mythical) through senior ancestral lines claimed the deference due to seniors
in all kin-based systems. High birth provided a seemingly natural basis
for authority. The decoration of ancestral skulls, evident even in Natu¿ an
communities, suggests how important lineage was even in the very earliest
Agrarian communities.
Males dominated leadership roles in most early Agrarian communities,
laying the foundation for the asymmetrical power relations known as
“patriarchy.” What were the sources of patriarchy? Clearly, they reÀ ect no
innate differences in political ability, for in many different societies women
have shown themselves as capable as men of wielding power. The key may
lie in the demographic rules of peasant societies. In peasant communities,
having many children was vital to a household’s success. But this demand
tied women to their roles as reproducers and child rearers. Consequently,
men generally found it easier to take on
specialist roles, including power roles.
In turn, the overrepresentation of males
in public power roles encouraged the
presumption that males were natural
leaders, even if in most households
power relations were quite variable.
Modern anthropological studies offer
helpful models of how power roles may
have been constructed within small
communities. One inÀ uential model is
that of the “big man.” In a classic 1955
study, Douglas Oliver described the “big men” or mumis of the Solomon
Islands, which are east of Papua New Guinea. Ambitious young men
collected food from relatives and allies and then threw huge feasts of pigs,
coconut pies, and sago puddings for local men. Those whose feasts were
judged impressive enough could acquire enough of a following to become
mumis. As in modern “pork-barrel” politics, gift-giving was a form of
political investment because it created loyal followers. Mumis could become
powerful war leaders. One old man in Oliver’s study remembered that, “In
the olden times there were greater mumi than there are today. Then they were
The decoration of
ancestral skulls,
evident even in Natu¿ an
communities, suggests
how important lineage was
even in the very earliest
Agrarian communities.