ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the operation of social controls as did function among the Chiga. The social groups operate in a state of unstable equilibrium. They serve to define some of the basic areas of individual loyalties, but do not enforce or limit them. Sanctions are, on the whole, imposed on the principle of self-help by the individual or the group directly affected by some misconduct or failure to meet obligations, rather than by the kin group of the offender or by any neutral authority. As in many other societies, action by other persons covers only part of the field of possible punishment for offences. Direct supernatural sanctions also play a role in supporting rules of conduct, particularly those expressed as absolute proscriptions and prescriptions. They also serve an interesting purpose as bulwarks of parental authority and instigators of direct human action.
