The opposition of Christian missionaries caused the Canadian government to ban this practice from 1885 to 1951.  
The opposition of Christian missionaries caused the Canadian government to ban this practice from 1885 to 1951.  Marcel Mauss likened it to the pilou-pilou system of New Caledonia as an example of reciprocal moral economy in traditional societies. Young children who entered the system by distributing blankets were often charged rates of interest as high as one hundred percent.  The burning of candlefish oil, cutting of copper sheets, and smashing of canoes were among the rituals performed during these feasts, whose name derives from the Chinook Jargon for "to make a gift."  FTP, identify this custom observed by Franz Boas among the Kwakiutl.
The opposition of Christian missionaries caused the Canadian government to ban this practice from 1885 to 1951.  
potlatch