I very much enjoyed reading your essay. I think you brought up some very interesting points that I did not think of.
"These tribes were not just hosting for fun as we may do now, but they were competing with each other to see who could give the most extravagant gifts that would be appreciated by those whom they were gifting them to."
This is very interesting because I think we still do this today. I love giving gifts, but I hate receiving them. I enjoy seeing pure joy on people's faces when they open a gift that will enjoy. Like the tribes, I am always trying to give something extravagant. However, unlike them, i tend to try and outdo myself. I like to one up gifts i've given in past years. I think it is interesting that the Native Americans had feasts and parties often that are similar to what we would consider Christmas. You also mentioned that the Native Americans expected the favor to be returned. Muck like Christmas in America. It is customary to exchange gifts with someone who also bought a gift for you. It is very different from say a birthday. Where one person receives gifts without the expectation of returning the favor. However, you also mentioned
"return the favor with even more valuable gifts and feasts that they would in turn be invited to."
This is something that I thought was very interesting. It seems to me that they would host these feasts to give gifts, but more so to receive even better ones.
I agree with your statement that it is much different nowadays then it was then. You stated that the rich get richer due to people below them struggling. I do believe that this is true to some degree. Some rich people definitely have gained more money because of the struggles of others. However, many people become rich because of their own hard work. Steve Jobs, Ralph Lauren, and even Oprah Winfrey started out with nothing and become rich because of their talents and drive. Like you said though, that is not the case for everyone. And I did sort of feel like the author was trying to make us believe a certain thing as well.
Overall, I think you did a great job writing this and I enjoyed it. This weeks reading was very interesting to me as well. It is very cool to see how some things in our society change over time and how culture, government, economy, and capitalism affect traditions over time.