Potlatch Suppression and Legal Revival in British Columbia (1884–1951)

1. Indian Act amended to ban potlatch

   Apr 19, 1884Labels: Indian Act, Potlatch

   • Public Safety
   • Gladue DB
   • Knowl BC

2. Potlatch prohibition comes into legal force

   Jan 1, 1885Labels: Indian Act, Potlatch ban

   • U mista Potlatch
   • Potlatch Ban

3. Early prosecutions falter amid definitional ambiguity

   Jan 1, 1889Labels: Prosecutions, Legal ambiguity

   • Knowl BC
   • DCB

4. Indian Act amended to criminalize many gift-giving ceremonies

   Jan 1, 1895Labels: Indian Act, Gift-giving

   • Indian Act
   • OpenTextBC

5. McKenna–McBride Commission begins B.C. reserve hearings

   Jan 1, 1913Labels: McKenna McBride, Reserves

   • McKenna McBride
   • OpenTextBC

6. Indian Act restricts regalia at public events

   Jan 1, 1914Labels: Indian Act, Regalia restrictions

   • AFN Toolkit
   • OpenTextBC
   • Gladue DB

7. Allied Tribes of B.C. organize for land and rights

   Jan 1, 1916Labels: Allied Tribes, First Nations

   • UBCIC
   • Allied Tribes

8. Dan Cranmer hosts large potlatch at Village Island

   Dec 1, 1921Labels: Dan Cranmer, Village Island

   • U mista Society
   • KnowBC
   • Potlatch Ban

9. Police raid and mass arrests after Cranmer potlatch

   Dec 25, 1921Labels: Police raid, William Halliday

   • U mista Society
   • Potlatch Ban
   • KnowBC

10. Convictions lead to Oakalla Prison sentences

    Jan 1, 1922Labels: Oakalla Prison, Convictions

    • U mista Society
    • KnowBC

11. Potlatch regalia confiscated and dispersed to museums

    Jun 1, 1922Labels: Regalia, Museums

    • KnowBC
    • North Island

12. Indian Act amended to block fundraising for land claims

    Jan 1, 1927Labels: Indian Act, Fundraising ban

    • UBCIC
    • Allied Tribes
    • Indian Act

13. Revised Indian Act removes potlatch ban provisions

    Jan 1, 1951Labels: Indian Act, Repeal 1951

    • Potlatch Ban
    • OpenTextBC

14. Post-1951 cultural revival and repatriation efforts accelerate

    Feb 1, 1951Labels: Cultural revival, Repatriation

    • North Island
    • KnowBC