Potlatch

The oldest continuous civilisations on earth are the North west native people of North America, going back with oral tradition even before Egypt.

Because of abundant salmon and forests, they never had to scrape for a living and had plenty of time for arts and culture.

Like our culture they were rich in material goods, and had a problem of a wealth gap that would widen and widen. They devised a ceremonial way of dealing with it. To gain status, a rich family would hold a potlatch, a big feast at which they would give away wealth. This closed the wealth gap, and provided status at the same time.

Bush crime family lost/embezzled $3 trillion from Pentagon. Complicit Bush-friendly media keeps mum.

so... the first commies were the Natives?

or quoted :

No, communists would be people who held their property in common. The natives had a wealth hierarchy just like today. It is just they had a mechanism for keeping the wealth gap stable.

Bush crime family lost/embezzled $3 trillion from Pentagon. Complicit Bush-friendly media keeps mum.

Roedy, these Potlatch's were given in celebration, like a birthday, wedding. Abundance of salmon and forests? What about the Plains Indians? Do more reading, Roedy, as you are once again confused.

Now the Cannibal Society, that was a different thing.

By taking from those with, to give to those without. Sounds like a commie to me!

Seriously, with your example, though they 'gave' away wealth, they gained status. So, they bought status by giving away wealth? Kinda like Gates right now with his foundation?

Before you can give away material things, you have to be able to earn those things. And that is my personal issue with big gov'mnt, socialists, liberals (the reality of those who call themselves liberal...not the definition of the word). They don't want anyone to get a chance at gaining.

If memory serves, the plains indians were somewhat less than peace loving, agrarian , grass hugging, people of the earth. The seemed to spend most of their time warring on each other until a common enemy arrived.

Jim E

Yes. It was sustainable. Ours is not. For my personal comfort clearly what we have is preferable, but thinking about the long term survival of my species, I think the natives had it together much better than we do.

Bush crime family lost/embezzled $3 trillion from Pentagon. Complicit Bush-friendly media keeps mum.

Bush crime family lost/embezzled $3 trillion from Pentagon. Complicit Bush-friendly media keeps mum.

Bush crime family lost/embezzled $3 trillion from Pentagon. Complicit Bush-friendly media keeps mum.

Sounds like good politics to me. History of full of the rich exploiting the poor to the point of desperation and revolution (when the cycle begins again).