, with steep interest, and the wife could “[Stay] in the house {of her husband} for nothing.” In order to keep his bride, the husband would make another payment/potlatch to the father-in-law, and the father-in-law repaid him with more wealth. According to Benedict, “In this way all through life, at the birth or maturity of offspring, the father-in-law transferred his prerogatives and wealth to the husband of his daughter for the children who were the issue of the

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“Rifles, Blankets, and Beads” delivers an entertaining perspective on the Northern Athapaskan village of Tanacross. This book is an outstanding resource to anthropologists, students, and educators. In reviewing this book, the author brings a descriptive writing style when analyzing the Northern Athapaskan village of Tanacross culture and history with a focus on the potlatch giving us insight details how the potlatch is seen and celebrated among the Tanacross people. The author, William E. Simeone, is a great source on the Northern Athapaskan village of Tanacross because he lived there among the people. In addition to living there he also attended ceremonies in both Tanacross and surrounding villages, and participated in potlatches within

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This book doesn’t cover all different kinds of village potlatches, and every potlatch may not be the same, but the overall aspects that the author covers about the Tanacross potlatches are similar to most. For instance, most colleges covering this class, use the textbook that I mentioned before titled “An Introduction to Native North America”. This textbook goes into detail about the Northwest coast societies potlatch, which I mentioned that their potlatches are mainly done to show off one’s wealth (Sutton 126). There are still some similarities between the Tanacross people and Northwest coast societies though. One similarity is both the Northwest coast societies and the Tanacross people held potlatches for many occasions.

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Family laws were fair. In law 148 it states that if a mans wife falls ill, he’s aloud to marry a second wife as long as he still cares for the wife who is ill until she dies. This is fair because you can still go on with your life as long as you don’t let your wife die. In law 168 it states that if a man wants to disinherit his son he must ask the judge and if tdhe judge looks at the boy’s past and there’s nothing bad that he did, the father can’t disinherit him. This is fair because you shouldn’t do anything to make your father want to disinherit you, and if the judge finds something than no wonder your father wants to disinherit you.

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