chiefdoms
Tribal leadership zones
Chiefdoms are societies organized under the authority of a chief—more complex than tribes but lacking the formal institutions of states.
In anthropology, chiefdom describes a middle stage of political development where hereditary leaders hold power over multiple communities: Pacific Island chiefdoms, the chiefdoms of pre-colonial Africa.
The term also refers simply to territories ruled by chiefs.
Leader of a community
- rulerOne who governs
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- governanceHow authority is exercised
- commandAuthoritative instruction given
jurisdiction · rule · succession · regency · stewardship · power · legitimacy · decision-making
Descent from progenitors
- clansRelated family groups
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- descentDownward slope or lineage
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
marriage · polygyny · patrilineal · matrilineal · elders · family · bloodline · dynasty
Division into distinct levels
- rankPosition in hierarchy
- eliteSuperior select group
- nobilityTitled ruling class
- aristocracyRule by hereditary elite
commoners · paramount · headmen · caste · inequality · subordination · tribute · redistribution
Organized governmental system
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
- centralizationUnifying control in one place
- confederationAutonomous entities united loosely
- allianceFormal union of parties
warfare · tribute · redistribution · expansion · consolidation · complexity · integration · administration
Formal observances with ritual
- ritesFormal ceremonial acts
- shamanismMediation between worlds
- totemsSpiritual clan symbols
- taboosSocially proscribed practices
feasting · sacrifice · cosmology · sacred · priests · oracles · divination · regalia
Systematic study of peoples
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- PolynesiaEastern Oceania's island groups
- MississippianNative of a southern state
- HawaiiPacific island state
Tonga · Zulu · precolonial · prehistoric · Mesoamerica · sub-Saharan · sociopolitical · evolution
headman
Leader of a community
- rulerOne who governs
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- governanceHow authority is exercised
command · jurisdiction · rule · succession · regency · stewardship · power · legitimacy · decision-making · council
lineage
Descent from progenitors
inheritance · marriage · polygyny · patrilineal · matrilineal · elders · family · bloodline · dynasty · genealogy
stratification
Division into distinct levels
aristocracy · commoners · paramount · headmen · caste · inequality · subordination · tribute · redistribution · prestige
polity
Organized governmental system
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
- centralizationUnifying control in one place
- confederationAutonomous entities united loosely
alliance · warfare · tribute · redistribution · expansion · consolidation · complexity · integration · administration · diplomacy
ceremonies
Formal observances with ritual
taboos · feasting · sacrifice · cosmology · sacred · priests · oracles · divination · regalia · temples
ethnography
Systematic study of peoples
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- PolynesiaEastern Oceania's island groups
- MississippianNative of a southern state
Hawaii · Tonga · Zulu · precolonial · prehistoric · Mesoamerica · sub-Saharan · sociopolitical · evolution · complexity
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- MesoamericaMaya, Aztec, Aztecs, Aztec Empire, Olmec
- African politicsNigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Pan-Africanism, Mali
- ancient societiesMaya civilization, Mayan civilization, Aztec Empire, Inca Empire, African kingdoms
- Hawaiian KingdomKamehameha, King Kamehameha, royal family, throne room, royal palaces
- Uganda HistoryIdi Amin, Kampala, Entebbe, 1962, colonial rule
chiefdomskingdoms
Monarch-ruled territories
states · empires · nation-states · city-states · bands