Origins Epistemologies Slides Origins and Epistemologies
Beringia vs. Creation Stories
Native Peoples of North America | Lesson 1
The Historiographical Challenge
"How do we reconcile archaeological data, environmental records, and oral histories to reconstruct the complexity of pre-contact societies?"
Key Themes for Today:
Epistemology: How do we know what we know?
The Bering Land Bridge (Beringia) Paradigm
Indigenous Ontology and Creation Narratives
The Political Stakes of "First Arrival"
The Land Bridge Theory
Standard Archaeological Model:
Timeline: Approx. 15,000–20,000 years ago.
Mechanism: Glacial maximum lowers sea levels, exposing Beringia.
Evidence: Clovis points, genetic haplogroups (mtDNA), stratigraphic dating.
Critique: Often ignores pre-Clovis sites (Monte Verde, etc.) and implies "recent" arrival.
Migration route across the Bering Strait
Creation as Presence
Indigenous oral traditions often recount origins as emerging from the land itself (autochthony) or through celestial intervention, rather than migration from another continent.
Key Concepts:
Circular time vs. Linear Western time.
Relationships with land as legal and spiritual title.
Truth as "lived experience" vs. "measurable data."
"We have always been here. Our stories do not speak of crossing a bridge of ice; they speak of the earth being built upon the back of a turtle."
Why does the date matter?
Sovereignty
If Indigenous peoples are "migrants," how does that affect claims to land title under colonial law?
Authority
Who has the right to tell the history of the Americas? The scientist or the elder?
NAGPRA
Archaeological dating directly impacts the repatriation of ancestral remains.
Synthesis Task
Can both the Beringia theory and Indigenous creation stories be "historically true" at the same time? How do we define "truth" in a multi-disciplinary classroom?
Break into small groups for the Reading Analysis
Origins Reading Analysis Worksheet Origins Historiography
Case Study Analysis | History 301
Name: ____________________________________
Date: _____________________________________
Objective: Analyze the epistemological tensions between Western archaeological methodologies and Indigenous oral traditions. Evaluate how the framing of "origins" impacts historical authority and political sovereignty.
Document A: The Bering Strait Paradigm
Source: Excerpt from "The Peopling of the Americas," Academic Journal of Archaeology, 2022.
"Recent genomic evidence from the Anzick-1 burial site confirms a massive genetic bottleneck occurring approximately 16,000 years ago. This data supports the 'Beringian Standstill' model, suggesting that populations from East Asia resided in the land bridge region for several millennia before migrating south through the ice-free corridor or along the Pacific coastal route. Archaeological sites like Clovis and Meadowcroft provide the stratigraphic confirmation necessary to place human arrival in the late Pleistocene. Without peer-reviewed, empirically verifiable data, claims of earlier presence remain speculative within the established scientific record."
Document B: Anishinaabe Creation Narrative
Source: Transcription of oral history as recounted by Elder Edward Benton-Banai, The Mishomis Book.
"When the Earth was young, it had a family. The Moon is called Grandmother and the Sun is called Grandfather. The Earth is said to be a woman... First Man was the last part of creation to be placed on Earth. As he took his first steps, he was told to name all the things in the world. He traveled the whole of this island, which we call Turtle Island. The spirits taught him that he was part of the land, not a master over it. Our history begins here, where the water meets the sky, and we have been the keepers of this place since the first breath was given to man."
Analysis Questions
1. Methodological Comparison:
What constitutes "evidence" in Document A? How does this differ from the source of "truth" presented in Document B?
2. Temporal Framing:
How does each document treat the concept of time (linear vs. relational/circular)? How does this affect their respective claims to "origins"?
3. Critical Synthesis:
Historian Vine Deloria Jr. argued that the Bering Strait theory was a "political tool" to make Indigenous peoples "just another group of immigrants." Based on these documents, how might "Document A" be used to undermine the ancestral claims found in "Document B"?
4. Epistemological Reconciliation:
Can a historian use both types of evidence simultaneously without compromising the integrity of either? Why or why not?
Origins Facilitation Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide
Lesson 1: Epistemologies of Origin
Pedagogical Goal
To move students from a binary view of "Science vs. Myth" toward a critical understanding of how different knowledge systems (epistemologies) function and the power dynamics that privilege one over the other in academic history.
Key Discussion Prompts
1. The "Immigrant" Label
"If we label Indigenous peoples as 'migrants' who arrived 15,000 years ago, how does that subconsciously align them with later European settlers in the legal and moral imagination of the U.S.?"
