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> Native Americans of the Pacific coast who saw bountiful years more often than not also engaged in rituals of conspicuous consumption, typically by burning the
by mullingitover 5y ago
> Native Americans of the Pacific coast who saw bountiful years more often than not also engaged in rituals of conspicuous consumption, typically by burning the excess.
Burning Man definitely feels like white people 'discovering' potlatch. The actual burning of the man is mostly a hood ornament for the event. The festival itself and its culture revolve around creating a community and your rank in that community mainly comes from how much you give away. That's really the thing that keeps people coming back, not the fancy bonfire.
- throwaway984393 5y ago> and your rank in that community mainly comes from how much you give away really it's how much perceived value and social power you have, which is not necessarily related to gifting. you can have elevated rank if you run a theme camp, if you organize big art, if you're the head of a department, if you can get a lot of tickets, if you run a turn-key camp, or if people just really really like you. technically none of that implies gifting.