Akha - Sociopolitical Organization

Social Organization. Lacking stratified social classes, Akha society is egalitarian. Ties of patrilineal kinship and marriage alliance form the fabric of society, binding Akha within and between communities. Relative age is important in social organization; older persons are accorded respect. The village is a fundamental social unit whose members enact agricultural and other rituals in consort.

Political Organization. Although the Akha oral tradition speaks of princes and city-states, indigenous supralocal political organization is absent. A settlement cannot be founded without a village leader ( dzoe _v ma ), whose house is the first built. Ascension to this office, which is often hereditary, must be ratified by male elders. During the last century and the early part of this century, Akha communities were sometimes included within the spheres of influence of lowland princes. Village headmen, in charge of a single village or a circle of villages, were appointed by these princes. Whereas the traditional village leader is responsible for internal affairs, the village headman is responsible for external relations. Contemporary village headmen are part of the modern national administrative system.

Social Control. Social order is established and maintained by a system of behavioral rules ( zah ^v ) crosscutting kinship, religion, and etiquette. Customary fines for transgressions of zah ^v are levied by the village leader in conjunction with male elders. Akha are also subject to the national legal system.

Conflict. The oral tradition mentions warriors and warfare, but nonviolence is the norm of everyday life.