2. Standards of Evidence
"Archaeology requires physical remains. Oral history requires community continuity. Why is a carbon-dated bone often treated as more 'real' than a story passed down through 500 generations?"
3. The Burden of Proof
"Why are Indigenous nations forced to use archaeological data to prove their ancestral connection to the land in court, rather than the court accepting their own historical records?"
Common Misconceptions
"Oral tradition is just a game of telephone." "Science is objective; Stories are subjective."
Instructional Strategies
01
The Hook (10 min)
Present the "Kennewick Man" (Ancient One) controversy. Ask students: "Who should have the final say on what happens to 9,000-year-old remains: the scientists who want to study them or the tribes who claim him as an ancestor?"
02
Comparative Work (20 min)
Use the Origins Reading Analysis Worksheet. Have students work in pairs to identify "trigger words" in each text (e.g., "verifiable," "confirmed" vs. "sacred," "belonging").
03
Synthesis Circle (15 min)
Conclude with the "Two Row Wampum" concept: two knowledge systems traveling in parallel down the same river, neither interfering with the other, yet acknowledging each other's validity.
Suggested Reading: Deloria, V., Jr. (1995). *Red Earth, White Lies: Native Americans and the Myth of Scientific Fact.* | Echo-Hawk, R. C. (2000). *Ancient History in the New World: Integrating Oral Traditions and the Archaeological Record.*
Mississippian Urbanism Slides Mississippian Urbanism
The Grandeur of Cahokia
Native Peoples of North America | Lesson 2
The "Pristine Wilderness" Myth
The common narrative suggests North America was a sparsely populated, untouched wilderness.
Cahokia (c. 1050 CE) had a population of 10,000–20,000—larger than London at the time.
Cahokia was the largest urban center north of Mexico until the 18th century.
Mound Engineering
Monks Mound
100 feet tall, covering 14 acres. Built using 22 million cubic feet of earth moved by hand in baskets.
Woodhenge
A solar calendar made of cedar posts used to track solstices and equinoxes for agricultural and ritual timing.
The Grand Plaza
A 40-acre leveled precinct for public ritual, games (Chunkey), and political assembly.
Hierarchy & Power
Cahokia was a highly stratified society led by a divine ruler known as the "Great Sun."
Elite residential mounds vs. commoner dwellings.
Control over exotic trade goods (copper, marine shells).
Institutionalized religion centered on the "Upper World" and "Under World."
Mound 72 Evidence
Excavations revealed:
A man buried on a bed of 20,000 shell beads.
Mass burials indicating human sacrifice.
Evidence of extreme social inequality within an urban grid.
What Happened?
By 1350 CE, Cahokia was largely abandoned. Modern theories move away from "mysterious disappearance" to complex causality:
Little Ice Age: Shifting climates disrupted maize agriculture.
Ecological Stress: Deforestation and localized flooding.
Social Conflict: Possible warfare or internal revolt against the elite.
The Legacy:
The decline of Cahokia led to a decentralized Mississippian world—the ancestors of the Muscogee, Choctaw, and Natchez peoples encountered by later Europeans.
Cahokia Mapping Worksheet Spatial Analysis: Cahokia
Mississippian Urban Design | Site Study 102
Name: ____________________________________
Date: _____________________________________
MONKS MOUND (Divine Precinct)
GRAND PLAZA (40 Acres)
Mound 72
Residential Cluster
Woodhenge
Simplified Schematic: Central Precinct (c. 1100 CE)
1. Hierarchy & Distance:
Note the position of Monks Mound relative to the Grand Plaza and the residential clusters. How does this spatial arrangement reinforce the social hierarchy of the "Great Sun"?
2. Public vs. Private Space:
The Grand Plaza was used for games like *Chunkey* and mass rituals. Why would a city of 15,000 people devote such significant real estate to an empty plaza?
3. Science & Governance:
How does the inclusion of 'Woodhenge' suggest that the Mississippian leadership used scientific/astronomical knowledge to maintain political authority?
4. Urban Complexity:
Evaluate the "Mound 72" placement. It is distant from the central Monks Mound but contains massive wealth. What might this suggest about secondary elites or distinct clans?
Terminology Check: "Chunkey" — A game where players throw spears at a rolling stone disk. It was used to resolve disputes, facilitate trade, and redistribute wealth under the watchful eyes of the elite on the mounds.
