Coast Salish Concepts of Exchange

As discussed in the post, "Coast Salish Economy of Exchange", Dara Kelly invokes the metaphor of a whirlpool to explain the dynamic nature of her research, the Coast Salish economy in context of the economy of exploitation, and finally, the main components of exchange in Coast Salish gatherings.

This post will describe the 4 central concepts of exchange illustrated in the picture below.

Lhít’es, “the give-away”, generosity, gifts and gifting

Lhít’es is described as the giveaway that happens at the end of the ceremony and is essential in nurturing affective exchange relationships. Giving gifts is a way to express thanks for the work done at gatherings and represents the importance of redistributing wealth and preserving individuals' connections to their community and land. For example, fish are gifted by the Coast Salish people with fishing rights as a way to share their wealth with those who do not have fishing rights.

Léwlets, “debt”

In the Coast Salish tradition, debt is thought of a lot differently when compared to the western understanding of the word. Debt can span generations, as there is no expectation of immediate repayment. As explained by Kelly, debt is understood as a sign of social embeddedness and connectedness which assists in the creation and reinforcement of relationships. Further, taking on debt is seen as a way to create reciprocity within Coast Salish society, as the debtor or their family will inevitably become the debtee and continue on the responsibilities owed in contributing to the pool of resources for others to use as well.

Xets’ét, xíts’et, “to store away something for winter”; Saving

Saving is indirectly linked to exchange activity, as it is essential for all that eventually goes into the gathering economy, such as food, material goods and money. Saving can span months to years prior to a gathering taking place and is ultimately for redistributing the wealth among those in the gathering network. As explained further by Kelly, to be wealthy one must give wealth away, which is facilitated through long-term saving.

Tale’áwtxw, “money house”, banking, insurance

Lastly, banking is described as a kind of spiritual and social exchange in which individuals invest resources into others long-term for the wellbeing of the collective. Though the concept is similar to debt, banking is more aligned with strategic generosity.

There is no expectation of reciprocity, but there are assurances between families that operate as each other's banks to support one another when events such as birth, death, marriages, and strategic relationships occur. Interestingly, money is not the only way to exchange value, but affective measures such as care and affection are also seen to be forms of value. Recovering the money is not imbued in interest rates and set payments, but simply through what the families are are able to give at a certain time.