Przywództwo lineażowe w Afryce - między imperatywem krwi a wymogiem tradycji

In most simple societies it is possible to find different forms of the political power. Apart from the usual exercise of the power as government of the common matters, inside these groups the politics concerns the socialization of the youths preparing them to their social functions, the confrontation and adaptation of the interests of the group and the communication of the symbols. Outside the groups the politics of the lineage authority defends the integrity of the group and regulates the relationship between different lineages of the neighbourhood. The lineage authority bases on the kinship and the territory. The author presents the dynamic structure of the lineage and different factors having influence on the power of line- age authority. First, it is the kinship and the age hierarchy which cause the continuous change in lineages through the process of segmentation and fusion. Then, it is the territory which constitutes another important element of authority because its property remains in hands of the head of the whole lineage. Next, the author exposes the role of the ancestors as warrants of the political order and in the end he shows that the marriage as a contract between two segments or lineages can be an important means of political influence. The lineage authority disposes of sufficient political instruments to wield power without any coercive means.