Anthropology (ANTH) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

A chiefdom is characterized by a society that features a centralized leadership structure. In this type of social organization, there is a chief who typically holds authority and power over the community. This centralized leadership is crucial for coordinating resources, making decisions, and maintaining order among the various groups within the society.

Chiefdoms often arise in contexts where there is a need for better management of resources or defense and usually consist of multiple interconnected villages or communities under the leadership of a single chief. This system can involve both political and economic aspects, as the chief may have control over distribution of resources and may also resolve disputes.

While kinship ties are important in a chiefdom, they are not the sole defining feature, as such ties can also be prominent in various other social structures. Chiefdoms do not necessarily imply a reliance solely on subsistence farming, and they inherently include some degree of social stratification, with distinctions between the chief, elites, and commoners. Therefore, the defining element that highlights a chiefdom is indeed the presence of a centralized leadership system.