Story of Communication By Gift - By Readers' Digest

  In PNG culture there is no such thing as a stringless gift. Any gift received must be repaid somehow, somewhere, sometime.
  In other cultures one must be aware that gifts convey specific messages. For example, in China never give someone a clock as a gift. It is taken to remind the receiver of his or her march toward the
grave, a bad omen. Don't give a handkerchief to friends in Brazil. It is associated with tears in most Latin American countries. A knife is also on the taboo list in most South American countries. It means you would like to say finito to the existing relationship.
  Giving someone a "White elephant" comes from the trick played on one another by competing Indian maharajahs. By presenting a rival with a white elephant, one would embarrass him financially. The animal, being sacred, would be purely decorative and could eat its keeper out of house and home.

-- Reader Digest