The Chief is, among the indigenous Amazonian peoples, not a commander, but one with a matter of technical competence in discrete fields oratorical talent, expertise as a hunter, ability to coordinate martial activities as well as the persuasive power of constantly renewed generosity.
The Chief is he who exist because there are, in every group of human beings, men who, unlike their companions, love importance for its own sake, take a delight in responsibilities, and find rewards enough in those very burdens of public life from which their fellows shrink.
A Chief is a man who assumes responsibility. He says "I was beaten," he does not say "My men were beaten.