Politics and Hierarchy
The Hopewell inherited from their Adena forebearers an incipient social stratification. This increased social stability and reinforced sedentism, social stratification, specialized use of resources, and, probably, population growth. Hopewell societies cremated most of their deceased and reserved burial for only the most important people. In some sites, it appears that hunters received a higher status in the community because their graves were more elaborate and contained more status goods.
The Hopewellian peoples had leaders, but they were not like powerful rulers who could command armies of slaves and soldiers. It is likely these cultures accorded certain families a special place of privilege. Some scholars suggest that these societies were marked by the emergence of “big-men”. These leaders acquired their position because of their ability to persuade others to agree with them on important matters such as trade and religion. They also perhaps were able to develop influence by the creation of reciprocal obligations with other important members of the community. Whatever the source of their status and power, the emergence of “big-men” was another step toward the development of the highly structured and stratified sociopolitical organization called the chiefdom.
Read more about this topic: Hopewell Tradition
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