Gifting in Potlatch
Gifts
also served as payments so that guests would remember the
transfers of ownership they witnessed. In the absence of
written records, witnesses' memories were critical to
keeping track of legitimate claims to ownership over
generations. Moreover, by accepting payment in the form of
gifts, guests signaled their acceptance of the host's
ownership claims.
Broken, decorated copper; Tsimshian: Gitksan
PMAE # 14-27-10/85848
Copper was an important gift, not only for its intrinsic value, but also for its cultural value as a symbol of wealth and prestige. Coppers, such as the one pictured here, were shield-shaped plates of beaten copper and were often decorated by painting and engraving. Coppers were important as a means of documenting major events such as births or marriages. During Potlatch ceremonies, the host would sometimes break the copper and distribute it to high status guests. Copper gifting sometimes would involve rivalry. If a chief offered a broken piece of his copper to a rival, the rival had to return the favor with a piece of copper or equal or greater value or suffer humilation.