Marvin Harris, USA (1927 – 2001)
Summary in English
"Life Without Chiefs" is an anthropological essay that represents how the egalitarian society of the past turned into the present society based on the stages, empires and hierarchical one. In the present world, human beings cannot exist without some people ruling and others beings ruled. However, the greater part of human existence went without chiefs. Human beings lived a far greater part without kings, queens, presidents and ministers. In the prehistoric society, people were selfless, equal, discrimination and inequalities due to the cultural revolution.
In the egalitarian society, there were no governments, political parties, courts, chiefs, police, army, institutions, leaders, weapons and so on. People used to live in small group sharing whatever they had. The society was run by the headmen who were never selfish. There were no wars, violence, crimes, and hierarchies. However, there was no room for gratitude or thanks in the egalitarian societies. Anyone who wanted to be superior was left alone in such societies. During the reign of egalitarian headman, no individual could control access to natural resources. Rivers, plants, animals and the land were all communal property.
After the rapid growth of the population, human cultures got changed. The Headmen turned into Bigmen. Douglas Oliver reports that the Bigmen were also known as 'Mumis'. The Bigmen slowly turned into Chief. People became powerful with the industrialization: the modern world has become very much selfish, hierarchical, commercial and materialistic. From peaceful origin, human beings are heading towards nuclear war, violence and destruction. In the modern world, there are chiefs, government, police, army, leaders, courts and institution which control, guide and rule the common people. There is full of war discrimination, injustice and inequalities here and there. Therefore, we, modern people have to learn moral lesson from the very past egalitarian society.
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