Final answer:
The potlatch was seen as a threat to the Western value of private property because it emphasized the redistribution and sharing of wealth rather than accumulation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The potlatch was seen as a threat to the Western value of private property. Traditional Western values emphasized the accumulation of wealth and personal property as indicators of success and social status. In contrast, the potlatch, a socio-political ceremony important in the cultures of the Pacific Northwest, such as among the Haida, Kwakiutl, and Tlingit communities, embodied a different value system.
Instead of acquiring wealth, the ceremony focused on the redistribution of wealth by the hosts giving away their possessions, which in turn confirmed their status and rank within their society. The concept of wealth in the potlatch culture was determined by how much one could give away, not by how much one owned, thereby challenging the Western concept of accumulating and holding onto private property.