THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST. 3G5 



tambourine. There is a master of tbe ceremonies, wlio leads off tlie 

 chorus, and who may himself participate in the dance. The song is 

 usually in praise of the strength, riches, and prowess of the host, and 

 to this the dancers keep time with rattles, grunts, contortions of the 

 body, and shuffling of the feet, or spasmodic hopping, with knees con- 

 stantly bent. Dancing is an invariable accompaniment of potlatch 

 ceremonies, but may take place without the distribution of gifts. 



The potlatch. — This is one of the most wide-spread and curious cus- 

 toms on the northwest coast. It has its origin not only in the custom 

 of the exchange of gifts, but in securing the good-will of others by 

 presents. To procure a wife; to enter the ranks or obtain the intlu- 

 ence of medicine men; to become a great chief ; to give social standing 

 to one's children; to take on oneself the name of a paternal ancestor; 

 to build a house ; to become a respected member of the community ; to 

 atone for a wrong done; to resent an insult — property- in some form or 

 other must be sacrificed either by destroying it, to show one's rage, 

 grief, or disregard of wealth, or by giving it away to obtain the good- 

 will of others. The accumulation of property is a necessity in these 

 Indian communities in order to stand well in them, and wealth becomes 

 primarily the basis of social organization. Under the head of wealth 

 the general question of property has been discussed. In a potlatch all 

 kinds of personal and household property — blankets, dishes, bowls, 

 canoes, guns, ammunition, money, mirrors, knives, garments, spears, 

 furs, robes, pots, kettles, spoons, etc. — are given away. Discrimination 

 must, however, be made between a reward for services rendered, dam- 

 ages mulcted, or the dot paid to the wife's parents, and tlie ceremonial 

 distribution of gifts, which last is the potlatch proper. The custom is 

 a very widely-spread one, and is practised by some tribes of the inte- 

 rior, even east of the Eocky Mountains, particularly amongst those of 

 the Dakotan stock. 



Amongst the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian the potlatch is a per- 

 fectly systematized distribution, involving much more thoughtful con- 

 sideration and balancing of obligations than the giving of a select 

 german or limited entertainment by a well-recognized leader of society 

 in any of our large cities. The occasions on which tliey are given will 

 be enumerated later on in the description of the different ceremonies. 

 In general, the more frequently and liberally an Indian distributes 

 property the better his standing with the others, the greater his chances 

 of reaching the dignity of chief in his village, and the more is due him 

 when some other member performs the same ceremony. An ordinary 

 man confines his potlatch to those of his own village, while a chief usu- 

 ally sends out to certain individuals of distant villages by name. Often 

 a chief is assisted by his people, whom, in this case, he invites to a 

 feast, and from whom afterwards he receives gifts which, with those 

 of his own, are given away subsequently at the grand potlatch. When- 

 ever it is the intention of an individual, other than the head chief, 



