--- title: Gift Giving - How to Know if It Is Appropriate And/or Expected? description: When working with Indigenous communities, how do you know if gift-giving is appropriate or expected - read this article. image: https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/gift-pink-ribbon-unsplash_2000w.jpg --- 1 min read # Gift Giving - How to Know if It Is Appropriate And/or Expected? [ Bob Joseph ](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/author/bob-joseph) July 31, 2012 [Indigenous Relations](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/topic/indigenous-relations) [Tips](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/topic/tips) ![Gift Giving - How to Know if It Is Appropriate And/or Expected?](https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/gift-pink-ribbon-unsplash_2000w.jpg) I was delivering [onsite training](https://www.ictinc.ca/training) for a really important client the other day and at the end of the day the client stood me up in front of the class and presented me with a very nice gift. I was really happy of course to receive the gift, but it reminded me that I should talk about this with the group as gift-giving is not always expected, and then the type of gift becomes important. ![bentwood box](https://www.ictinc.ca/hs-fs/file-620852104-jpg/blog-files/resized-bentwood-box-150x150.jpg?width=150&height=150&name=resized-bentwood-box-150x150.jpg "resized bentwood box")So is it appropriate for people to bring gifts to meetings and other community events? In some cases it may be appropriate and even expected; in others, it can actually be offensive – even coming across as a bribe. So, how does one know when to bring a gift and what kind of gift is appropriate? The key is simply to ask the host, politely, privately, and in advance as hardly anyone gets into a community without some help. If your host, or host co-ordinator, says gifts are expected be sure to ask what type of gift is appropriate. Also, be sure to try to evaluate your gift from the perspective of the community. Ask yourself, would you be offended or upset in any way to be offered this gift? There you have it. A few tips on gift giving in Indigenous communities.  [![Learn more about Indigenous Awareness](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/374848/a863b2fa-4bf8-4a6e-a5e6-a637b0ba47d9.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/374848/a863b2fa-4bf8-4a6e-a5e6-a637b0ba47d9) ###### Share: [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ictinc.ca%2Fblog%2Fgift-giving-how-do-you-know-if-it-is-appropriate-andor-expected) [** ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ictinc.ca%2Fblog%2Fgift-giving-how-do-you-know-if-it-is-appropriate-andor-expected&title=Gift+Giving+-+How+to+Know+if+It+Is+Appropriate+And%2For+Expected%3F&summary==When+working+with+Indigenous+communities%2C+how+do+you+know+if+gift-giving+is+appropriate+or+expected+-+read+this+article.+) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. [![Dispelling Common Myths About Indigenous Peoples: 9 Myths & Realities](https://www.ictinc.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/eBooks/Dispelling-Common-Myths-About-Indigenous-Peoples_600w.jpg?width=600&height=900&name=Dispelling-Common-Myths-About-Indigenous-Peoples_600w.jpg)](https://www.ictinc.ca/dispelling-common-myths-about-indigenous-peoples) [![Download the free eBook](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/374848/28861da8-2e39-4685-9166-af3a5cdd6f0f.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/374848/28861da8-2e39-4685-9166-af3a5cdd6f0f) [![What are Appropriate Gifts for Indigenous Guest Speakers?](https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/Indigenous-jewelery_2000w.jpg) ](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/what-are-appropriate-gifts-for-indigenous-guest-speakers) #### [What are Appropriate Gifts for Indigenous Guest Speakers?](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/what-are-appropriate-gifts-for-indigenous-guest-speakers) February 24, 2016 This article goes out to all the people who organize events that include Indigenous speakers and we thank one of our readers for suggesting we write... [Read More](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/what-are-appropriate-gifts-for-indigenous-guest-speakers) [!['Indian Giver' Plus Six Other Colloquialisms to Avoid!](https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/X-wall-no-unsplash_2000w.jpg) ](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-giver-plus-six-other-colloquialisms-to-avoid) #### ['Indian Giver' Plus Six Other Colloquialisms to Avoid!](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-giver-plus-six-other-colloquialisms-to-avoid) April 16, 2012 Colloquial expressions that involve Indigenous Peoples or their culture are derogatory and offensive and should be avoided. As recently as 2011,... [Read More](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-giver-plus-six-other-colloquialisms-to-avoid) [![“Indian Giver” - Where Did It Come From, and Can We Give It Back?](https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/hand-no-dont-unsplash-2000w.jpg) ](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-giver-can-we-give-it-back) #### [“Indian Giver” - Where Did It Come From, and Can We Give It Back?](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-giver-can-we-give-it-back) October 21, 2013 A post we wrote in early October 2013 about a celebrity who used a colloquialism on air received over 1600 opens on our website, according to our... [Read More](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-giver-can-we-give-it-back) ![](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/1003610425/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=7874204&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Bob Joseph", "url" : "https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/author/bob-joseph" }, "dateModified" : "2023-07-03T18:57:47.375Z", "datePublished" : "2012-07-31T14:21:00.000Z", "headline" : "Gift Giving - How to Know if It Is Appropriate And/or Expected?", "image" : [ "https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/gift-pink-ribbon-unsplash_2000w.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/gift-giving-how-do-you-know-if-it-is-appropriate-andor-expected", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/--Official%20Website%20Images/Logos/ICT_Logo_2022.png" }, "name" : "Indigenous Corporate Training Inc." } } ```