Final answer:
Conflict resolution in chiefdoms or states is typically referred to as bargaining, in which a chief or king, often aided by a council, arbitrates disputes among parties. Chiefs have the authority to enforce settlements, as seen with the leopard-skin chief among the Nuer. Formal bargaining and advisory councils are central to this resolution process in highly stratified and centralized societies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Process of Conflict Resolution in Chiefdoms and States
The term used to describe the process whereby issues between disputing parties are resolved by a third party in chiefdoms or states is known as bargaining. In societal structures with formal positions of leadership, such as chiefdoms, a chief or a king is usually involved in the resolution process. These leaders may have a council of elders or a group of advisors to consult with on community matters. Chiefs wield the authoritative power backed by hereditary rights to arbitrate conflicts within their jurisdiction. They can negotiate settlements, such as those carried out by the leopard-skin chief among the Nuer, who was a respected neutral party due to their position being outside of the disputing parties' lineage. Anthropologists have noted that in centralized societies like chiefdoms and states, leaders have a set of political strategies to settle disputes, which often include formal bargaining procedures. For instance, Councils, which play more of an advisory role in chiefdoms, may partake in this process, whereas in acephalous societies they are the central decision-making bodies. In chiefdoms, decision-making and conflict resolution become more formalized, often leading to more stratified societies where authority is centralized. To provide examples of chiefdoms, we could look at the Akan people and the large pyramidal systems they formed through alliances between village chiefs and regional chiefs, which might include a very powerful chief at the top. Different pressures, such as population growth, social stratification, militaristic threats, and trade opportunities have historically contributed to the centralization of power within such chiefdoms, gradually transforming them into states.