THE MAKING OF A MEKRANOTI CHIEF: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF LEADERSHIP IN A NATIVE SOUTH AMERICAN SOCIETY.
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Title
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THE MAKING OF A MEKRANOTI CHIEF: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF LEADERSHIP IN A NATIVE SOUTH AMERICAN SOCIETY.
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Identifier
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AAI8014996
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identifier
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8014996
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Creator
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WERNER, DENNIS WAYNE.
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Contributor
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Carol Ember
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Date
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1980
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Anthropology, Cultural
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Abstract
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Understanding the nature of leadership in a nonstratified setting is central to many debates in political anthropology. But, to date, no one has tested basic ideas about political influence in simpler societies. In this study I use quantitative data collected among the Mekranoti-Kayapo Indians of Central Brazil to examine the psychological and social characteristics of leaders. This accomplishes a number of theoretical goals.;First, a comparison of Mekranoti leaders with leaders from the United States and other stratified societies suggests that leaders share many common characteristics in vastly different situations. But there are also a few important differences. For example, in the United States and other stratified societies, leaders are generally wealthier than their followers. But among the Mekranoti, leaders are poorer.;A second question concerns a popular picture about the distribution of leadership positions in simpler societies. According to Fried, "egalitarian" leaders exercise influence only in their particular areas of expertise. Different kinds of tasks require different people to act as leaders. But among the Mekranoti, correlations show that the same "renaissance men" generally lead in most areas of life.;A third question asks how older people come to exercise influence. Anthropologists offer various explanations for gerontocracy--the accumulation of wealth, experience and knowledge with age; the build-up of a loyal political following in the form of adult sons and daughters; and changes in personality over time. I use path analysis to determine which of these variables best replace "x" in the causal sequence: age(--->)x(--->)influence. Ceremonial knowledge proved especially important in explaining how Mekranoti elders gain their leadership advantage.;The reasons for the influence advantage of men over women in Mekranoti society provide a fourth focus for this thesis. Beginning with arguments about basic differences between the sexes, I note that certain "male" traits--greater height, more aggressiveness, and fewer child-care burdens--characterize both male and female leaders among the Mekranoti. Then I use quantified data to evaluate possible reasons for the importance of these traits to leadership. For example, path analysis showed that child-care detracts from influence in part because it limits the number of friends a caretaker can maintain.;Finally, noting that the chief's male descendants have a leadership advantage over other Mekranoti, I examine various explanations for this de facto leadership inheritance. I look at a number of popular explanations that stress such factors as redistributive roles for leaders, avoidance of factionalism, and specialized training for leader's sons. Path analysis suggests that a role as mediator between different cultures gives the chief's family important advantages in dealings with outsiders. Knowledge of another culture makes the chief's sons more influential within their own community.;In the conclusion, I lay out some of the important implications of the findings for cross-cultural variation in leadership, and offer suggestions for future research.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Anthropology
