THESIS: Tongan and Iroquois political and social organization were different in several ways. Tongan political organization was by chiefdom, and social structure was through rank stratification divided by genealogical relationships of the primarily patrilineal line. The Iroquois’ political system was by tribe, and the societal organization was egalitarian with clans as matrilineal. Both are similar because of the heavy impact of European culture on both societies. European influence changed the gender roles, political structure, and the social hierarchy of each group. The Tonga political system is a chiefdom based on the typology created by anthropologists Marshall Sahlins and Elman Service. Chiefdoms have specific criteria such as a medium
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The genealogical ties to social status are like a spider’s web, all interconnected, with the center as the main hub of power. The further away from the center, the least amount of relations to power are held. Tongan chiefdoms used a broad ranking system where seniority, gender, and sisterhood all factored into societal roles.These distinctions separated gender roles for food collecting, household duties and production of goods. Depending on the type of work or goods produced, the social class of the individual could be established. Sisterhood was an important part of kinship relations because it gave women authority similar to that of men, just in different roles; more specifically the ability to trade women made products meant that women could support themselves without the need for male assistance. The kinship ties, especially linked to sisters status, intertwined with the politics making it difficult to strictly classify leadership roles as patrilineal. Bonvillian best described the situation by stating that “tension between principles of patrilineality incorporated into Tongan lineages and the prerogatives of sisters and their descendants prevented institutionalization” (p.3, 2001). While leadership was mainly determined by patrilineal lines, sister relations could take precedence and a sister relative's male relation could stake a …show more content…
A leader or “chief” was chosen through collective agreement as well as all other social and political matters. Councils were held between each clan and within villages to ensure that all members had a voice. Under the egalitarian structure was the social structure of matrilineal clans. Each village divided families into clans through the woman's descent line and land ownership was inherited matrilineally. Clans lived in a single household, where the elder women were dedicated as rulers for their households not only by seniority but also based on their deeds, actions, and personality traits (Bonvillian, 2001). Anthropologist Marshall Sahlins made a concise comparison of leadership roles between tribes and chiefdoms by stating “head men of tribes are elevated by their actions, while chiefs are elevated by their noble lineage” (Sanderson,
The genealogical ties to social status are like a spider’s web, all interconnected, with the center as the main hub of power. The further away from the center, the least amount of relations to power are held. Tongan chiefdoms used a broad ranking system where seniority, gender, and sisterhood all factored into societal roles.These distinctions separated gender roles for food collecting, household duties and production of goods. Depending on the type of work or goods produced, the social class of the individual could be established. Sisterhood was an important part of kinship relations because it gave women authority similar to that of men, just in different roles; more specifically the ability to trade women made products meant that women could support themselves without the need for male assistance. The kinship ties, especially linked to sisters status, intertwined with the politics making it difficult to strictly classify leadership roles as patrilineal. Bonvillian best described the situation by stating that “tension between principles of patrilineality incorporated into Tongan lineages and the prerogatives of sisters and their descendants prevented institutionalization” (p.3, 2001). While leadership was mainly determined by patrilineal lines, sister relations could take precedence and a sister relative's male relation could stake a …show more content…
A leader or “chief” was chosen through collective agreement as well as all other social and political matters. Councils were held between each clan and within villages to ensure that all members had a voice. Under the egalitarian structure was the social structure of matrilineal clans. Each village divided families into clans through the woman's descent line and land ownership was inherited matrilineally. Clans lived in a single household, where the elder women were dedicated as rulers for their households not only by seniority but also based on their deeds, actions, and personality traits (Bonvillian, 2001). Anthropologist Marshall Sahlins made a concise comparison of leadership roles between tribes and chiefdoms by stating “head men of tribes are elevated by their actions, while chiefs are elevated by their noble lineage” (Sanderson,