1 ene 500 año aC - Hierarchical Chiefdoms in Melanesia

Descripción:

(Lapita descendants)

A new sort of social structure that developed from Lapita communities.

This familial aristocracy was pretty tight and probably hard to undo. Anyone who was annoyed at their chiefs literally just up and left (sails away angrily) and established their own little chiefdoms in another tiny island. So that was convenient. (and stimulated migrations)


These chiefs had some roles of course:

First off they got paid (can't forget those taxes) in the form of a part of agricultural productions and some fish and birds and shell necklaces (what kind of rulers would they be).

They also organized religious rituals and social structure and oversaw relationships with people from other communities.

Eventually, they were so proud of themselves for being so powerful and responsible they decided to consider themselves as semi-divine (see: toned-down Pacific pharaohs), and normal people weren't even worthy to look at them.

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