tribal society

Way of life in which people govern their own affairs as independent local communities of families and clans without central government organizations or states. They are found in parts of Southeast Asia, New Guinea, South America, and Africa.

As the world economy expands, natural resources belonging to tribal peoples are coveted and exploited for farming or industrial use and the people are frequently dispossessed. Pressure groups such as Survival International and Cultural Survival have been established in some Western countries to support the struggle of tribal peoples for property rights as well as civil rights within the borders of the countries of which they are technically a part.

Self-sufficiency The tribal way of life enables people to make an adequate living without overexploiting their land and they occupy some of the world's last natural environments, such as the tropical rainforest. The self-sufficiency of a tribal way of life means that there are no great inequalities of wealth or power but it also makes it difficult for people to organize themselves into large groups.

Social organization Tribal societies consist of families and clans that are related to their neighbours from one district to the next. Fairly small groups tend to develop their own distinctive languages and customs, and local communities often feud with each other. For these reasons tribal societies have often found it difficult to defend themselves from outsiders.

History In Roman history the word ‘tribe’ denoted one of the political divisions of the Romans, originally three in number, probably representing clans, and ultimately numbering 35. The Israelites were divided into 12 tribes, descendants of the sons of Jacob. There were also tribes among the ancient Greeks.