Editor:
Re: Canoe journey aims to bridge cultures, Aug. 7.
I enjoyed reporter Tracy Holmes’ article on the Pulling Together canoe journey, though I would like to address a mistaken impression.
It’s important to note the RCMP did not ban the potlatch.
It was the federal government, in collusion with the church, who amended the Indian Act in 1884 to make the potlatch illegal.
Ottawa’s goal was assimilation, but aboriginals on the West Coast resisted by using the potlatch as a means of perpetuating their political and cultural systems.
But nothing could dissuade Ottawa and the church from the belief that the potlatch was “the epitome of anti-government pagan depravity.”
Still, First Nations continued their traditional practice, often camouflaging potlatches with Christian ceremonies, or performing speeches and dances publicly, and later privately dispensing gifts.
Initially, Indian Agents were reluctant to interfere with the potlatch, due to a lack of an enforcement mechanism.
It wasn’t until 1921 that spectacular arrests resulted from Dan Cranmer’s Christmas Day potlatch at Alert Bay. Forty-nine native participants were eventually convicted, and 26 were sent to jail in Vancouver.
In addition to criminalizing the potlatch, Ottawa also outlawed the Sundance and the Thirst Dance on the prairie, completing the axis of evil triumvirate.
The police did not create nor inspire this legislation; their job was only to help enforce it.
Bob Burgel, Surrey
