Existing comment:
Hierarchy:
The social organization of Cahokia was based on a powerful hierarchy of chiefs. A strong kinship system unified the population as a thriving economy and culture developed.
Mississippian social control was organized in a hierarchy that classified people according to rank and authority under the chieftain who controlled the principal community. The degree of central control depended upon the nearness of a community to the principal community.
Succession:
The chieftainship was probably hereditary, passing from generation to generation following a kinship line of succession. A fairly stable mechanism for shifting power from one generation to another existed within lineages, clans, and communities, providing for continuity and growth. |