Stateless Societies Part - 2
Contents
- Introduction
- Stateless Tribes in India
- Political Institutions and Development of Society
- Summary
Introduction
In Stateless Societies Part - 1 we learned about Politics and Political Organisations, Political Institutions and Stateless Societies and Political Principles of Stateless Society .We have discussed the stateless Indian tribes in this post. We have now covered the development of government in societies without states.
Stateless Tribes in India
This will demonstrate how some tribes in modern-day India fall under the umbrella of stateless societies. You'll see that they lead full and complicated lives while upholding order. Sociologically speaking, they still largely adhere to their own internal logic of functioning. However, it shouldn't be taken for granted that they haven't evolved over time. In fact, they are being modernized more and more, and efforts are being made to aid in their growth.
Political Organisation in Indian Tribes
Political institutions in Indian tribes are based on
i) Clan and lineage
ii) village unit and
iii) group of villages.
Conflict Regulation
The territorial segregation prevents accidental conflict from arising with other lineages that are larger or of a different generation. The tribal village is a functioning political entity. We discover that the village is governed by the village officer, then by the village administration. Through its officers, who are known by various titles among the various tribes, the political system operates. In minor tribes (Birhor, Juang) all these activities are in the hands of one man. Among major tribes (Santal, Bhil) authority is rested on two headmen. One is used for secular purposes, the other for religious ones.
Most tribes have a proper ‘judicial’ machinery to deal with breaches of peace and social offences. There is usually a village council or an assembly of elders. For example, among the Malers, the council of elders of the village is presided by Majhi. The goriat acts as the public prosecutor. The Panchayat is called at the instance of the majhi by the goriat. Informal control over behaviour is done in the evening meetings. Here criticism is very pungent and effective. Public disapproval is also very effective in controlling or rectifying behaviour. This includes making clear what a member would suffer if he goes beyond the unwritten tribal laws. In short the evening meetings are called to keep those going out of line on line. In this way their problem does not become so severe as to call forth punishment. Very often they have assistants.
Crime and Punishment
However there is no society which does not have criminal cases. These cause a severe disequilibrium in society. This has to be rectified by punishment. The evidence that is called for, while deciding a criminal case, is:
- Oath, taken on a sacred deity, and
- Ordeal, undergone by tribal standards.
The Malers take an oath promising to lose lives. At a holy location or other sacred site, the suspect touches the knife. ), and vows to tell the truth until the day he dies. In this case, a result is brought about by a person's faith in addition to the pervasive influence of society. Almost always, the conclusion is accurate and righteous.
When put through an ordeal, the suspect is presumed innocent if he avoids getting burned while holding an axe or sticking his hand in hot oil. Malers must go through the saveli ordeal, which requires the accused to hold an axe that is burning hot. Sacred rice beer is used during the pochai ordeal. Only the innocent can take hold of the axe or sip the ritual beer and escape unharmed. The guilty sustain burn injuries or pass away from poisoning.
Both the oath and the ordeal are dangerous alternatives because they require the accused to voluntarily submit to the law. The severity of the crime determines how much the guilty party must pay in fines. Excommunication is the most severe penalty. The house of the accused is vandalized by tribal members beating drums. They pollute it with trash and might set it on fire.
This serves as a symbol of their distaste and hatred for the crime and the perpetrator. Excommunication, or bitlaha, takes place when the crime was so serious that tolerating the perpetrator would be impossible. One of these crimes is getting married to someone from a taboo or prohibited group. Again, anyone who insults the tribal deity by doing things like attacking, smashing, or spitting on it risks being excommunicated.
Political Institutions and Development of Society
There are "easy" and "hard" hunters in societies that practice hunting and "food gathering.". Fruits, pests, and insects are nearly all the easy hunters need to survive. They occupy improvised homes made of branches and leaves. They don't have any other domestic animals besides the dog. Hard hunters tend to target larger animals because they are more advanced. For transportation, they ride horses. They have a much more distinct sense of where they are. In addition to having secondary arts like pottery, weaving, and spinning, they also keep domestic animals. A complex centralized authority has manifested itself in some way in these societies. This is the area we will now investigate.
Emergence of Simple Form of Government in Society
First, we discover that each community is beginning to develop a basic form of "government.". There is a very basic form of government in the easy hunter communities, but settled government is established at the highest levels of agriculture and pastoral life.
Second, there is a definite expansion of settled government to include larger groupings. Only 25% of easy hunters have "government" that goes beyond the primary community, which is the family and kinship group. Nearly 80% of the population has a functioning government and administrative system.
It's important to note a number of intriguing characteristics. Within the norm of custom, we discover that chieftains typically have "authority.". A Council of Elders is a component of this form of government as well. All must follow accepted norms. The term "government by discussion" is used.
Law's organizational structure clearly reflects the same development. Kinship mediates conflict in stateless societies. There are some traditional methods of retaliation and retribution, such as "blood feuds," "customary fights," and so forth, which are practiced by some African tribes, such as the Nuer. However, there is no element of personal guilt in these kinds of retaliation. There are other types of compensation where the guilty kin group is still subjected to retribution but the punishment takes the form of restitution. This aspect has already been covered.
A system of public justice is established at the highest pastoral and agricultural levels. In small-scale conflicts, this is sporadic but common when it comes to attacks on the social system. As long as they don't cause social disruption, customary procedures can be used in these situations. Regular public justice exists in more complex societies. As a stateless society evolves, there is a noticeable shift away from tribal concerns and religious offenses that require corrective punishment and towards claims and denials of restitutive punishment. There is a declining use of oath and ordeal. The hunters and gatherers are primarily descended along matrilineal lines. While the patrilineal principle of descent is more prevalent among pastoralists.
Political Aspect of Religion in Simple Societies
In simpler societies, religion serves two distinct ecological purposes by providing an explanation of how humans should view their relationship with the natural world. They can see how they ought to interact with it from what it says. Political and social goals are furthered by religion. In addition to uniting men, it gives authority purpose and legitimacy. Higher forms of authority systems are evident in the higher pastoral and agricultural societies. These are the worship practices, rituals, and doctrines.
Religion requires the regulation of a wide range of behavior, including a number of dos and don'ts, even though morality and religion are not directly related. Religion does not hold people accountable for all their deeds in simple societies.
Summary
As we've seen, societies without states are those in which there is no centralized authority. The administrative infrastructure in them is remarkably minimal. There aren't any courts or tribunals. Richness, status, and rank don't divide people into clear categories. In Africa, these societies include the Tallensi and Nuer. Bhils, Oraons, and Santals are also covered in India.
We have discussed this in the preceding sections. However, the segmentary lineage system is in charge of regulating the political interactions between various territorial segments. In these societies, the organization of politics heavily relies on kinship. This is as a result of the affiliation between lineage grouping and territorial grouping.
In such societies, holding a political office carries no financial benefits. Status and the ability to run for political office can be conferred by wealth.
This is so because in stateless societies, wealth itself is a byproduct of social status. Before, it was believed that states would eventually rule over societies without them. War was used to subjugate them and create a state. This theory has been challenged and is no longer widely held. There is also no dominant association, class, or sector. It has no more political sway than any other group does. When used, force is retaliated against. Once more, coexistence is key; if one group defeats another, it doesn't try to take political control of it. It cannot do this because there is no administrative backing. No one or anything has absolute power. As a result, equilibrium is maintained at every point of separation to maintain stability. More than this, these societies' shared symbols serve to promote cohesion and unity. These include myths, dogmas, people, holy sites, and more. They are taken into consideration as being absolute final values.
Therefore, it is safe to say that societies without states have a robust and successful internal cohesion system. Despite being "stateless," they do not omit any elements that lead to efficiency. These societies should be treated as fully developed political entities because they are.
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