Levi-Strauss - WHARTON

I thought that the connections Levi-Strauss pointed out between Kwakiutl naming systems and European naming systems were very insightful. I have read various sources pertaining to the ways in which the Kwakiutl amass and take on names, and no source has made as clear connection to another system of naming as Levi-Strauss does. The point in the article that I took issue with was the discussion of material and immaterial wealth in the two types of societies. In Kwakiutl culture, from previous readings, I was under the impression that the inheritance of immaterial wealth was a more complex and important aspect of their culture than Levi-Strauss makes it out to be in his comparison with European societies. For example, unlike in most European cultures, the Kwakiutl people inherit many names throughout their lifetimes. These names may come from ancestors long-deceased who did something honorable, or may be derived from a task the individual completes to progress to the next stage of life. The amassing of names in Kwakiutl culture not only says a lot about his lineage, but also about him as an individual. In this way, it seems to me more complex than the European naming system, as in a Western European society, usually the name or title is something one carries with himself from birth, or adds onto through marriage or promotion in society. What I find interesting about the Kwakiutl system is the fact that an individual has the power to change one's name completely. In Europe, if you are born into a bad family, the connotation of that name stays with you forever. But in the Kwakiutl system, an individual is able to earn a name for oneself, and almost shake off the connotations that a previous, less impressive family name may have held. This makes me ponder that, in all naming systems, is it possible to change the emphasis from lineage to individual if one is not proud of where they came from? In Western societies, is it truly possible to "make a name for oneself?"