The third class is the workers, the rijerbal. the large majority of people. Obviously, thdse constitute The question of land tenure is a vewy complicated issue, even to the Marshallese themselves, and there have been sdveral studies conducted on land tenure. A good example is Dr. Michael A. Rynkiewfch's entitled Adoption and Land Tenure Among Arno Marshallese . The traditional way of life gave the chief final authority over men and women and consequently, whatever took place in society was very[much under the benevolent eyes and observance and protection of the iroij. This Eraditional way of life may appear to be changing with the introduction of a dem@cratic form of government that has a constitution, election, and bureaucratigation. apparent, however, that the traditional stratification system is It is very much at the heart of the social structure, and that any willful or unwillfql ignorance of this fact would be dealing with a veneer of democratic modernity over the real body politic--the iroij, alab, and rijerbal social structure. The social organization of the Marshall Islands can readily identified as belonging to the Gemeinschaft, or primary group, of societal ideRl types. This means that life is based on face-to-face, personal, small grodp interaction. This also means that respect for traditional authority, for customs, for the standard ways of doing thigs is uppermost in the minds of peoplq. observed that the most important aspect of successful programs It has been [Jn the Marshall Istands as in all such societies is based on recognition of the rpalities of the social structure, its authority, its traditions, etc., and sinc@rely complying with and respecting the local traditions and culture. The following quotations clearly demonstrate this need: Article 16, Section C, of the contract between the government of the Marshall Islands and the S.D.A. Guam-Micronesia Mission, executed February 14, 1980: "The Contractor hereby agrees to take Marshallese custom and tradition into account in its administration of the health services system and to respect the same. No employee shall be compelled by reason of employment by the Contractor to do any act or refrain from doing any act which would violate Marshallese custom and tradition. "On question of custom and tradition the Contractor, as the party responsible for management and control of the health services system, shall have the same right as any department or agency of the Government to seek the advace of the Traditional Rights Court of. the Marshall Islands on questions of custom and tradition." In an interview with Mr. Oscar DeBrum, Chief Secretary of the Government of the Marshall Islands, Mr. DeBrum said: