potlatch

ˈpɒtlætʃ

3 definitions

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#1·8h ago

(Canada, US, also, figuratively) A ceremony amongst certain indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest in which gifts are bestowed upon guests and personal property is destroyed in a show of generosity and wealth.

First, the Indian himself is to be sought out; then the horse is to be tried; next the price is to be discussed, then the mode of payment, and finally the potlatch: each and all are matters of grave consideration and delay, during which …

Origin: [[File:Edward S. Curtis, Kwakwaka'wakw potlatch, British Columbia.jpg|thumb|A potlatch (sense 1) of the Kwakwakaʼwakw people of the Pacific Northwest, photographed by Edward S. Curtis and published in the early 20th century.]] The is borrowed from , pátlač, from Nootka Jargon ''pa'chatle, pa'chēētle, pah-chilt'' (“to give, give me”), from . Sense 1 of the (“to give; especially, to give a gift during a potlatch ceremony”) is borrowed from , pátlač (see above); sense 2 (“to carry out or take part in a potlatch ceremony”) is derived from the noun. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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#2·8h ago

(Canada, US, chiefly, Alaska) A communal meal to which guests bring dishes to share; a potluck.

The end of all this scraping and hoarding is to give away the property again at some potlatch, at which in a few hours the labour of years will be dissipated. The feasts are often given by the chief men of small tribes as a sort of peace…

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#3·8h ago

(transitive) To give; especially, to give as a gift during a potlatch ceremony.

He was a Chilkaht chief, and it being New Year's day, he had been to General Davis's house and "potlatched" (treated) to a bottle of whiskey.

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