The Role of a Fijian Chief

T NHE TRADITIONAL heritage of any society is characterized by folkways and mores which govern, among other things, reciprocal behavior between the members of the group. The existence of patterned ways of behaving makes it possible to define an individual member of society in formal terms by his patterned relationships to the rest of the group, i.e., by his status in the society. The status of a person is primarily composed of a series of rights and duties. When the individual occupying the status puts these rights and duties into effect he is said to be performing his role. Role and status therefore serve to relate individual behavior to the traditional heritage, forming a link between actual events and formal patterns.' Folkways and mores controlling reciprocal behavior are necessary for the functioning of a society. Men must be taught how to live in society, and it is primarily through adjustment to their roles that individuals are able to get along with each other in group life. Indeed, the more perfectly members of any society are adjusted to their parts, the more smoothly the society functions. It is therefore advantageous to a society for its members to be well trained in the statuses they occupy. Perhaps for this reason most of the roles an individual must play are ascribed at birth and inculcated from earliest childhood. At least a few roles in any society, however, are not thus assigned, but may be achieved through the efforts of the individual himself. A stable society well adjusted to its environment is characterized by a high proportion of ascribed roles and but few which may be achieved. A society living under new and changing conditions, on the contrary, is usually characterized by a large number of achievable roles, although the ordinary daily life is still governed by patterns predictable at birth. A comparison of Fijian society with our own corroborates this theoretical position. The wealth of achievable positions open to members of our society stands in definite contrast to the preponderance of ascribed statuses that characterize Fijian society. The Fijian is oriented from birth within a well defined social system and to a great extent is born into his role. This is especially true with respect to the roles of chief and subject which are clearly defined in the abstract. To become a chief, a Fijian must be born in the legitimate line of succession; a commoner can do nothing to achieve such a status. The person of the chief is sacred and commands respect. No subject may pass anything over his head, much less touch this part of his body, nor may he stand upright in his presence. A subject is not permitted

Political science · Sociology · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Psychology

• Personality in Preliterate Societies

  J L Gillin, John Gillin•American Sociological Review•1939

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