Gift Giving and the Potlatch Tradition An example from this module is the potlatch ceremony of Pacific Northwest Indigen

Gift Giving and the Potlatch Tradition

An example from this module is the potlatch ceremony of Pacific Northwest Indigenous peoples. During this ceremony, people are brought together by families or community leaders on occasions of great significance such as wedding or funerals. They donate food, blankets, clothes and knitted items to guests. The event should be used to show generosity and to team up people together. Individuals who share more with others are more respected in the community. Moreover, the potlatch ceremonies give families a chance to provide one another as they share their resources with others instead of saving it up for themselves. This practice promotes unity, trust and enhanced social cohesion among community members.

The ceremony is comparable with gifts giving of the U.S., in which individuals hand gifts during birthdays, celebrations, and holidays to please and express gratitude to the other party. Giving gifts can help to heal relationships and convey kindness in either case. Others also are content and feel happy when they can add value to others. The potlatch is more about the community, and building community through generosity, while gift giving in the U.S. is more about close friends and family, and what is done for them. I think that it is important to give gifts as it gives love, kindness, appreciation, thus creating a connection.

Reference

Hanson, R. (2013, December 24). ’Tis better to give than receive. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-makes-us-human/201312/tis-better-give-receive