[3] There were many different reasons to hold a potlatch in Athabaskan culture, including the birth of a child, a surplus of food, or a death in the clan.
Because of the tight-knit manner of a group or clan, usually due to extended family ties,[3] the death of an elder, in particular, had a very large effect on the tribe.
The corpse would first be dressed by the women of the clan and be prepared, while the mobilizing and putting together of the funeral would be taken care of by the closest male relative of the deceased.
[4] Modern potlatches still contain many of the traditional aspects of sharing food, giving gifts, singing, dancing and telling stories, but now the purpose has changed.
Most modern potlatches can be held for similar reasons, such as a birth or a death, but now they are no longer so much a show of wealth, but a celebration to keep the tradition alive.
[4] In addition to moose meat, many other types of wild food are harvested or donated, such as beaver, duck, salmon, and berries.
The traditional wild food is supplemented by store-bought items, most notably black loose leaf tea, which was introduced to the Athabaskan by traders in the 1800s[4] and remains a staple among present day potlatches.
Unlike many cultures that have changed their mourning over the course of many generations, the Athabaskan people have stayed strong and true to the old ways of song and dance.
Valuable trade items, traditionally dentalium shells, now largely replaced by rifles, blankets, cash, and beaded items, are collected by the host from members of their mother's moiety and are redistributed by the host to members of his father's moiety in exchange for their contributions of celebration and participation in the potlatch.
For instance, an exceptional dancer might be rewarded for her abilities, and likewise a grave digger or pallbearer would be compensated at a funeral potlatch.
By distributing guns and blankets to the assembled guests, the host demonstrates his relationship to and his feelings for his paternal relatives and potential marriage partners.
Through these distributions the host gains prestige as he symbolically ensures his guests' existence by giving them guns to hunt with and blankets to keep them warm.
[4] Beaded items are also commonly given as gifts at potlatches, including necklaces, moccasins, gloves, vests, and gun cases.
Beads, like the dentalium they have come to replace, are symbolic of social relations that, when expressed in the form of necklaces or sashes, literally surround or embrace the individual.
Other gifts might include furs, afghans, quilts, moose hide jackets, calico, snowshoes, gloves, hats, coffeepots, enameled plates, snow shovels, suitcases, frying pans and many others both practical and symbolic.