Meaning & use
Potlatch
Last updated
A ceremonial feast among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, marked by the lavish giving away or destruction of property to display wealth and status.
See it in a sentence
The chief hosted a potlatch to celebrate his son's marriage.
Colonial authorities once outlawed the potlatch, disrupting Indigenous social traditions.
A note on using this word
From the Chinook Jargon word for 'to give'; the potlatch remains a significant cultural and legal institution among many Northwest Coast nations.
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