Chiefdoms

The Asantehene (King of Ashanti) in procession

Characteristics leadership roles are hereditary seldom a fixed rule of succession chief's position usually involves the control of prestige and symbolic forms of wealth holds and acquire wealth through public office and can command special services from his, usually in the form of customary obligations rather than a formal taxation system, obligated to show public generosity in the redistribution of wealth authority is predominantly sanctioned through ritual processes => divine kingship territorial divisions are semi autonomous and represented at the top by locally selected officials.