CHANGING CONCEPTS OF CHIEF AND HIERARCHY ON A POLYNESIAN OUTLIER

Authors

William W. Donner, Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaFollow

Abstract

Sikaiana is a Polynesian society with a legend of a powerful, centralized chief or aliki. However, Sikaiana is also a very egalitarian society, and it has resisted efforts by Protectorate and national government administrators to establish a local chief. This article examines the legendary and modern history of Sikaiana chiefs to show how power and authority became and remained decentralized. The ideology of Sikaiana egalitarianism is supported by familiarity and face-to-face experience with personally known others. This egalitarianism faces new challenges as Sikaiana society both differentiates internally and becomes incorporated into larger, regional, and international social systems. There is a dynamic interaction between the environment, past experience, and foreign influences as the Sikaiana reformulate their notions of chiefdomship and hierarchy.

Recommended Citation

Donner, William W. (2008) "CHANGING CONCEPTS OF CHIEF AND HIERARCHY ON A POLYNESIAN OUTLIER," Pacific Studies: Vol. 31: No. 3, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol31/iss3/1