Chiefly Models in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

There has been a resurgent interest in traditional "chiefs" in eastern Melanesia, both as symbols of identity and power, and as agents for the facilitation and legitimization of postcolonial reform. However Papua New Guinea seems to have made relatively little use of such models of authority. This paper argues that the distribution of Austronesian and non-Austronesian languages within Melanesia helps account for this difference. Austronesian languages appear to be characterized by what is called "a lexicon of hierarchy," in which concepts related to chiefly models of authority are not uncommon, whereas non-Austronesian languages generally lack such terms. Speakers of Austronesian languages predominate in Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands, whereas nonAustronesian languages predominate in Papua New Guinea. Chiefly models seem to arise periodically in Papua New Guinea in Austronesian contexts, but are rejected by non-Austronesian-speaking cultures when an attempt is made to apply the models more broadly. Results have important implications for the practical implementation of legal and political reform in contemporary Papua New Guinea.