Chiefdom

Political unit headed by a chief who holds power over more

than one community group
What is chiefdom?
● In larger and higher surplus pastoral and horticultural
societies, a more formal, full time and recognizably political
system referred as chiefdom.
● A polity consisting of multiple local communities over
which an individual or a hierarchy of individuals exercise
authority.
How chiefdom differs from tribe

The chiefdom level transcends the tribal level in two major

ways:

1. It has a higher population density

2. It is more complex with some form of centralized
authority.
3. Have relatively permanent central agencies of government
4. Typically based on collection and redistribution of an
economic surplus.
Chief of chiefdoms has access to
● Certain amount of coercion
● Final authority in the distribution of land
● Ability to recruit army
● Coordinator of the redistribution system
● Collection of taxes on foods or goods
Although actual class stratification is absent, every individual is
ranked according to membership in a descent group. The
closer to the chief’s lineage will be higher on the scale.

According to Service(1971:145), “the most distinctive

characteristic of chiefdoms; as compared to tribes and band
is….the pervasive in equality of persons and groups in the
society.”
On the other hand Herbert Lewis pointed out that, many
groups that appear to have chieftmanships are not stable at
all; the oscillate back and forth from centralized leadership to
egalitarianism as strong leaders come and go.
The kwakiutl
● Indian societies of the northwest coast of north america are usually chiefdoms.
● Their plane of living is based on hunting and fishing, domesticated food
supplies.
● The kwakiutl divided about 25 villages, 2-7 member people made numayan
● “Numayan” are stratified in terms of prestige within the village, and each
individual was ranked within his “numayma”
● No integration beyond the village, most political integration focused on
numayma.
● Ranks were obtained through heredity or marriage
● 1500 individuals, there were 650 named position. These social position were
maintained through the medium of the potlatch.
The kwakiutl suggest many elements of the classical chiefdom

1. A strong system of ranking/position

2. Specialized leadership roles based on heredity
3. Permanent agencies of government
4. redistribution

● The highest ranking chief in the village would have some extra authority.
Politics manifested through kinship
● The potlatch suggests a system of reciprocity
Pre Colonial hawaii
● Aboriginal Hawaii were under the domination of a number of rigidly stratified
hereditary chiefdoms
● The chiefs were regarded as’

1.Supreme economic

2.Military

3.Ritual leaders

4.Upper strata of the society

● There were two levels below the adminstrators-

1.lesser nobles

2.commoners

● The higher chief or lesser chief were accorded commoners.

● The heir to the position of the chief was supposed to be the first born son of
the chief and his first born sister.
● Lesser chief controlled allocations of land and water. Productive and was
irrigated. they also controlled the communal labour of comoners.
● “Mana” supernatural power-that the ground the chief walked on could not be
touched by the lesser mortals
Thankyou