ANTH 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Potlatch
Document Summary
Chapter 12: reciprocity and the power of giving. An englishman gifted a pipe by the natives was expected to give the pipe back not keep it as a trinket. The indians expect to have the pipe back as a gesture of goodwill to inaugurate a friendly relationship that would be maintained through a series of mutual exchanges. His failure to reciprocate was rude and hostile: (cid:862)(cid:449)hite (cid:373)a(cid:374) keepi(cid:374)g(cid:863) (cid:449)as as offe(cid:374)si(cid:448)e to (cid:374)ati(cid:448)e a(cid:373)e(cid:396)i(cid:272)a(cid:374) as (cid:862)i(cid:374)dia(cid:374) gi(cid:448)i(cid:374)g(cid:863) (cid:449)as to settlers. The i(cid:374)dia(cid:374)s" t(cid:396)aditio(cid:374) of gift gi(cid:448)i(cid:374)g is (cid:373)u(cid:272)h (cid:373)o(cid:396)e (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)o(cid:374) tha(cid:374) ou(cid:396) o(cid:449)(cid:374: we think that presents ought to be offered freely with nsa. In other places, the st(cid:396)i(cid:374)gs a(cid:396)e the (cid:373)ai(cid:374) (cid:272)o(cid:374)side(cid:396)atio(cid:374). It"s a tie (cid:271)et(cid:449)ee(cid:374) f(cid:396)ie(cid:374)ds, a (cid:449)a(cid:455) of maintain good relationships. But to others its designed to humiliate rivals by showering them with wealth and obligating them to give more in return.
