Networks of power in the Chaco world: Practices, institutions, and ideologies of collective action

In 2006, Lynne Sebastian synthesized political models used for Chaco society and argued that past interpretations were too heavily reliant on outdated models that stressed centralized hierarchy and neo-evolutionary typologies. She especially drew upon Susan McIntosh's book, Beyond Chiefdoms: Pathways to Complexity in Africa, and argued that power should be looked at in relational terms and that 'wealth in people' rather than material wealth was more important in Chaco's development. We revisit Sebastian's argument to make the case for a relational perspective on the Chaco World that includes the networks of practices, institutions, and ideologies through which power was created and used, especially for cooperative activities. We focus on three primary institutions: matrilineal households, ritual sodalities, and pan-village councils that contributed to Chaco's complex organization. Each of these groups drew on material and immaterial resources to accomplish their goals, such as charismatic species, colorful pigments, and long-distance goods that we argue were essential for attracting people. Such an approach opens up the interpretive arena on Chaco governance to include a wider variety of ways in which decision-making and leadership were structured that account for large-scale collective action over multiple social and spatial scales.