1. leader, chief (also lida, lidaman, lidameri)
- ol bikman bilong ples the village leaders
- ol bikman bilong sios the church hierarchy
- ol bikman bilong kampani the company executives
2. specifically a Melanesian ‘big-man’ style of leader. A big-man is a traditional leader who has achieved his position, classically by virtue of political oratory and exchange of wealth in a system of customary exchange, and today by electoral success and its consequent patronage. He may well marry several wives, particular in the Papua New Guinea Highlands where this is (today) a important way of extending political connections.
- Bikman em i man i gat nem na i makim maus bilong ol pipol.
A big-man is a man with a reputation and who speaks for his people. - Ol bikman i wok long salim pik i go i kam.
The big-men are exchanging pigs among themselves.