Strings Attached

It's remarkable how many meanings a simple gift can take on. I've never liked the system myself, my parents chose not to emphasize birthdays or holidays so gifts were never really an issue. The concept of reciprocity is near universal though, and I enjoyed reading about the various gift giving conventions in other societies, particularly the Kwakiutl substitute for warfare. It's sad that people can use gifts to manipulate and put down one another, but it is certainly a better alternative to bloodshed. I really liked the concept of Hxaro, since it did not seem to be time dependent. It was more of a "when you can" style, which I suppose would remove a lot of the pressure and social tension that forced reciprocity can cause. I had never really considered how much of a vested interest the giver can have in their gift, but now that I do I feel like I will be looking for outside motivations on every gift I receive. What really struck me though was how so many of the groups from such different areas and societies had much the same values pertaining to gifts, it makes me wonder if there was something in our shared history that made this type of reciprocal style more beneficial than another.