Rich Traditions 
A potlatch was a social event, where the public assembled to witness the beginning of the salmon or berry season, the building of a new plank house, a wedding, or the naming of a child. There were also paying-off potlatches where a family would pay for several previous ceremonies and pay debts that had accumulated over decades. Most potlatches were held in the fall when the gathering of resources for the winter was completed.
Families would plan and save for a long time before they would host a potlatch. The family hosting the potlatch would supply the food and pay the officials they hired. An official may have been an elder who was hired to give a speech. Artists, cooks, hunters, and all others who performed special services were publicly acknowledged and thanked. A healer or canoe maker who had performed some service in the past would also be publicly acknowledged, thanked and be rewarded with a gift. Gifts were also distributed by presenting an individual with a staff that had a special meaning. The staff could represent a canoe, and a promise to the recipient that they would receive the gift in the future. The last day of the potlatch, the hosts would get up on the roof where they threw highly prized blankets down to the guests below.
A marriage ceremony involved gift exchanges, and started with the village leader, the groom, the groom's parents, grandparents and other relatives going to the brides family with gifts to propose. The leader, then the grandparents, then the parents would do the talking for the groom. If the bride's parents accepted, the leader would make the announcement and the bride would go back with the groom's party. At a later date, the family of the groom held a celebration, and the bride's parents would bring gifts for the groom's family.
At a naming ceremony, a person was given his/her official name. Before receiving a name the person had to prove themselves to be worthy of a name. A person would have a nickname before they received their official name at a potlatch or naming ceremony.
Each family line owned a stock of names varying in degrees of importance and prestige. An important name was treated like property and the owner of the name had the right to choose a successor. If a person died before passing on a name, the members of the family would chose a successor. A person could pass on their name at anytime to a grandson or granddaughter, and several prominent people would be called to witness the naming.
Potlatches were celebratory gatherings of families and neighbors that provided a way to redistribute resources, and reinforce prestige and social status.
Wedding Guests
Northwestern University Library
Photo by: E.S. Curtis
More Information
