essay
Change in rank and status in the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga
psychological anthropology • The Hague • Published In 1975 • Pages: 559-575
By: Urbanowicz, Charles Francis.
Abstract
Urbanowicz uses an ethnohistorical methodology to delineate the aboriginal system of ranks and titles in Tonga and to trace the changes in these resulting from European influence. He argues that in the aboriginal system the concept 'EIKI' referred to nobility by birth and should not be confused with the concept of chief or title. The statuses related to titles were, in his view, originally partially or wholly achieved. The system of hereditary titles found in present day Tonga was codified in the Tongan Constitution of 1875, but the author traces changes in the status system further back to the beginnings of European missionary activities. His article carries a warning about the ahistorical nature of much of the anthropological literature on Tonga.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2006
- Region
- Oceania
- Sub Region
- Polynesia
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnographer
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Eleanor C. Swanson; 1978
- Field Date
- 1970-1971
- Coverage Date
- 1616-1970s
- Coverage Place
- Tonga
- Notes
- Charles Francis Urbanowicz
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 575)
- LCCN
- 76364265
- LCSH
- Tongans