Waves of Generosity: The Spirit of the Potlatch

I can remember reading and learning about the interesting topic of the Native American Potlatch.  This Native American ceremonial tradition celebrates the highest form of genuine and true generosity.  This indigenous holiday is celebrated by the Northwest Coast tribes.  The name Potlatch itself is a Chinook term defined as "giving away" or "to give a gift".  Through historical times, it has been banned federally by the United States and Canada.  I was very interested in the topic of Potlatch through an anthropology standpoint, because it seemed to be one of the most unselfish holidays I had come across.  It's meaning wasn't commercialized or bastardized by anything corporate.  It was completely unblemished and unspoiled, aside from governmental intervention.  This ceremony is all about redistribution and the sharing of the family prosperity.  They give away to each other unselfishly without the hope of any return.  Nobody expects anything or even asks for anything.  Back when it started it was mostly the sharing of textiles, foods and related goods, but it evolved as European influences chartered the country.  This tradition empowers a communal spirit and spreads the wealth and joy within the tribal unit.  This goes against the glamorized television fueled holidays we celebrate in America, Europe, and Canada. 

The Potlatch is very different, because it's an amalgamation of rites of passage.  The tradition honors funerals, weddings, birthdays, births, namings, and the honoring of the already deceased.  The festivals have music, dancing, and feasting that usually occurs during the Winter months.  Canada and the United States saw this as a "useless custom" and banned this tradition until it was made legal again in 1951.  The Potlatch tradition has a very rich tradition from it's early indigenous roots.  This ritual created a harmony between tribes and probably originated from one of more of those rites and eventually grew as time progressed.  The gifts and goods were usually gathered over the course of a year and enough food was accrued to feed every expected guest that would attend the ceremonial festival.  The chief was usually the one who was the impetus of the whole celebration.  All of the presents would carry the family symbol and the whole family group would be involved in the process.  Representatives of the chief would extend the invitations to all of the guests and, along with family and hosts, would be dressed elaborately in fine costumes and headdresses.  There are speakers who discuss family history and folklore, dancers, and other performers.  All of this was done with lavish preparation.

What interests me most about the Potlatch ceremony is the genuine gift of sharing.  This is something, I believe, that we can all learn from.  When we are grasped in a network of trust, we can give unselfishly.  You realize that when the time comes, you will have that support.  When we discover this, we then become less self-centered and individualistic.  This is when you find a sense of community, or a sense of group.  Maybe in our own life, we can create a type of Potlatch.  You can find time to have a group of friends over or your family, and just have dinner with them and give them something they really need.  Something as simple as sharing a meal and giving of yourself is a great way of living unselfishly.  Sharing and giving of yourself is the validation of generosity which creates a network of support when times are tougher.  This definitely seems like a more desirable choice than isolating yourself, accumulating your resources, and not helping those you love.  If we have an abundance, what would be the point of wasting it?  Sharing wealth or prosperity unselfishly is something the indigenous culture exacted correctly.  I think we should learn, as a western culture, to follow that model.  Christmas or something remotely close doesn't really have it right, because we bankrupt ourselves to buy useless possessions.  Really people should think without the use of commercials and see what people really need.  Use the spirit of the Potlatch, not the spirit of Coca Cola.