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{{short description|Leader of a tribal society or chiefdom}}
{{redirect|Chieftain}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=June 2010}}
{{Lead too short|date=July 2019}}
}}
{{Political anthropology|expanded=Basic concepts}}

A '''tribal chief''' or '''chieftain''' is the leader of a [[tribe|tribal society]] or [[chiefdom]].
[[File:A Coolie Chieftain.jpg|thumb|A portrait of [[Koli people|Koli]] tribal chief of [[Dahewan]] in [[Gujarat]], [[India]]]]

==Tribe==
The concept of [[tribe]] is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western [[Afroeurasia]].

Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as an intermediate stage between the [[band society]] of the [[Paleolithic]] stage and [[civilization]] with centralized, super-regional government based in [[Cities of the Ancient Near East|cities]].{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} Anthropologist [[Elman Service]] distinguishes two stages of tribal societies: simple societies organized by limited instances of social rank and prestige, and more [[stratified society|stratified societies]] led by chieftains or tribal kings ([[chiefdom]]s). Stratified tribal societies led by tribal kings are thought to have flourished from the [[Neolithic]] stage into the [[Iron Age]], albeit in competition with [[Urban area|urban]] civilisations and [[empire]]s beginning in the [[Bronze Age]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

In the case of tribal societies of [[indigenous peoples]] existing within larger colonial and post-colonial states, tribal chiefs may represent their tribe or ethnicity in a form of [[self-government]].

==Chieftain==
{{Main|Chiefdom#Concept}}
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2022}}

The most common types are the chairman of a council (usually of "[[Elder (administrative title)|elder]]s") and/or a broader [[popular assembly]] in "parliamentary" cultures, the war chief (may be an alternative or additional post in war time), the hereditary chief, and the politically dominant [[medicineman]].

The term is usually distinct from chiefs at lower levels, such as [[village headman|village chief]] (geographically defined) or [[clan chief]] (an essentially genealogical notion). The descriptive "tribal" requires an ethno-cultural identity (racial, linguistic, religious etc.) as well as some political (representative, legislative, executive and/or judicial) expression. In certain situations, and especially in a [[Colonialism|colonial]] context, the most powerful member of either a [[confederation]] or a [[federation]] of such tribal, clan or village chiefs would be referred to as a [[paramount chief]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Service|first1=Elman R|title=Primitive Social Organization: An Evolutionary Perspective|date=1976|publisher=Random House|location=Chicago, IL|isbn=0394316355|language=en|oclc=974107713|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/primitivesocialo0000serv}}</ref>

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2022}}
[[File:Arminius1.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Arminius]], a chieftain of the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Cherusci]] tribe who defeated three [[Roman legions]] in the [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]].]]

Classical sources of information about tribal societies are external descriptions such as from [[Greco-Roman ethnography]], which identified societies, surrounding the societies of the ethnographers, as tribal.

[[State (polity)|States]] and [[colonialism]], particularly in the last centuries, forced their central governments onto many remaining tribal societies.

In some instances tribes have retained or regained partial self-government and their lifestyles, with [[Indigenous rights|Indigenous peoples rights]] having been fought for and some being secured on state or international levels.

==Terms of specific tribal chiefdoms==
===Americas===
* ''[[Lonco]]'' (mapudungun: longko, "head") among the [[Mapuche]]
* [[Cacique|Morubixaba]] — tribal Cacique (chief) of the [[Tupi people]]
* Oubutu (among the Kalinago people of the southern Caribbean)
* Rajiv (among the central Trinidadian people of Freeport)
* Tyee, a tribal chief of the [[Chinookan peoples]] in the Pacific Northwest of the present-day United States<ref Name="Appleton">{{cite book | title = The Popular Science Monthly | publisher = Published 1889 D. Appleton | year= 1889 | location = Original from Harvard University | url = https://archive.org/details/popularsciencem28unkngoog | quote = tyee Chinook. | page = [https://archive.org/details/popularsciencem28unkngoog/page/n280 260] }}</ref><ref Name="Cramoisy">{{cite book | last = Gibbs | first = George | title = A Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon, Or, Trade Language of Oregon | publisher = Cramoisy Press | year = 1863 | url = https://archive.org/details/adictionarychin00gibbgoog | quote = tyee Chinook. | page = [https://archive.org/details/adictionarychin00gibbgoog/page/n92 28]}}</ref>
*[[Cacique]], a term used among the [[Taino]] Nation of the [[Caribbean islands]], later adopted by the Spanish to refer to all heads of [[chiefdoms]] whom they encountered: [[Cuauhtémoc]], [[Tecun Uman]], [[Tenamaxtli]], [[Atlácatl]], Lempira, [[Nicarao (cacique)]], [[Tupac Amaru II]]
*[[Sachem]], term of chiefdom of the [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] nations of present-day New England in the United States
*[[Afro-Bolivian monarchy|Afro Bolivian king]]

===Africa===
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2022}}
[[File:Rhodesia-chief-badge.jpg|thumb|Badge of office of Chief Gambo, [[Rhodesia]] {{Circa|1979}}.]]

