The potlatch among Athabaskan peoples facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The traditional potlatch among Athabaskan peoples was a special gathering for the Athabaskan people. It was a time for sharing, showing wealth, and even solving disagreements peacefully. It was also a way to build strong friendships between different groups.

What is a Potlatch?
Food at the Potlatch
Dance and Music
Gifts at the Potlatch
See also

What is a Potlatch?

A potlatch is a big celebration where people share food and gifts. It's a very important event for the Athabaskan people, who live in parts of Alaska and Canada. These gatherings have always been important for their society, beliefs, and economy.

Potlatches were often held at the chief's house because it was usually the biggest home and had space to store lots of food.

Why Athabaskan People Held Potlatches

There were many reasons to have a potlatch. They could celebrate a new baby, a successful hunt with lots of food, or to honor someone who had passed away.

The most important potlatch was the one held after someone died. This ceremony helped the community say goodbye to the person and deal with their sadness together. The way the funeral potlatch was done might change slightly depending on who had died. For example, different songs and dances were performed for a brave warrior compared to an elder.

Because Athabaskan groups were often like one big family, the death of an elder had a huge impact. The closest male relative of the person who died would organize the funeral potlatch.

What Happens at a Potlatch?

A potlatch usually included a big feast, dancing, singing, speeches, and giving out gifts.

The Feast: Wealthy members of the group provided a huge amount of food. This showed their kindness and care for their guests.
Dancing and Singing: Guests would dance and sing to thank their hosts for their generosity. People also told stories for entertainment.
Giving Gifts: This was a very exciting part of the potlatch. It was a generous act of sharing wealth with everyone. It also showed how much the host had and how important they were.

Modern Potlatches

Today, potlatches still include many of these traditions like sharing food, giving gifts, singing, dancing, and telling stories. However, their main purpose has changed. While they are still held for events like births or deaths, they are less about showing off wealth. Now, they are more about celebrating and keeping these important traditions alive for future generations.

Food at the Potlatch

Food is a huge part of a potlatch. Offering large amounts of food shows the host's love and care for their guests. It also shows they can provide for future generations. After the main meal, any leftover food is given first to the elders, then to the other guests. This reminds everyone of the host's kindness long after the event.

Getting Food Ready

Potlatches can have dozens or even hundreds of people from nearby villages. Often, just one or two people host the event. Family members help the host by giving food and money to cover the costs.

Several men from the village hunt moose especially for the potlatch. It's common for three or more moose to be hunted to feed everyone over two or three days. One story from the village of Tetlin said that 22 moose were hunted for a very large potlatch! Besides moose meat, many other wild foods are gathered or donated, like beaver, duck, salmon, and berries. These traditional foods remind the Athabaskan people of their strong connection to the land that has always supported them.

Potlatch Meals

Breakfast and lunch are served each day and are more casual. Breakfast often includes eggs, bacon, coffee, and potatoes. Lunch usually has soup, sandwiches, and tea.

The evening meal is the most important part of the day. Everyone is expected to attend. It's a very special spiritual and social event. Large rolls of white butcher paper are spread on the floor for place settings, and many people sit on the floor. Benches and chairs are provided for elders.

Types of Food Served

Moose meat is usually cooked by the men. It can be roasted, fried, or made into moose head stew. This stew has meaty parts of the moose's head mixed with vegetables and rice. Grilled and smoked salmon are also served, along with soup made from round whitefish. Wild cranberries and blueberries are used in desserts.

Besides wild foods, store-bought items are also served. Black loose leaf tea, which traders introduced in the 1800s, is still a favorite. Bannock, also known as fry bread, rolls, and salads are also common.

Dance and Music

Dancing is a very important part of Athabaskan culture, especially at a potlatch. It often becomes the main focus after the evening meal. The Athabaskan people have kept their traditional songs and dances strong for many generations.

During potlatches, many different songs are sung. The first songs of the week-long event are called mourning songs. Traditionally, new songs are sung first to thank the hosts. Then, old songs that have been sung for a long time are performed.

Poldine Carlo, an Athabaskan woman from Alaska, remembered that a potlatch usually lasted a week. She said, "The first night we would have a big potlatch at the community hall and then the mourning songs were sung, the new songs first for the ones the potlatch was being given for and then the old, old songs that we have been singing for a long time. The women would stand in line all across the hall and dance."

A book called Rifles, Blankets, & Beads talks about "sorry songs" sung at a potlatch in Tanacross. These songs were for people who had died, starting with the most recent death and then remembering others from the past.

In the Alaskan Native community, grieving is shared by the whole community, not just the family. If a family member of the deceased doesn't show up or is late, it's considered a big insult. Tribal chiefs have even stopped potlatches to publicly shame those who were late or didn't communicate about their loss. Sharing grief helps lift the sadness from one person and spread it among the group.

Dance helps people express their grief. "Sorry songs" eventually lead to "happy songs" and dances, like the calico dance. In this dance, colorful cloth is passed among women who dance in a large circle. These dances help bring harmony back to the relationships within the tribe.

Gifts at the Potlatch

A traditional Athabaskan potlatch always ends with the giving of gifts. In the past, valuable items like dentalium shells were given. Today, gifts often include rifles, blankets, money, and beaded items.

The host collects these gifts from their mother's side of the family. Then, the host gives them out to members of their father's side of the family. This is a way to thank them for celebrating and taking part in the potlatch. For example, a great dancer might get a special reward. Someone who helped dig a grave or carry the coffin at a funeral potlatch would also be compensated.

At the end of a potlatch, gifts are piled high in the middle of the meeting hall and given to the guests. By giving out guns and blankets, the host shows their connection and feelings for their relatives and potential marriage partners. The host gains respect and honor by giving these gifts. They are symbolically ensuring their guests' survival by giving them guns for hunting and blankets to stay warm.

Beaded items are also common gifts, such as necklaces, moccasins, gloves, vests, and gun cases. Beads, like the dentalium shells they replaced, represent social connections. When worn as necklaces or sashes, they literally "embrace" the person. Today, people in Tanacross see dentalium shells as symbols of respect and also as signs of affection.

While rifles, blankets, and beaded items are traditional, many other gifts are given. These can include furs, afghans, quilts, moose hide jackets, calico cloth, snowshoes, hats, coffeepots, plates, snow shovels, suitcases, and frying pans. Some gifts are practical, and others are symbolic.

Sometimes, the host wears dentalium shells and moose hide jackets when giving out gifts. In some communities, gifts are given while wearing gloves. If the gloves are kept, it's believed that wealth will be stored in them and eventually return to the giver.

Often, a potlatch host will give away all their savings and possessions. The potlatch is a very honorable ceremony. By giving everything away, the host gains great respect. To an Athabaskan, a rich person who doesn't share their belongings is seen as stingy and someone to feel sorry for.