There is an unspoken understanding that gifts must be reciprocated. Gifts and sacrifices are a practice of almost any religion. Whether it is gifts to other people in the profane world or gifts to gods and other scared beings there is a cycle of giving and receiving. There are instances when gifts can be pure lacking the feeling of obligation to return ones favor or pass it along. Gifts have the ability to be pure within the animal world. In the animal world there is immanence, a focus on survival, and no need for religion. A pure gift is one given to someone without a feeling to receive something in return, and without the recipient feeling obligated to give back what they have received. Some may argue that a pure gift does not exist at all and that even within the animal world there are always reciprocals. They could use animality as being closer to the sacred world than the profane and show that the sacred have gifts as well.…show more content… In these societies it is tradition to give children to their aunts, and uncles to raise. Once the child is born they are given to the father’s sister, and brother-in-law which is the mothers brother. the mother gives birth she gives the newborn to her brothers family. In this society the gifts are the children and they carry a certain power called mana which can be spiritual, religious, or magical (Mauss, 8). Tonga is the term used interchangeably with the gift. The tonga can become poison, and destroy the receiver if they do not return favor to the giver (Mauss, 6). This is reciprocated and causes a circle of gift giving. A main part of gift giving is the obligation to give and to
