House of chiefs

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A House of chiefs is an assembly, either legislative or advisory, that is neither representative (by general elections) nor simply appointed and/or filled ex-officio, but consists of all or part of the traditional leaders, known as chiefs, of a country or polity.

Historically, especially in colonial times, chiefs were often used as instruments of indirect rule, and/or convenient alternatives to elective institutions.

Contents 1 Cases 1.1 Africa 1.2 Pacific 1.3 Other 2 Alternatives

[edit] Cases

In the post-colonial age, various Houses of chiefs and similar assemblies have existed in various nations:

[edit] Africa

• In Botswana, the House of Chiefs of Botswana.
• In Ghana, Africa's first independent republic, the National House of Chiefs, representing the various Regional Houses of Chiefs. [1]
• In the federal republic of Nigeria, Africa's most populous state, there were several Houses of Chiefs and plans have been drawn up for a new House of Traditional Rulers in Edo state.
  • also formerly in (ex-German, British>Nigerian) Southern Cameroons (1958- ) [2]
• In Somaliland, there is an institution called the House of Elders, whose membership consists of the various Sultans of Somaliland.
• In South Africa, the colonial House of Chiefs fell into disuse, but was revived post-Apartheid, first within the ruling ANC party, then in the new province.
• In Zambia (1996 constitution). [3]

[edit] Pacific

• In the Polynesian island state of Fiji - not to be confused with the Great Council of Chiefs (Fiji), or Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian.
• In the former kingdom Hale o na Alii o Hawaii (House of Chiefs of Hawaii).
• In the Marshall Islands.
• In the Republic of Palau.
• In the Solomon Islands, the so-called Gela House of Chiefs or Gela Vaukolu.
• In Vanuatu.

[edit] Other

The term has also been used for similar assemblies of tribal leaders, as among certain American Indians, but these were tiny and neither organized states nor colonial institutions.

[edit] Alternatives

Another way to include traditional Chiefs in a nation's political life is to assign to them a number of seats in a wider assembly. This is the case in the unicameral republic of Zimbabwe (10 Chiefs alongside various presidential appointees and 120 elected members in the House of Assembly under Mugabe's constitution).