* Ishe or She for male chiefs and Shekadzi for a woman ([[Shona language|Shona]] people of [[Zimbabwe]])
* Agwam ([[Atyap people|Atyap]] and [[Bajju people|Bajju]] people of central [[Nigeria]])
* [[Eze]] ([[Igbo people]] of Nigeria)
* Gbong Gwom Jos (of the [[Berom people]] of Nigeria)
* Ker ([[Luo people]])
* [[Kgosi]] (amongst the [[Tswana people]] of Botswana and South Africa)
* [[Lamido]] (in the Hausaland region of Niger and Nigeria)
* Mogho Naba (in the Ouagadougou region of Burkina Faso)
* [[Inkosi|Nkosi]] (Zulu, Ndebele and Xhosa peoples, South Africa and Zimbabwe)
* [[Oba (ruler)|Oba]] and [[Oloye]] (also in Nigeria, with various [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] and [[Bini people|Bini]] holders).
* [[Obai]] ([[Temne people]] of Sierra Leone)
* [[Omanhene]] (amongst the [[Akan people]]s of Ghana)<ref>{{cite web |title=Okudzeto, 13 others appointed by Akufo-Addo to Council of State |url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Okudzeto-13-others-appointed-by-Akufo-Addo-to-Council-of-State-510126 |website=GhanaWeb |access-date=23 May 2023 |language=en |date=14 February 2017}}</ref>
* [[Orkoiyot]] (Nandi people in Kenya)
* Obong (of the [[Efik people|Efik]] people of Calabar in Southern Nigeria)
* Tor Tiv of the [[Tiv people|Tiv]] people of Central Nigeria
* Uyini (meaning 'lord') of the [[Ukelle people (Nigeria)|Ukelle]] of Southern Nigeria

===Oceania and Southeast Asia===
* [[Aliʻi]] and Aliʻi nui were the chiefs and high chiefs of the islands of [[Hawaii Islands]]
* [[Ariki]], 'ariki henua
* [[Grade-taking]] systems of northern [[Vanuatu]]
* Ibedul
* Meena means Chief of tribals in South Asia.
* [[Iroijlaplap]]
* Maga'låhi and maga'håga, the first-borne male and female, respectively, joint heads of a [[Chamorro people|Chamorro]] clan, through the maternal line, of the [[Mariana Islands]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marsh |first1=Kelly G. |title=Maga'låhi: Highest Ranking Son |url=https://www.guampedia.com/maga-lahi-highest-ranking-son/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=10 March 2021 |date=October 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Marsh |first1=Kelly G. |title=Maga'håga: Highest Ranking Daughter |url=https://www.guampedia.com/maga-haga-2/ |website=Guampedia |access-date=10 March 2021 |date=October 14, 2020}}</ref>
* ''Matai'', in the Samoan ''[[fa'amatai]]'' system
* Nahnmwarki ([[Pohnpei]]), Lepen Palikir
*Pilung, a title for village, municipal and paramount chiefs and rulers of the [[Yap|Yap Islands]]
* [[Rangatira]], a chief of [[Māori people|Māori]] in New Zealand
* [[Ratu]], Fijian Chief, Malay for Queen
* [[Datu]], Malay and Filipino Chief

==Modern states or regions providing an organized form of tribal chiefships==
===Arabia===
Arabs, in particular peninsular [[Tribes of Arabia|Arabs]], nomadic Bedouins and many Iraqis and Syrians, are largely organized in tribes, many of whom have official representatives in governments. Tribal chiefs are known as [[sheikh]]s, though this term is also sometimes applied as an honorific title to spiritual leaders of Sufism.

===Bolivia===
The [[Afro-Bolivian community|Afro-Bolivian people]], a recognized ethnic constituency of Bolivia, are led by a [[Afro-Bolivian monarchy|king]] whose title is also recognized by the Bolivian government.

===Botswana===
In Botswana, the reigning [[kgosi]]s of the various tribes are legally empowered to serve as advisers to the government as members of the [[Ntlo ya Dikgosi]], the national [[House of Chiefs]]. In addition to this, they also serve as the ex officio chairs of the tribal ''kgotlas'', meetings of all of the members of the tribes, where political and social matters are discussed.

