Premium
The Potlatch: A Structural Analysis 1
Author(s) -
ROSMAN ABRAHAM,
RUBEL PAULA G.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1972.74.3.02a00280
Subject(s) - ecological succession , sociology , anthropology , history , geography , ecology , biology
Significant variations are shown to be present in the potlatch in two Northwest Coast societies. Differences occur in occasions for potlatches, in frequency, in guests present, and in the nature of their relationship to the host. These variations are related to variations in the social structures of the societies. The Tlingit and the Kwakiutl are selected for comparison, using an approach which involves the building of models based upon a rule of marriage for the Tlingit and a rule of succession for the Kwakiutl. Analysis of the potlatches of these two societies verifies the structural models.