Descriptive booklet on the Alaska historical museum . thor-oughly misunderstood by observers andwriters, it may be well to mention thatthe underlying principle of a potlatchis the method of acquiring rank or aname of a dead ancestor. It is an in-terest bearing investment of property .Teachers and reformers through lackof sufficient knowledge have ever con-demned this practice on the plea thatit was uncivilized and produced , many potlatches were purelysocial in purpose, intended only to in-crease the reputation of the giver andto advance his standing in the com-munity. In big potla
Descriptive booklet on the Alaska historical museum . thor-oughly misunderstood by observers andwriters, it may be well to mention thatthe underlying principle of a potlatchis the method of acquiring rank or aname of a dead ancestor. It is an in-terest bearing investment of property .Teachers and reformers through lackof sufficient knowledge have ever con-demned this practice on the plea thatit was uncivilized and produced , many potlatches were purelysocial in purpose, intended only to in-crease the reputation of the giver andto advance his standing in the com-munity. In big potlatches each person re-ceiving a present was obliged to returndouble the amount given in one to fiveyears, so that the giver really was as-sured of a pension from the date of theIotlatch. In former years there weremany very prominent and highly hon-ored chiefs, who in their youthful yearsby giving big potlatches, were able tolive in affluence and ease for the restof their lives- In other words theywere drawing big interest on theirproperty
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookiddescriptiveb, bookyear1922
