"Flatten the enemy", "Fighting with Property, "Interest-Bearing Investments": A consideration of Potlatch interpretations with Indigenous views of the gifting ceremony

Presented at the Canadian Anthropological Society/La Societe, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba (May, 2018).
The potlatch is a multifaceted institution of Northwest Coast lifeways. Angelbeck, presents how the weight of interpretations and discussions about this renowned ceremony often can favour those of the lavish gift-giving demonstrations of ‘conspicuous consumption’, or warfare through gifting. Many have emphasized these as “interest-bearing investments” to produce greater future returns. Such interpretations concentrate on the role of self-interest. He highlights, how such accounts are often in contrast to how Northwest Coast peoples speak of potlatches, whereby these are considered positive ceremonies of celebration, public accounting and witnessing, and community building. The narrow and limited historical context for many initial evaluations of the potlatch as affected by colonial influences, including fur trade wealth, mercantilism, and capitalism will be highlighted. The intent is to allow us to better convey and contextualize potlatch dynamics and alliances between groups both now, as well as, in the past.