the Potlatch Ban
  • While the Indian Act contained several oppressive measures, one of the most well-known provisions was the banning of Potlatching in 1884 as a means of limiting cultural practices in order to further assimilate Indigenous peoples.
  • Potlatch ceremonies were historically a primary economic system for the Northwest Coast First Nations (Kwakwaka'wakw and other Coastal First Nations) and later became a cultural tradition of gift giving and feasts.
  • Other ceremonial practices like the sun dance were also banned despite how crucial these practices are to the First Nations people, largely because colonists believed these ceremonies were wasteful, excessive, and restrictive to the assimilation process.
  • The effects of potlatching remain today, despite removing the ban from the Indian Act in 1951, with the loss of tradition and oral history, and with many First Nations facing jail time for simply practicing their culture.  
Citation

"The Potlatch Ban." The Bill Reid Centre. Simon Fraser University. Accessed on August 11, 2021. https://www.sfu.ca/brc/online_exhibits/masks-2-0/the-potlatch-ban.html

Further Readings

For more information on the Potlatching Ban: https://www.ictinc.ca/the-potlatch-ban-abolishment-of-first-nations-ceremonies
& https://potlatch6767.com/about-potlatch-67-67/ 

Policy Sub-Topic
Enfranchisement and Colonization (Indigenous Peoples)
Policy Type
Editorial

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