• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / History / Why would a Native American family hold a potlatch and How much does a potlatch cost?

Why would a Native American family hold a potlatch and How much does a potlatch cost?

June 26, 2020 by Karen Hill

Potlatches were usually held to announce that a new person was taking the position of chief.

Some Native American groups, however, used them to celebrate more personal events, such as a marriage or the naming of a child. Occasionally, a chief might hold a small potlatch if he had been embarrassed in public. For instance, if he fell out of a canoe in front the village, he might distribute gifts as a way of buying back his dignity.

No matter what the occasion, a host family had another reason for holding a potlatch. In Northwest Native American cultures, people’s place in society was not determined by how much wealth they kept, but how much they were willing and able to give away. To maintain the respect of other people in their village, a wealthy family had to host a potlatch from time to time.

Often, families used potlatches to compete with one another for social status. Among the Kwakiutl in the early twentieth century, an elaborate potlatch could cost a family as much as $40,000.

In addition to traditional goods, giveaways at these events might include manufactured items such as sewing machines, pool tables, and outboard motors.

Related Facts

  • What was a potlatch and What does the word potlatch mean in the Nootka Indian language?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • What is the average income of a Native American family?
  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • What was a copper and What did coppers symbolize in Northwest Native American culture?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What was a copper and What did coppers symbolize in Northwest Native American culture?
Next Post: What kind of environment was the Northwest and How were cedar trees used by Native Americans? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy