One Man Cannot Rule a Thousand

Petersen, Glenn (1982). One Man Cannot Rule a Thousand. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-08032-8.

Abstract: Account of the fissiooning of the chiefdom of Upper Awak on the Island of Pohnpei in the summer of 1979. Examines the political dynamics of a traditional Ponapean chiefdom in Micronesia, specifically focusing on how internal tensions and power struggles can lead to the splitting of the community, or "fission," when a single leader becomes too powerful or unable to effectively govern a large population. The study is based on detailed ethnographic research conducted in a Ponapean village called Awak, analyzing the complex social hierarchy, chiefly lineage, and traditional political structures. The central theme is the concept of "fission," where a community splits into smaller factions due to internal conflicts, often stemming from disagreements over leadership, land distribution, or resource allocation

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MAG: 633485777
CorpusID: 126725570
OpenAlex: W633485777