Pigs were the principal objects of wealth: They were accumulated, traded, loaned, and paid out to resolve disputes. Pigs were ... the central religious object: They were pampered, revered, and finally sacrificed, their skulls bashed in with a sanctified club in a ritual ceremony that moved a man up the social ladder. A set number of pigs of a certain value each were required for the attainment of chiefly rank. As the pigs were killed, the killer assumed their spirits, gaining power and prestige among his clan.