Two different kinds of leadership have been identified among societies of the South Pacific islands: Chiefs and Big Men. The Trobriand Islanders of Papua New Guinea and the Dani, from mainland Papua New Guinea, exemplify these contrasting types. Trobrianders have Chiefs who have inherited power, are socially elevated above the rest of their group, and can exert some semi-coercive types of power. The Dani, on the other hand, have Big Men who develop influence rather than possessing power. Big Men must achieve whatever political or social ends they desire by means of persuasion and the exertion of various levels of influence. The difference between the inherited and non-inherited forms of leadership can be seen most easily in the high degree of regulated behaviors by and toward the Trobriand Chiefs as opposed to the relative lack of ceremony connected with the Dani's Big Men. Hereditary Chiefs owe their positions to a body of historical beliefs that constitute the organizational principles on which Trobriand societies are based. Their status inheres in their persons, yet their power can be extended or limited as the result of the abilities of individual Chiefs. Big Men's status is, technically, ad hoc in nature, yet the fact that wealth is a determining factor, and can be inherited, often means that Big Men are the sons of Big Men. A comparison of leadership in these two groups will demonstrate the essential similarities and differences between these two modes of leadership.
Trobriand chiefs are surrounded by etiquette. The chiefs described by Weiner enjoyed privileges that range from the exclusive right to tap their lime sticks on the insides of their lime pots to the exclusive right to polygyny. Their official visits were announced by blasts on a conch shell, they sat higher than anyone else in a gathering, could not use dishes that had been used by others, and the common people walked humbly bent over in their presence...