-g= except when the Council asks the son<-tradicioual elite fer scvice in the area of their specialities. On the surface the scene looks very much like that which I had observed in 1957. But IT had been on Fili less than a week this year whea I began to hear that not uncomuonly the decizions arrived st reasonably in council were later overruled unilaterally either hy the Magistrate, acting very much the troij, or by his “executive officer" who holds the public office of Policeman and stands next in line to succeed the iroij. The Kili coamenity is a village in two sections; the Magi crace €iroii}) is tep wan in the eastern section and the Policeman (heir apparent} is top aan in the western section, deferring only to the iroij} in matters involving the entire community. Before proceeding to an expicnation of this apparent revivel of a aysten of traditional authority, let us examine briefly a few community activities and look at the way in which decisions are being made. (1) ~ Large marine fishes like the tuna are still brought to the iroij. One of his ifeutenants divides the fish into two parts which are further divided within the two sections of the village and their constituent households. The authority of distribution continues in the Bikini tradition. My parting gift to the community in September, a sizeable assortment of soap, clgarettes, and chewing gux, was divided in the same manner. (2) Twice each year since 1957 ex-Bikinians have received nearly $5,000 from the Trust Territory adminietration, this being che interest on a $300,000 trust fund established in partial payment for their land rights at Bikini. This amount is now divided among some 450 persons, about of 150 o£ whom live elsewhere in the Marshalls, largely the result of out-marriage. some kin tie with the Bikini landholding lineages. All claim The Council determines policy and supervises distributior «7tbi:: money, but in several test cases