Rivalries

Big Man systems are inherently unstable because it is difficult to translate organizational abilities into exclusive resource control.

Any male can become a big man, at least in theory. 

Big men attract and maintain followers by promising rewards, either in actual payment or in prestige.  However, the larger the number of followers, the more exploited key followers are and the more easily they are wooed by other aspiring big men.  So, big men are always looking over their shoulders and can not institutionalize their power.

potlatch