Anthropology
Event
Anthropology
Event
A Potlatch is a Northwest Coast Native American tradition; it's a feast, a party, hosted by an individual or a family to celebrate something as small as a birthday or as major as a claim for the office of chief. At a Potlatch, the host(s) provide food and entertainment, and send the guests home with gifts; in return hosts gain prestige, perhaps enough to validate a claim for rank or office.
Indiana University Northwest will be having a Potlatch on Wednesday Sept 13 from 3 to 5 pm in the Savanna Center Lobby; while the name may be AmerIndian and the timing suggested by the ripening of our Native garden on campus, the theme will be food and cultures of the entire world. The hosts will be volunteers who will each prepare an ethnic dish and stand by it, serving and conversing about food and culture. There will also be some background music of ethnic origin and perhaps some vendors. We invite all students, faculty, staff, and the greater community and public to be guests. There is no charge; call 219-980-6607 for more information.
Would you like to be a host?
We hope to have from 30 to 50 dishes. We would ask that you provide enough
food for at least a dozen people to sample (perhaps at least six full portions);
please email me with the name of the dish and general type (dessert, etc.),
and any other info, like ethnic origin, that you want me to include on
the sign for that table. It doesn't have to be expensive; a side
dish, a bread, a sauce with something to dip, some vegetables or even just
a single native vegetable to taste are some suggestions. We will
have some outlets for crock pots, etc. What will you gain?
Prestige for yourself and for IUN, and many thanks.
So far for gifts we only
have some IUN key chains, so we may not be able to emphasize that part.
We would also like some
volunteers to make music; one person has already signed on to sing a few
Irish folk
songs, and we ask for more.
The event is sponsored by
the IUN Department of Sociology and Anthropology, with Bob Mucci and Chuck
Gallmeier as coordinators,
and the IUN Diversity Programming Group -- who will be providing the plates,
plastic ware, and soda
pop. As you can tell by this note we are not too sure what we are
doing yet, so all help, comments, advice, and suggestions are welcome.
We would also welcome suggestions about vendors.
Click for campus MAP
For more events, visit the IUN Anthropology Home Page
