Grade-taking

Grade-taking is a term used in anthropology for social systems under which individuals rise in status and authority by performing a series of ceremonies. Grade-taking was the system of leadership in pre-colonial societies of northern Vanuatu, typically involving the killing of valuable pigs; it is still actively practiced in some areas. With each grade, a participant acquires a named rank, and the right to display certain insignia or perform certain rituals. The specifics vary between cultures. Lower grades are typically taken in one's youth and involve the killing of only one or a few low-value pigs. However, at the highest grades hundreds of pigs may be killed, including valuable 'tusker boars'. Although there is a clear hierarchy of grades, they do not necessarily need to be taken in strict sequence, and individuals with sufficient resources may occasionally skip grades and move directly to higher levels. Grade-taking is primarily a male activity, but in some areas there are parallel grade-taking systems practiced by women.

Grade-taking is a term used in anthropology for social systems under which individuals rise in status and authority by performing a series of ceremonies. Grade-taking was the system of leadership in pre-colonial societies of northern Vanuatu, typically involving the killing of valuable pigs; it is still actively practiced in some areas. With each grade, a participant acquires a named rank, and the right to display certain insignia or perform certain rituals. The specifics vary between cultures. Lower grades are typically taken in one's youth and involve the killing of only one or a few low-value pigs. However, at the highest grades hundreds of pigs may be killed, including valuable 'tusker boars'. Although there is a clear hierarchy of grades, they do not necessarily need to be taken in strict sequence, and individuals with sufficient resources may occasionally skip grades and move directly to higher levels. Grade-taking is primarily a male activity, but in some areas there are parallel grade-taking systems practiced by women.

Grade-taking and chiefdom

The concept of a "chief" - an individual with specific authority over a community, rather than a ranked assortment of men with varying degrees of power and influence, was introduced to northern Vanuatu following contact with Europeans. Having a high rank in the grade-taking system is not technically the same as being a chief, though the two concepts are widely conflated, and chiefs tend to be individuals of high rank in the grade-taking system. Individuals of high rank in grade-taking societies generally wield authority only within their own local communities. Although some may sit as representatives on national and regional Councils of Chiefs, there is no traditional concept of a "paramount chief" with authority over an entire region.

Grade-taking by area

See also

Narave pig

Notes

References

Jolly, Margaret. "Gifts, commodities and corporeality: Food and gender in South Pentecost, Vanuatu." Canberra Anthropology 14.1 (1991): 45-66. Taylor, J P. Ways of the land tree Tryon, Darrell. "Identity and power in Vanuatu." The New Pacific Review (1999): 32. Winch-Dummett, Carlene. Pigs, Tusks and Precious Red Mats

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