ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the institution of chieftaincy as it took shape in Mushin: its structure, its functions, the reasons for its growth and significance in the contemporary urban setting of Mushin. Developing a chieftaincy system in the 1950s may seem, on the surface, to have been an anachronism. The models for a chieftaincy system surrounded the new District of Mushin, and thus, when its leaders were in a position to bring cultural content to political aspiration, chiefship was a logical choice. In creating a chieftaincy system the leaders of Mushin were expanding the political resources of the community not only for those whose favour they sought but also for themselves. The indigenous Awori strongly protested against the right of migrant settlers to hold senior chieftaincy titles. The minutes of the Mushin District Council and chieftaincy meetings, and many oral histories recited to the author, were filled with disputes between people claiming to be the rightful street founder.
