Unlike other tribes across the country, the
Pacific Northwest Coastal Indians never developed democracy. That made
them different. Instead, they ruled by wealth.
The clan with the most wealth had the most power.
They set great store by wealth, family connections, and slave
ownership. They took social climbing to a new level.
One of the ways you gained great respect was by
giving things away. If someone gave you one blanket, you gave
them two or three blankets. Such generosity made a man famous.