The Traditional Authority: Position of the Village Patriarch in Social Management of the Mnong People in Two Provinces of Dak Nong and Binh Phuoc at Present

Abstract

This writing deals with the position of the village patriarch in management of traditional society as well as examines it in relation with the position of the others who held authority in the Mnong society at present. To bring to light this issue, the author examined the three types of authorities (traditional authority, rational-legal authority, and charismatic authority) classified by Max Weber. The research findings show that in the Mnong communities which have many people following the Catholicism and Protestantism, the role of the village patriarch with own traditional authority becomes dimmer than that of the Mnong communities which have had small people following “new” religions. This practical situation indicates that the position of the village patriarch with charismatic authority in community management has had a lot of changes in contemporary society. There are even the places where this position only has remained as a traditional symbol of community but almost have not had its value of power in practice.