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The political structure The old sources are not clear, and even contradictory, on the subject of the political structure on Enggano. The male and female leaders of the suku - called ekapu and ekaahuoi respectively [26] - were probably very important. The nineteenth-century authors, however, merely concentrated on territorial divisions and related leadership. The number of hamlets [27] counted by different authors varies greatly, and the relationship between the villages and the kin groups is also not clear. Nowadays the modern Indonesian system of leadership, involving kepala desa (village heads), prevails on the island. Nonetheless family leaders still play an important role. Present male suku leaders are not always the oldest men, or the oldest brother of the female head of the suku. They are chosen for their capacities among the possible candidates, who have to be related to the main female line of the suku. | |
