Final answer:
The claim about Big-man and Big-woman leadership relying on personal ties and redistributive feasts in Papua New Guinea is true. These leaders gain informal power through wealth and services to the community, different from formal power systems seen in chiefdoms, where leaders practice redistribution by collecting and redistributing tributes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Big-man and Big-woman leadership in Papua New Guinea relies on political power developed through personal ties and redistributive feasts is true. The role of a big man is an informal one, whereby individuals gain influence not through formal political structures, but through personal wealth, generosity, and the organization of community events such as feasts, which serve to redistribute wealth. These leaders gain loyalty and respect through their actions, particularly by settling disputes and aiding others in the community, like assisting young men in paying bride wealth. Their power is persuasive rather than coercive, and rooted in their ability to provide for, and serve the community rather than in any official governmental capacity.
Similarly, in other societies with centralized political systems like chiefdoms, leaders accumulate wealth and then use it for redistribution, providing benefits such as social order and conflict resolution. This type of system is characterized by a hierarchical tribute system, as was observed in pre-contact Hawaiian society. Both the big man system and the hierarchical chiefdom illustrate the practice of redistribution as a means of maintaining authority and leadership in different societal structures.