Mississippian Urbanism Teacher Notes Historical Context Brief
Lesson 2: Mississippian Urbanism
Subject Summary
Cahokia represents the pinnacle of ancient North American urbanism. Understanding its rise and fall is essential to dismantling myths of "pre-civilized" Indigenous societies and recognizing the deep history of urban planning, environmental engineering, and political centralism on the continent.
Term / Concept Historical Significance Mississippian Interaction Sphere A vast trade network spanning from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, facilitating the movement of copper, marine shells, and obsidian, along with religious motifs and corn (maize) agriculture. Corn (Maize) Revolution The adoption of flint corn around 900 CE provided the high-calorie surplus necessary to support high-density urban populations and specialized labor (priests, engineers, artisans). Southeastern Ceremonial Complex A shared set of religious icons (birdmen, eye-in-hand) that unified diverse linguistic groups across the Mississippian world under a common cosmological framework. The "Shatter Zone" The period of decentralization and warfare that followed the decline of Cahokia, leading to the formation of the larger ethnic confederacies encountered by Europeans (e.g., the Creek Confederacy).
The "Disappearance" Fallacy
Archaeologists long described Cahokia’s decline as a "mysterious disappearance." This framing ignores the persistence of descendant communities. Cahokians didn't "vanish"—they migrated and reorganized. The centralized state model was rejected in favor of more decentralized, resilient social structures that were better suited to a cooling climate (the Little Ice Age).
Archaeological Bias
Early 19th-century "scientists" attributed the mounds to a "lost race" of non-Indigenous people, refusing to believe Native Americans were capable of such engineering. This history of "Moundbuilder Myths" is a vital lesson in how historiography has been used to justify land dispossession.
Classroom Facilitation
Emphasize Scale: Use the London comparison. Students often struggle to visualize pre-contact America as anything other than forest. Mention that Monks Mound’s footprint is larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Debate the Decline: Ask students to evaluate which factor (Climate, Disease, or Social Unrest) they find most compelling based on the lack of written records. This forces them to think like archaeological detectives.
References: Pauketat, T. R. (2009). *Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi.* | Mann, C. C. (2005). *1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.*
Southwest Adaptations Slides Arid Adaptations
The Chaco Phenomenon
Native Peoples of North America | Lesson 3
The High Desert Challenge
The Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) engineered a civilization in the San Juan Basin—a region with minimal rainfall and extreme temperature swings.
Key Constraint: Water.
Every drop of monsoon rain was a political and survival necessity.
Architectural Sophistication
Pueblo Bonito
D-shaped Great House with over 600 rooms. Multi-story masonry that wouldn't be surpassed in the U.S. until the 1880s.
The Great Kivas
Massive subterranean ceremonial chambers (e.g., Casa Rinconada). Perfectly aligned with cardinal directions and solar events.
T-Shaped Doors
Iconic architectural markers found throughout the Chacoan sphere, suggesting a shared ritual or social identity.
Connectivity & Trade
Chaco was not an isolated valley; it was the center of a regional system connected by 400 miles of engineered roads.
Exotic Trade Goods:
Turquoise: Processed in Chaco, traded as far as Mesoamerica.
Macaws & Cacao: Evidence of deep trade links with the Toltec/Maya spheres.
Marine Shells: From the Gulf of California.
"The roads do not follow the path of least resistance. They run in straight lines across canyons, implying they were as much ritual 'processional ways' as trade routes."
Reframing the "End" of Chaco
Standard narrative: They over-farmed and "collapsed" during a drought.
Collapse Narrative
Suggests failure, environmental mismanagement, and a "lost" people. Implies a static society that couldn't handle change.
Resilience Narrative
Ancestral Puebloan oral histories speak of "Migration" as a planned spiritual and social strategy. They moved to Mesa Verde, Acoma, and the Rio Grande.
"We did not leave because we failed. We left because it was time to move to the next place."
Chaco Case Study Worksheet Case Study: The Chacoan System
Environmental Archaeology | Module 3.1
Name: ____________________________________
Date: _____________________________________
Climate Profile
Annual Rainfall: 8–10 inches
Growing Season: 120–150 days
Soil Type: Alkaline, high salinity
Timber Source: Chuska Mountains (50 miles away)
Architectural Inventory: Pueblo Bonito
Pueblo Bonito required an estimated 200,000 timber beams for its ceilings. Since there are no forests in Chaco Canyon, every beam was hand-carried from 50 miles away. The masonry consists of over 1 million pieces of hand-cut sandstone.
Part 1: Network Analysis
Archaeologists have found scarlet macaw feathers and chocolate (cacao) residue in Chacoan pottery. Both items are native to tropical rainforests over 1,200 miles south in modern-day Mexico.