===Canada===
{{main|Band government}}

The band is the fundamental unit of governance among the [[First Nations in Canada]] (formerly called "Indians"). Most bands have elected chiefs, either directly elected by all members of the band, or indirectly by the band council, these chiefs are recognized by the Canadian state under the terms of the [[Indian Act]]. As well, there may be traditional hereditary or charismatic chiefs, who are usually not part of the Indian Act-sanctioned formal government. There were 614 bands in Canada in 2012.<ref>[http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100016202/1100100016204 Frequently Asked Questions About Aboriginal Peoples] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922104948/http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100016202/1100100016204|date=2013-09-22}}. Aadnc-aandc.gc.ca (2010-09-15). Retrieved on 2013-07-28.</ref> There is also a national organization, the [[Assembly of First Nations]], which elects a "national chief" to act as spokesperson of all First Nations bands in Canada.

===Ghana===
The offices and traditional realms of the [[Nana (title)|nana]]s of Ghana are constitutionally protected by the republican constitution of the country. The chiefs serve as custodians of all traditional lands and the cultures of the traditional areas. They also serve as members of the Ghanaian [[National House of Chiefs]].
===Latin America===
'''[[:es:Caciquismo|El caciquismo]]''' is a distorted form of government through which a political leader has total control of a rural society expressed as political [[clientelism]]. This concept was most widespread in Latin America in its different periods of history. In Spain and some Latin American countries, the word ''cacique'' is used pejoratively to refer to those who hold the power through obscure networks of influence even though this type of fraud is not related to [[pre-Columbian era]] civilizations

===Nigeria===
Although both the [[Nigerian traditional rulers]] and the wider [[Nigerian Chieftaincy|chieftaincy]] aren't mentioned in Nigeria's current [[Constitution of Nigeria|constitution]], they derive their powers from various so-called ''Chiefs laws'' and are therefore legally recognized. The traditional rulers and select chiefs usually serve as members of each federating state's [[State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs]].

===Oceania===
The [[Solomon Islands]] have a Local Court Act which empowers chiefs to deal with crimes in their communities, thus assuring them of considerable effective authority.

===Philippines===
Apo Rodolfo Aguilar (Kudol I) serves as the chieftain of the [[Tagbanwa people|Tagbanwa]] tribes people living in Banuang Daan and Cabugao settlements in Coron Island, Palawan, Philippines. His position is recognized by the Filipino government.

===South Africa===
Such figures as the [[king of the Zulu Nation]] and the [[Rain Queen|rain queen]] are politically recognized in South Africa because they derive their status, not only from tribal custom, but also from the Traditional Leadership Clause of the country's current constitution. Some of them are members of the [[National House of Traditional Leaders]].

===Uganda===
The pre-colonial states that existed in what is today Uganda were summarily abolished following independence from [[Great Britain]]. However, following constitutional reforms in 1993, a number of them were restored as politically neutral constituencies of the state by the government of [[Yoweri Museveni]]. Such figures as the [[kabaka of Buganda]] and the [[omukama of Toro]] typify the Ugandan chieftaincy class.

===United States===
{{further|Tribe (Native American)}}

====Historical cultural differences between tribes====
Generally, a tribe or nation is considered to be part of an [[ethnic group]], usually sharing cultural [[Value (personal and cultural)|value]]s.
For example, the forest-dwelling [[Chippewa]] historically built dwellings from the bark of trees. On the [[Great Plains]], where trees were rare, some tribes typically dwelt in skin-covered [[tipi]]s, usually acquiring the [[lodgepole pine|lodgepole]]s by trade, while other Plains tribes, such as the [[Pawnee people|Pawnee]], built their lodges of earth.{{ref|FieldMuseum}} The [[Pueblo people]] of the Southwest built their dwellings of stone and earth.

====Political power in a tribe====
A chief might be considered to hold all political power, say by oratory or by example. But on the North American continent, it was historically possible to evade the political power of another by migration. The [[Mingo]]s, for example, were [[Iroquois]] who migrated further west to the sparsely populated [[Ohio Country]] during the 18th century. Two Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, [[Hiawatha]] and [[the Great Peacemaker]], formulated a [[Iroquois constitution|constitution]] for the Iroquois Confederation.

The tribes [[Indian Wars|were pacified]] by units of the United States Army in the nineteenth century, and were also subject to forced schooling in the decades afterward. Thus, it is uncommon for today's tribes to have a purely Native American cultural background, and today Native Americans are in many ways simply another ethnicity of the secular American people. Because formal education is now respected, some like [[Peter MacDonald (Navajo leader)|Peter MacDonald]], a Navajo, left their jobs in the mainstream U.S. economy to become chairpeople of their tribal councils or similar self-government institutions.

