Book

Kinship to kingship: gender hierarchy and state formation in the Tongan Islands

University of Texas Press • (14) • Published In 1987 • Pages: xviii, 326

By: Gailey, Christine Ward.

Abstract

This is a sophisticated analysis of the modern transformation of Tonga society, which gives a central role to gender relations. According to Gailey, women held a privileged position in traditional Tonga society, both as producers of valuables (KOLOA) for the gift economy and as conduits of sacred power ('EIKI), which complimented and buttressed male chiefly authority. The most sacred and highly ranked person in Tonga was the older sister of the paramount chief. In general, all sisters and especially fathers' sisters (FAHU) had power over their brothers and nephews, respectively, in terms of rights to labor and produce. Gailey shows how Christianity, an emerging household-based commodity production, and constitutional government curtailed these privileges, diminishing women's status and power and helping to inaugurate a class society.

HRAF PubDate

2006

Region

Oceania

Sub Region

Polynesia

Document Type

Book

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard; 2004

Field Date

1986

Coverage Date

1450-1971

Coverage Place

Tonga

Notes

Christine Ward Gailey

Although the first part of this book is theoretical, it is indexed for subjects. Tonga's stratified society is indexed differently for each period: STATUS, ROLE, AND PRESTIGE (554) and TERRITORIAL HIERARCHY (631) for traditional chiefdom and CLASSES (565) and CHIEF EXECUTIVE 643 for the post-constitutional, class society

Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-315) and index

LCCN

87010804

LCSH

Tongans