1. Infrastructure & Intent:
Chacoan roads are often 30 feet wide and perfectly straight, even when they hit cliffs. Given that the Puebloans did not have wheeled vehicles or pack animals, why build roads of this scale and precision?
Part 2: Hydraulic Engineering
2. Runoff Strategies:
The Puebloans built masonry dams to catch rainfall on the canyon rims and divert it through stone-lined canals to fields on the canyon floor. How does this level of cooperation suggest a centralized rather than autonomous social structure?
3. Resilience vs. Fragility:
During the "Great Drought" of 1130–1180 CE, rainfall dropped below 5 inches annually. Using the "Resilience Narrative" (Migration) from the lecture, explain how "leaving" Chaco could be viewed as a success of Indigenous survival strategy rather than a failure of civilization.
Final Analysis Task:
"Chaco Canyon was not a place where people lived, but a place where people gathered." Evaluate this statement based on the lack of hearths/burials for a permanent population vs. the massive storage for trade goods.
Southwest Adaptations Teacher Notes Historiographical Brief
Lesson 3: Southwest Adaptations
Subject Summary
The "Collapse" of Chaco Canyon is one of the most persistent tropes in North American archaeology. This lesson shifts the focus from "failure" to "relocation," using environmental data and oral history to highlight Indigenous resilience and strategic migration.
The "Collapse" Debate
Narrative A: The Malthusian Collapse
Popularized by authors like Jared Diamond, this view argues that the Ancestral Puebloans "destroyed their environment" through deforestation and over-irrigation. In this framing, the 1130 CE drought was the "final straw" for a fragile, unsustainable system.
Critique: This narrative often relies on the "Ecological Indian" stereotype—the idea that Indigenous people were "noble savages" until they "failed" to be environmentalists.
Narrative B: The Migration Strategy
Supported by Hopi and Zuni oral traditions, this view argues that Chaco was always meant to be temporary—a ritual center for a specific spiritual era. Migration is seen as a solution, not a failure. They didn't "disappear"; they moved to better-watered regions (Mesa Verde, Rio Grande).
Critique: Modern archaeologists now see evidence of a planned, ritual "closing" of Chacoan buildings, supporting this view.
Facilitation Prompts
1
"Why is the word 'Collapse' so popular in history textbooks compared to the word 'Migration'? What does each word imply about the people being studied?"
2
"If Chaco Canyon was primarily a religious/ceremonial site rather than a residential city (as suggested by the lack of burials), how does that change our evaluation of why people left?"
3
"The Puebloans carried 200,000 logs 50 miles without horses. Does this suggest a 'fragile' society or one with incredible logistical and social discipline?"
References: Diamond, J. (2005). *Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.* vs. Lekson, S. H. (2015). *The Chaco Meridian: One Thousand Years of Political and Religious Power in the Ancient Southwest.*
Haudenosaunee Governance Slides The Great Law of Peace
Haudenosaunee Governance
Native Peoples of North America | Lesson 4
A Union of Five Nations
The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy was formed to end inter-tribal warfare through a sophisticated system of federalism.
Original Five Nations:
The Hiawatha Belt
Symbolizes the Great Tree of Peace and the unity of the nations under one law.
Matrilineal Authority
While the Chiefs (Hoyaneh) were men, they were selected and removed by the Clan Mothers.
Vetting Power: Clan Mothers monitored the behavior and ethics of the leaders.
De-horning: The ritual removal of a Chief who violated the Great Law.
Property Rights: Women held title to the land and the longhouses.
"Power is not held; it is granted by the mothers for the benefit of the seventh generation."
— Haudenosaunee Principle
The Great Council
Consensus-Based
Decisions required the unanimous agreement of all nations. If consensus wasn't reached, the status quo remained.
Dual Councils
Matters were debated by the "Elder Brothers" (Mohawk, Seneca) and "Younger Brothers" (Oneida, Cayuga).
The Firekeepers
The Onondaga acted as the mediators and tie-breakers, keeping the central council fire.
Indigeneity & The U.S. Constitution
Historians debate the extent to which the Great Law influenced the Founding Fathers (Franklin, Jefferson).
Evidence of Influence:
Ben Franklin's 1754 Albany Plan of Union mentions the Iroquois Confederacy as a model.
Concepts of federalism (state power vs. central power).
Senate Concurrent Resolution 331 (1988) officially acknowledges the influence.
