precolonial
Before settlers arrived
Precolonial describes the period before a region came under colonial rule by a foreign power: precolonial African societies, precolonial trade routes.
The term appears most often in historical and anthropological contexts, examining cultures and systems that existed before European colonization disrupted or displaced them.
Originating from a place
- aboriginalIndigenous to a place
- autochthonousOriginating where found
- tribalOf a clan
- ethnicOf a cultural group
peoples · community · local · homeland · territory · sovereignty · self-governance · autonomy
Of a clan
- clansRelated family groups
- chieftainLeader of a tribe
- kinshipState of being related
- patriarchyMale-dominated social order
matriarchy · caste · polygamy · communal · village · agrarian · nomadic · pastoralist
Traditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
traditions · taboos · totems · shamanism · festivals · storytelling · cosmology · spirituality
Descent from progenitors
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- forebearsAncestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
descent · genealogy · clan · dynasty · kindred · patriarchs · matriarchs · kinship
Not damaged or degraded
- untouchedNot contacted or affected
- naturalNot artificially produced
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- undisturbedFree from interference
intact · preserved · unadulterated · unexploited · uncolonized · autonomous · self-determined · sovereign
Complex organized human societies
- empiresExtensive ruled territories
- kingdomsMonarch-ruled territories
- monumentsStructures commemorating notable achievements
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
temples · artifacts · archaeology · pyramids · manuscripts · relics · inscriptions · megaliths
native
Originating from a place
- aboriginalIndigenous to a place
- autochthonousOriginating where found
- tribalOf a clan
ethnic · peoples · community · local · homeland · territory · sovereignty · self-governance · autonomy · stewardship
tribal
Of a clan
patriarchy · matriarchy · caste · polygamy · communal · village · agrarian · nomadic · pastoralist · barter
customs
Traditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
mythology · traditions · taboos · totems · shamanism · festivals · storytelling · cosmology · spirituality · animism
lineage
Descent from progenitors
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
- forebearsAncestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
bloodline · descent · genealogy · clan · dynasty · kindred · patriarchs · matriarchs · kinship · elders
unspoiled
Not damaged or degraded
- untouchedNot contacted or affected
- naturalNot artificially produced
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
undisturbed · intact · preserved · unadulterated · unexploited · uncolonized · autonomous · self-determined · sovereign · independent
civilizations
Complex organized human societies
- empiresExtensive ruled territories
- kingdomsMonarch-ruled territories
- monumentsStructures commemorating notable achievements
ruins · temples · artifacts · archaeology · pyramids · manuscripts · relics · inscriptions · megaliths · ziggurats
- Philippine historypresidents, Spanish rule, vice president, revolutionaries, Imelda
precolonialcolonial
Of occupied territories
postcolonial · post-independence · neocolonial · decolonized · colonial-era
colony, colonial, colonist, colonize, colonies, colonization, colonialism, colonizer, colonized