Not all tribal leaders are or were men. [[Wilma Mankiller]] was a well-known chief of the Cherokee Nation. Also, the chief may not free to wield power without the consent of a council of elders of some kind. For example: [[Cherokee]] men were not permitted to go to war without the consent of the council of women.

Tribal government is an official form of government in the United States,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://firstgov.gov/Government/State_Local/Tribal_Sites.shtml |title=A-Z Index of Tribal Governments, A | USA.gov |publisher=Firstgov.gov |access-date=2012-03-08}}</ref> as it is in a number of countries around the world.

Historically, the U.S. government treated tribes as seats of political power, and made treaties with the tribes as legal entities. Be that as it may, the territory of these tribes fell under the authority of the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] as reservations held in trust for the tribes. Citizenship was formerly considered a tribal matter. For example, it was not until 1924 that the [[Pueblo people]] were granted U.S. citizenship, and it was not until 1948 that the Puebloans were granted the right to vote in state elections in New Mexico. In Wisconsin, the [[Menominee]] has its own county [[Menominee County, Wisconsin]] with special car license plates; 87% of the county's population is Native American.

Mainstream Americans often find pride and comfort in realizing that at least part of their ethnic ancestry is Native American, although the connection is usually only sentimental and not economic or cultural. Thus, there is some political power in one's ability to claim a Native American connection (as in the [[Black Seminole]]).{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

====Economic power in a tribe====
{{See also|Economy of the Iroquois}}

Because the Nations were sovereign, with treaty rights and obligations, the Wisconsin tribes innovated [[Native American gaming|Indian gaming]] in 1988,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/dec05/381080.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051231031253/http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/dec05/381080.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 31, 2005|title=JS Online: Tribal casino dispute heats up|date=Dec 31, 2005|access-date=Jul 16, 2020}}</ref> that is, on-reservation gambling casinos, which have since become a US$14 billion industry nationwide. This has been imitated in many of the respective states that still have indigenous American tribes. The money that this generates has engendered some political scandal. For example, the [[Tiwa Puebloans|Tigua]] tribe, which fled their ancestral lands in New Mexico during the Pueblo revolt of 1680, and who then settled on land in [[El Paso County, Texas]], has paid<ref>{{cite web|last=Myers |first=Lisa |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7575874 |title=4.2 million dollars in political contributions in Texas |publisher=NBC News |date=2005-04-20 |access-date=2012-03-08}}</ref> for a low probable return to the tribe because of the [[Jack Abramoff]] publicity.

Many of the tribes use professional management for their money. Thus, the [[Mescalero Apache]] renovated their Inn of the Mountain Gods to include gambling as well as the previous tourism, lodging, and skiing in the older Inn.

The Navajo nation defeated bids to open casinos in 1994, but by 2004 the [[Shiprock]] casino was a ''[[fait accompli]]''.

==In popular culture==
*American professional wrestler [[Roman Reigns]] has been using the [[Persona and reception of Roman Reigns|moniker]] "The Tribal Chief" as part of his [[Heel (professional wrestling)|villainous]] [[Gimmick (professional wrestling)|character]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sportsmanor.com/wwe-news-why-is-roman-reigns-called-the-tribal-chief/ | title=Why is Roman Reigns Called the Tribal Chief? | date=29 March 2022 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Cacique]]
*[[House of chiefs]]
*[[Indirect rule]]
*[[Opperhoofd]]
*[[Petty kingdom]]
*[[Sachem]]
*[[Sagamore (title)]]

== Explanatory notes==
*{{note|FieldMuseum}} The [[Field Museum]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]] has an exhibit on the [[Pawnee people|Pawnee]] earth lodge.
*{{note|FieldMuseum2}} The [[Field Museum]] has exhibits with artifacts, dress, tools and pottery of the [[Pueblo people]], the [[Pacific Northwest|Northwest]] tribes, the [[Plains tribes]] and the [[Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands]], especially those of the [[Midwest]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=69681 Death of Andamanese Tribal Chief in India]
*[http://firstgov.gov/Government/State_Local/Tribal_Sites.shtml List of Tribal Governments in the United States]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tribal chiefs| ]]
[[Category:Government]]
[[Category:Heads of state]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Positions of authority]]
[[Category:Titles and offices of Native American leaders]]
[[Category:Titles of national or ethnic leadership]]

Tribal chief - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article