Question

Knowing full well that the Potlatch was central to the communities who practiced it, the government set out

A. To encourage and support Potlatch ceremonies
B. To ban and suppress Potlatch ceremonies
C. To study and document Potlatch traditions
D. To negotiate treaties with Potlatch communities

Answer 1

The government aimed to ban and suppress Potlatch ceremonies, which were vital cultural practices demonstrating status and power through generosity among Pacific Northwest Indigenous groups.

Step-by-step explanation:

The government set out to ban and suppress Potlatch ceremonies. The Potlatch was a significant socio-political ceremony among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, such as the Haida, Kwakiutl, and Tlingit. This ceremony involved distributing wealth and goods to demonstrate the host's status and challenge others to reciprocate generosity, establishing power through balanced reciprocity.