All Yurok property is privately owned, including fishing, hunting, and other gathering grounds. Along a certain section of seacoast, one man might own the right to all the stranded whales, and another man the right to the flippers of all sea lions that are killed by hunters along that section. Also, a man might own property within the territory of another tribe. A Hupa family could own a rock on the Yurok coast area where they hunted clams, and a Yurok might own a seed-gathering area in Chilula territory. Sometimes different men would own a fishing place and one would use it one day, another the next, etc.

Ownership was complete and each man could sell his share whenever he wanted. An owner might transfer his share to a person who was a stranger or an enemy to his co-owner so that a piece of property might be co-owned by people with unfriendly relationships.

When acorns were plentiful, no one worried much about his 'rights' or 'other people's rights' to the trees. But when acorns were scarce, ownership of places became a very important matter. Also, if a man allowed another to fish at his place, the owner received most of the catch. If only one salmon was caught, the fisherman kept only the tail.

Among the Pacaas Novas, if you make something, it's yours; otherwise it's community property. This caused real problems when the missionary came and they began asking if he made his gun, his camera, etc.

Respect for property is very important to the Manus. One reason is that the spirits dwell over the wealth, and they hate economic slackness of any sort. They are constantly trying to make more money. Property is considered sacred, and they wail for lost property as for the dead.

If the Yuqui see a tree in the jungle with honey on it, they will 'claim' it by pointing broken twigs to it and no one else will touch it. Similarly, if a batch of cooking pots comes in on the plane, one guy will 'claim' the batch and no one else will buy them because they know who they 'belong' to.

One may buy land, but that doesn't mean that he owns the termite hills on the land. These hills are passed on from one generation to another and may be owned by people living several miles away. On the night after the first heavy downpour of the rainy season, the people in the villages scatter in every direction to gather termites at their own hills.

The things a Zuni man owns in his wife's house are a dance skirt, sash, a box of precious feathers for prayer sticks, and painted pots for prayer sticks. When his wife tires of him she moves his things out.

To the Ayore, the sign that something belongs to them is that it is right next to their other possessions. If an object is left any distance at all from the house it is anybody's possession. The one who picks it up owns it. This caused some difficulty when the missionaries moved in and began accusing the Indians of taking their things. They were just taking things that didn't belong to anyone!

The keeper of the king's umbilical cord, which is carefully preserved at birth, has status and prestige.

The Manus villagers are divided between lapan and lau. The lapan have rights the lau don't have. For instance, the lapan can hang shells from their canoe, house, or belt. They also have the right to string 100 dog's teeth instead of 50 on a string, build a house near one of the little islets and insult the lau in a quarrel.

Each family possesses some property which only its members can use. This property is usually agricultural, hunting, and fishing equipment, the family's field houses and rice storage bins, household goods, and maybe some jewelry. Individuals own clothing, machetes and war swords for the men, some jewelry; i.e. anything a person makes himself.

Almost every family possesses a unique strain of sacred rice which is the local home of the rice spirit. This sacred rice is used for the annual propitiative rituals that the family conducts to ensure the good will of the rice spirit. The family's well being depends on this. A few years after the marriage of a couple, when it appears that their marriage is stable, a special ceremony called a seed marriage is performed for them. Both families contribute small amounts of their own strains of sacred rice, and the two stocks are mixed together, producing a new and unique strain.

For the Hidatsa, membership and high position in one of the warrior societies is the most prized possession. It can only be acquired by buying membership and the rank.

During a woman's pregnancy, a Kenyah husband may not sell or give away any family possessions out of respect to the unborn child who should inherit those articles some day.

No one is allowed to take rice from the storage barns except the owners.