article
Tales of two cities: the rhetoric of rank in Ngeremlengui, Belau
Journal of anthropological research • 42 (2) • Published In 1986 • Pages: 161-182
By: Parmentier, Richard J..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article discusses the political implications of two competing traditional narratives about the foundation of two local communities in the Belauan n district of Ngeremlengui. The paper argues that the contrasting meaning of these narratives should be taken as an important point of entry for understanding the nature of rank in this hierarchical society. Stories told by chiefly titleholders from the high-ranking capital village emphasize the divinely instituted quadripartite political order, while interpretations offered by people from a lower-ranking stress the contingency of events such as migration, relocation, and warfare. This rhetorical contrast between static and dynamic theories of historical process correlates with the distinction between the 'cornerpost' model and the 'path' model found in myths of pan-Belauan polity.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Traditional history
- Mythology
- Status, role, and prestige
- Community structure
- Inter-community relations
- Ingroup antagonisms
- Internal migration
- Real property
- Topography and geology
- External relations
- Cultural identity and pride
- Territorial hierarchy
- Districts
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Belau
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2010
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Oceania
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Micronesia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem; 2009
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1978-1980
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1780-1986
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Ngeremlengui district, Republic of Belau
- NotesAdditional notes
- by Richard J. Parmentier
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-182)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 73645054
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Palauans