Potlatch
The gift-giving feast of Northwest Coast peoples, where wealth means how much you give away.
A potlatch has no fixed calendar date. A family or house hosts one to mark events such as births, namings, marriages, memorials for the dead, or the transfer of rights and titles.
When Is Potlatch?
A potlatch has no fixed calendar date. A family or house hosts one to mark events such as births, namings, marriages, memorials for the dead, or the transfer of rights and titles.
Because the Gregorian date changes from year to year, check a calendar published by the tradition or your local community for this year's date.
Why It Matters
The Potlatch (Chinook Jargon: 'to give') is the central ceremony of Northwest Coast peoples (Haida, Tlingit, Kwakwaka'wakw). Wealth is measured by what you give away, not keep. Canada banned it from 1885-1951.
How It Is Observed
Days of feasting, dancing, storytelling, the host gives away accumulated wealth (blankets, food, canoes, cash), guests witness legal transitions (inheritance, naming, titles), totem pole raisings, masked dances.