The Complexity of Groups
2 people = 1 relation
3 people = 3 relations
4 people = 6 relations
5 people = 10 relations
12 people = 66 relations
35 people = 600 relations
50 people = 1225 relations

Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms, and States
Uncentralized to Centralized
Influence and Power


The Cheyenne.
Between the 1700s and the late 1800s, their political organization could be mapped out like this:



The Warrior Societies were generally made up of young men who fought wars. The Council of 44 was a group of 44 mostly elder men who were considered Peace Chiefs and also arbitrated internal affairs and conflicts. When the council of 44 met, the most important 5 chiefs sat in the following way, each of them representing different elements of the world ... Their leadership was sacred, and as leaders they were elevated beyond selfish concerns. When one chief's wife was stolen from him, he simply stated very calmly, "A dog has pissed on my tipi," showing that such things could not be of concern to him because his first and most sacred priority was to the tribe as a whole. In this way, such leaders become self-less, acting for others and not for themselves. As white settlers moved into the region the resources of the Cheyenne became more scarce. Eventually war broke out. A number of treaties were signed, but few lasted before violence once again broke out. Hundreds of Cheyenne were killed without much of a fight while they were living near a government fort under the illusion that they would be safe there. This was called the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. In 1876 the Cheyenne defeated Custer and his troops at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Within a year they were all captured and sent to live on reservations. Eventually they came to live on 2 reservations, one in Oklahoma and the other in Montana.

Video "Cheyenne Warriors" shows life on the Northern Cheyenne reservation today.

Today the Cheyenne have a political organization which they describe on Norther Cheyenne the netas:

The Northern Cheyenne Tribe was organized in 1936 and operates under a constitution consistent with the Indian Reorganization Act and approved by the Tribal membership. Today the Tribe is a Federally-chartered organization with both governmental and corporate responsibilities. The governing body is a Tribal Council headed by a President, who is elected at large to serve a term of 4 years. The tribal council consist of members elected from each of the five districts. The Vice President and a Sergeant-at-Arms are elected by the tribal council from within its number and a Secretary and Treasurer are appointed outside its number. The Secretary and Treasurer have no vote. The tribal council consists of members elected from the Ashland, Birney, Busby, Muddy, and Lame Deer districts in the proportion of one member for each 200 population and an additional member for each major fraction thereof. The current governing body has 19 members.

Barral model of the USA

Individualism and self expression
-
DEMOCRACY
Social Mobility
Nuceular Familys
Love Marraige
-
Market Economy
Industrialism

Democracy

Democracy fits with American culture - particularly our values and ideals of individualism and self-expression.
But after reviewing the culture of the Nekalimin, we face the difficult question: "Could Democracy work there?"



Traditionally, Nekalimin Political Organization had these features:
* Great Man / Big Man Leadership. No "power." Just influence.
* Seek agreement and consensus.
* Individual opinions are not valued.

This emphasis on consensus rather than individual opinion is prevalent throughout Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea became an independent democratic state in 1975 after Australia left. The first elections were held in 1977 and every 5 years after that. So how does democracy work there? What does an election look like?

First, all members of a tribe will "Pasim Tok" - "Fasten Talk" (Come to a consensus)
They vote by tribe, usually for a member of their own tribe. They do not vote on issues
There are over 1,000 tribes, and 2,875 candidates contested for 89 seats in 2002

There is much at stake, and this leads to tribal fighting & general election mayhem. In 2002, a person couldget elected with little more than 2,000 votes and then tends to direct all state funds to those 2,000 people at the expense of the other thousands of people who receive nothing or very little. In short, democracy did not work very well there.

What about other aspects of the state government?

What about law?
A local officer along with hundreds of others decided to get rid of witchcraft in the community. This brought two very different systems of social control into conflict.



The law transformed witchcraft from a problem between two people in a relationship into a crime against the state, punishable by law. Ultimately people rose up against the law and re-instituted.


Conclude with discussion of media and politics.
The impact of TV on politics, from Postman's Entertaining Ourselves to Death
... musings about the future of politics and new media.

TV Politics in the USA

The Mass Media & Politics: An Analysis of Influence
http://www.progressiveliving.org/mass_media_and_politics.htm



New Media = New Politics?
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