In the mid to late 19th Century, Abemama was ruled by a single paramount chief. This contrasts with the Northern Gilbert Islands where groups of families or "kainga" would have their own separate leaders, and the Southern Gilberts (from Nonouti southwards) where the old men or "unimwane" collectively would meet in the maneaba to govern. Some European sources describe the chiefly family of Abemama as "the Gilbert Islands ruling family" but local sources recognise that the "unimwane" wield much of the power even on Abemama, and governing the whole of the Gilbert Islands as a single unit is a logistical challenge even in modern times.