chiefdom
Chief's political domain
A chiefdom is a territory or people ruled by a chief, or the position of being a chief.
The term appears most often in anthropology, describing a form of social organization between tribes and states: Archaeological evidence suggests these villages were organized into chiefdoms.
It can also refer to any domain where someone holds chief authority.
Governing principle or standard
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- leadershipAbility to direct others
- administrationOrganizational oversight and control
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
tribute · taxation · redistribution · allegiance · fealty · patronage · adjudication · council
Related group sharing ancestry
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- descentDownward slope or lineage
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
bloodline · kinfolk · inheritance · primogeniture · patrilineal · matrilineal · royal family · genealogy
Position in hierarchy
- statusOne's relative position
- nobilityTitled ruling class
- eliteSuperior select group
- eldersSenior community members
stratification · subordination · succession · headman · royal lineage · commoners · nobles · titleholders
Area of control
- realmGoverned territory or sphere
- landEarth's solid surface
- bordersLines separating regions
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
province · region · district · enclave · frontier · boundary · demarcation · jurisdiction
Originating in a region
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
ancestors · totem · shaman · folklore · taboo · tribespeople · ethnicity · oral history
Organized governmental system
- statecraftArt of government
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- dominationSupreme authority held
- regimeSystem of governance
suzerainty · hegemony · confederation · alliance · rival · warfare · raiding · diplomacy
rule
Governing principle or standard
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- leadershipAbility to direct others
- administrationOrganizational oversight and control
sovereignty · tribute · taxation · redistribution · allegiance · fealty · patronage · adjudication · council · decree
clan
Related group sharing ancestry
dynasty · bloodline · kinfolk · inheritance · primogeniture · patrilineal · matrilineal · royal family · genealogy · birthright
rank
Position in hierarchy
elders · stratification · subordination · succession · headman · royal lineage · commoners · nobles · titleholders · council of elders
domain
Area of control
territory · province · region · district · enclave · frontier · boundary · demarcation · jurisdiction · heartland
indigenous
Originating in a region
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
ceremony · ancestors · totem · shaman · folklore · taboo · tribespeople · ethnicity · oral history · sacred sites
polity
Organized governmental system
- statecraftArt of government
- powerEnergy transfer rate
- dominationSupreme authority held
regime · suzerainty · hegemony · confederation · alliance · rival · warfare · raiding · diplomacy · expansion
- governmentsdemocracy, monarchy, autocracy, oligarchy, republic
- jurisdictionscounty, city, province, state, counties
- societiescivilization, secret societies, nation, literary societies, tribal society
- administrative divisionsprovince, district, county, region, state
- politiesnation, state, country, kingdom, empire
- social hierarchycaste system, caste, class, class system, ranks
chiefdomempire
Domain under unified control
nation-state · kingdom · state · republic · centralized government