Lesson Concept:
This lesson helps students to experience how a potlatch might proceed. If possible, enlist the help of members of the Aboriginal community with this project.

Learning Outcome:
It is expected that students will organize information into a presentation with a main idea and supporting details.

Lesson Plan:
First, choose a group of students to represent the family of the host, and a student to be the host of the potlatch. This student can visit Potlatch: Then and Now and build a copper in the Copper Game, and choose another student to award the copper to – this will be the purpose of the potlatch.

Assign specific responsibilities to groups of students: create the copper to transfer, create invitations, create or obtain gifts for each person attending, design ceremonial aspects (create regalia and masks, create dances), arrange entertainment, create a seating arrangement for guests (a more complete list can be made from the events listed below).

The following are notes on some of the activities, the order of some activities and how they are traditionally carried out during a potlatch. This information can be modified to suit classroom needs (ie. new dances must be created):

• seating is in order of importance, with the host’s family or tribe sitting on the left hand side, toward the back of the room
• welcoming address by the speaker (the host does not speak during a potlatch)
• mourning ceremony/dance – ladies dance
• transfer or sale of copper
• the feast
• food or feast songs are sung after people have eaten
• red cedar bark ceremony
• pass out cedar bark to guests
• speeches are made while gifts are brought onto the floor
• gifts are distributed as guests leave