Political and Leadership

structures
a) Political Organization
BANDS
• A band is usually a very small,
oftentimes nomadic, group that is
connected by family ties and is
politically independent.
• Bands are usually referred to as
being egalitarian societies,
societies in which all persons of
the same age and gender are
seen as equals. Now notice, this
doesn't mean that men and
women are always equal, it more
means that men are equal to men
and women are equal to women.
TRIBE
• A tribe is a combination of smaller
kin or non-kin groups, linked by a
common culture, that usually act
as one. Sort of multi-grouped and
usually bigger than bands, tribes
tend to contain communities that
are a bit larger.
• Tribes often dabble in agriculture
and herding, making it easier to
support a larger yet still rather
small population.
CHIEFDOMS
• A chiefdom is a political unit
headed by a chief, who holds
power over more than one
community group. With more
than one community
involved, chiefdoms are
usually more densely
populated. Also, as the name
chief implies, chiefdoms are
not egalitarian but instead
have social rank, with the
chief and his family holding
• Since chiefs are usually chosen by heredity, this usually
gives his family and their inner circle the reigns to power.
In fact, many chiefdoms practice redistribution, in which
goods are accumulated by one central person or power,
who then decides how to allocate them among the
people.
STATE
• The state is a body of
government. All the rules
and laws, the government
officials and their titles, the
physical boundaries and
those who define them -
these make up the state.
The state is what makes a
country run from a political,
practical standpoint.