Key Distinctions:
The Great Law differs from the U.S. Constitution in critical ways:
• Consensus vs. Majority Rule
• Matrilineal vs. Patriarchal
• 7th Generation vs. Immediate Term Interests
Haudenosaunee Constitution Analysis Worksheet Analysis: Gayanashagowa
The Great Law of Peace | Political Science 402
Name: ____________________________________
Date: _____________________________________
Excerpt 1: The Great Tree of Peace
"I am Dekanawidah and with the Five Nations' Confederate Lords I plant the Tree of the Great Peace... Roots have spread out from the Tree of the Great Peace, one to the north, one to the east, one to the south and one to the west. The name of these roots is The Great White Roots and their nature is Peace and Strength. If any man or any nation outside of the Five Nations shall obey the laws of the Great Peace and make known their disposition... they may trace the Roots to the Tree and if their minds are clean and they are obedient... they shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves."
1. Political Inclusivity:
Unlike many contemporaneous European systems that defined citizenship through blood or race, how does the Great Law define the path for outside nations to join the Confederacy? What is the primary requirement for "naturalization"?
Excerpt 2: The Rights of the People
"The women of every clan shall have a Council Fire and shall have the right to nominate the Confederate Lord of their clan... When a Confederate Lord is to be installed, the women of his clan shall have the right to accept or reject the candidate. If the Lord should commit a trespass... the women of his clan shall meet and decide upon his removal. They shall say: 'You have done wrong and have disregarded the welfare of the people... we now take back the authority we gave you.'"
2. Checks and Balances:
Compare this system of "impeachment" to the U.S. federal model. Who holds the ultimate sovereignty over the leaders in the Haudenosaunee system? Why is this distinction significant?
3. Matrilineal Authority:
The 18th-century European legal concept of *coverture* stated that women had no legal identity separate from their husbands. How does the Great Law of Peace challenge the European "civilizational" hierarchy of that era?
The "Seventh Generation" Principle:
The Great Law mandates that every decision made by the Council must consider the impact on descendants seven generations into the future. How would modern governance change if this were a constitutional requirement today?
Haudenosaunee Governance Teacher Guide Comparative Government Guide
Lesson 4: Haudenosaunee Governance
Instructional Core
This lesson uses the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to challenge the Eurocentric timeline of democracy. Students should recognize that a fully functioning federalist democracy existed in North America centuries before the U.S. Constitution, and that it included rights (like women’s suffrage and property rights) that Europeans would not adopt for centuries.
Constitutional Comparison
Feature Haudenosaunee Great Law U.S. Constitution (1787) Gender & Power Matrilineal. Women (Clan Mothers) nominate/remove leaders. Patriarchal. Women have no vote or property rights. Decision Making Consensus (Unanimity). Protects the minority from the majority. Majority Rule (or Super-majority). Minority rights are a secondary check. Citizenship Inclusive. Any individual or nation can "seek shelter" under the Tree. Exclusive. Defined against enslaved persons and Indigenous "Others."
The "Influence" Debate
When teaching the "Influence" debate, avoid a simple "Yes/No" binary. Instead, ask: "Why does it feel threatening to some historians to acknowledge that the U.S. Founders learned from Indigenous governance?"
Focus on the "Albany Plan of Union" (1754). Ben Franklin explicitly wrote: "It would be a very strange Thing, if six Nations of ignorant Savages should be capable of forming a Scheme for such an Union... and yet that a like Union should be impracticable for ten or a Dozen English Colonies." (Note: The term "ignorant savages" reflects Franklin's own bias, even as he admired the system).
Key Question for Students
"If the U.S. Constitution was influenced by the Haudenosaunee, why did the Founders leave out the power of the Clan Mothers? What does that choice tell us about the 'Democracy' they were building?"
References: Wagner, S. R. (2001). *Sisters in Spirit: Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Influence on Early American Feminists.* | Johansen, B. E. (1982). *Forgotten Founders: How the American Indian Helped Shape Democracy.*
Potlatch Economics Slides The Wealth of Giving
The Pacific Northwest Potlatch
Native Peoples of North America | Lesson 5
A Land of Abundance
In the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest (Haida, Tlingit, Kwakwaka'wakw), the environment provided a surplus of salmon, cedar, and oil.
Surplus leads to complexity.
Coastal societies developed rigid social ranks based on lineage and wealth.
The Economic Core
The Ceremony
A complex feast involving the naming of heirs, the raising of totem poles, and the massive distribution of property.
