Wealth Equals Prestige

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Wealth equals Prestige In Conrad Phillip Kottak’s article “Potlatching”, he emphasizes on how tribes of the North Pacific Coast of North America such as the Salish and Kwakiutl celebrates their surplus of wealth and goods as a festive event to give away to other members who are not as fortunate in exchange for prestige. Potlatching within the tribes served to avoid any members or villages to be labeled under a social class. The tribes participating in potlatching to “prevent the development of socioeconomic stratification, a system of social class” in exchange of a nonmaterial item which was prestige. Potlatching can be viewed to resemble certain rituals or customs in North American culture. In viewing of social class, potlatching can be viewed by how much you make and the indication of where you live and what you drive. Many people who make a lot of money would show off their wealth by buying big in real estate and driving a very expensive car. In exchange the wealth is looked upon as money makers and treated with a higher respect than a person who is labeled in a low class society. I can relate to potlatching due to my culture of a pacific islander. I am from Samoa. We still have potlaching ceremonies for different reasons, such as weddings and deaths (especially chiefs of the villages). Although Samoans do not call this festive event potlatching, we share the same concept. In Samoa, we trade a particular type of item which is a Ie-Tonga or “fine mat”. The Ie-Tonga is the most valued possession of the chiefs or royal families of Samoa. The value is so high that the Ie-Tonga is never used as a mat. Many people can buy anything with money, well almost anything. In Samoa, you can buy several acres of land and even help loved ones from being condemned in shame with these fine mats. It takes several years just for them to weave these mats and they are

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