An Iron Hand upon the People: The Law Against the Potlatch on the Northwest Coast

by Douglas Cole

In 1885 the Canadian government outlawed the potlatch, a ceremony central to the cultures of many Northwest Coast Indians. This timely and important book traces the history of the antipotlatch law, the government's attempts to enforce it, and the widespread Native opposition to the repressive legislation, shedding new light on a crucial chapter in the history of North American Native peoples.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[oceania · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this for a class, which was of course a total wash in the end. but at least i’ll get a goodreads rating out of it! overall a good primer on anti-potlatch law, but it really does feel outdated in so many ways. could’ve done with more of a critical lens on how indigenous groups of the northwest coast were portrayed and spoken about by white settler governments, especially re: residential/industrial schools being a “civilising force”. decent anthropological read.