How chiefs became kings

Name: How chiefs became kings
Author: [by] Patrick Vinton Kirch
ISBN: 9780520267251

by [by] Patrick Vinton Kirch (2201)

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About this book

In How Chiefs Became Kings, PKirch addresses a central problem in anthropological archaeology: the emergence of "archaic states" whose distinctive feature was divine kingship. Kirch takes as his focus the Hawaiian archipelago, commonly regarded as the archetype of a complex chiefdom. Integrating anthropology, linguistics, archaeology, traditional history, and theory, and drawing on significant contributions from his own four decades of research, Kirch argues that Hawaiian polities had become states before the time of Captain Cook's voyage (1778-1779). The status of most archaic states is inferred from the archaeological record. But Kirch shows that because Hawai'i's kingdoms were established relatively recently, they could be observed and recorded by Cook and other European voyagers. Substantive and provocative, this book makes a major contribution to the literature of precontact Hawai'i and illuminates Hawai'i's importance in the global theory and literature about divine, kingship, archaic states, and sociopolitical evolution. --Jacket.

Setting / LocationGlobal

Story EraModern Era

Protagonist / CoreHow chiefs became kings Lead Character

Themes & Moods

Politics & Current Affairs Chiefdoms -- Hawaii -- History Hawaiians -- Kings and rulers First contact of aboriginal peoples with Westerners -- Hawaii Hawaiians -- Politics and government Chiefdoms Modern Era

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