ABSTRACT
What is the meaning of ‘political system’ for a community such as Tikopia? In such a small-scale, technologically and economically under-developed community many of the forms and functions of what we ordinarily recognize as government must obviously be lacking. So also are the privileges and obligations of ordinary citizenship. For the British Solomon Islands, the rights of citizenship have been held to include: care in sickness and old age; assistance in time of famine and disaster; protection by the courts of life, land and property. The obligations of citizenship include: obedience to the law; payment of head tax; obedience to orders of headmen in conformity with the instructions of District Commissioner or High Commissioner; compliance with council resolutions; fulfilment of customary obligations. 1 By 1952, the British Solomon Islands Government had established some medical services on Tikopia, and had demonstrated their willingness to afford help in famine and disaster. But they had not established any form of local government on the island, and there were no courts, no head tax, no headman and no council.