Status through Loss
A leader's rank was not determined by what they owned , but by what they gave away or even destroyed.
Legal Record
The guests acted as witnesses. By accepting a gift, they validated the host's claim to a title or right.
Gift Economy vs. Accumulation
The Potlatch functioned as a massive mechanism for wealth redistribution.
Ensured that no single family could hoard resources while others went hungry.
Created deep social obligations: "To receive is to owe."
"Wealth is like the tide; it must go out before it can come back in."
— Haida Proverb
Colonial Fear of the Gift
Canadian officials viewed the Potlatch as "wasteful," "anti-Christian," and "dangerous to capitalism."
The Ban (1885–1951):
The ceremony was criminalized. Masks and regalia were confiscated and sold to museums. Potlatchers were jailed.
Why was it a threat?
If status comes from giving, people cannot be forced into low-wage labor to accumulate "stuff." The Potlatch was an economic resistance to the colonial market.
Today: The Potlatch has been revitalized, serving as a core of cultural and political sovereignty.
Potlatch Economics Worksheet Economic Philosophies
Gift Economies vs. Capital Accumulation | Anthropology 305
Name: ____________________________________
Date: _____________________________________
Concept Market Capitalism Potlatch (Gift Economy) Definition of Wealth Total assets minus liabilities. What one keeps and accumulates. Total resources distributed to others. What one gives away. Source of Status Luxury consumption and the display of ownership. Generosity and the capacity to feed/clothe the community. Social Obligation Individualistic; success is personal merit. Relational; the host "buys" social standing and loyal witnesses.
1. The "Investment" Logic:
In a capitalist system, we invest money to earn more money. In a Potlatch system, why might "investing" resources in other people (by giving them gifts) be considered a more stable form of long-term security in a volatile environment?
2. Criminalization Analysis:
The Canadian government banned the Potlatch in 1884, stating it "prevented the Indians from accumulating property." Based on your understanding of the "Sovereignty" slides, why was a community that refuses to accumulate property a threat to colonial expansion?
3. Modern Application:
Consider modern examples of "gift economies" (e.g., open-source software, Wikipedia, Little Free Libraries). How do these modern practices mirror the logic of the Potlatch? What "status" do contributors receive in return for their free labor/resources?
"A person who hoards wealth while their neighbors are poor is a person who has lost their mind; they have forgotten that we are all branches of the same tree." — Tlingit Elder Perspective
Potlatch Simulation Guide Simulation Guide
Lesson 5: Potlatch Economics
Simulation Goal
Students will participate in a simulated "Potlatch" to understand how status is generated through redistribution rather than accumulation, and how this system creates social safety nets and political alliances.
Materials Needed
Resource Tokens: (Beans, paperclips, or slips of paper) to represent "Wealth."
Status Points (SP): Tracked on the board or a shared sheet.
Role Cards: Dividing students into "Clan Heads" (hosts) and "Guests."
The Golden Rule
"In this game, your score is calculated by what you give away. If you end the game with tokens in your hand, they count as Negative Points."
Procedure (45 Minutes)
Phase 1: Accumulation (10 min)
Give students various "tasks" (puzzles, trivia, or simple math) to earn tokens. Some students should intentionally be given easier tasks to create a "surplus" of wealth.
Phase 2: The Feast (20 min)
"Clan Heads" must now distribute their tokens to "Guests."
Each gift must be accompanied by a "boast" or a reason for the gift (e.g., "I give this to honor the name of my ancestors").
Guests must accept the gift to validate the host's status. They gain 1 SP for accepting, but the Host gains 5 SP for every token given.
Phase 3: The Obligation (10 min)
In the next round, those who received gifts are now "indebted." They must give back tokens (plus "interest"—more tokens than they received) in a future round to maintain their own status.
Debriefing the Experience
Internal Dynamics:
"How did it feel to give away resources you worked hard to earn? Did it feel like 'winning' or 'losing'?"
Social Safety:
"If you had zero tokens at the start, how did the Potlatch ensure your survival? What did you 'pay' the host in return for the tokens?" (Answer: Recognition/Political Support).
Economic Subversion:
"Why would a colonial government find this system inefficient? How does it prevent the development of a permanent working class?"
Witnessing:
"In the Northwest Coast, oral history is validated by these ceremonies. How is a potlatch more effective than a written contract?"
Recommended Reading for Faculty: Mauss, M. (1925). *The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies.* | Cole, D., & Chaikin, I. (1990). *An Iron Hand Upon the People: The Law Against the Potlatch on the Northwest Coast.*
