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subtribe

subtribe

7.4
A small group of people inside a larger tribe with its own leader
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌbtraɪb/
translation icon : subtribu
  • When a subchief died, a successor replaced him at the head of the subtribe.
  • bands and subtribes
  • three subtribes
  • subtribe names

Examples

  • Like regional bands, Pai subtribes formed around kinship ties and leadership roles.

    Academic text (1998)
  • There is little direct evidence for Pai subtribes as viable and important social and political units.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Again, there is no proof that any of these men were acting in official positions or representing clearly defined subtribes.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Two of the four bands making up the Yavapai Fighter subtribe had stream names: Lower Big Sandy River and Fort Rock Creek.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Quasula succeeded his brother as chief of the Yavapai Fighters subtribe.

    Academic text (1998)
  • We reported thirteen Pai names for bands extant around 1860 and grouped them in three named subtribes identified by the Pai themselves.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Dobyns and Euler's (1970:16-42) discussion of aboriginal Pal organization describes regional bands and subtribes as well-defined and significant social and political units.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The Mohawk is one of the largest subtribes within the Iroquois Confederacy, known for its unique customs.

  • Each subtribe within the larger clan has its own leader and traditions that distinguish it from the others.

  • In the Amazon, several indigenous groups have formed subtribes that preserve their ancestral practices and languages.

Synonyms

subgroup
vssubtribe
16 3.6

A smaller part of a larger group that has its own role or feature

is more specific, implying traditional leadership and local customs
subcommunity
vssubtribe
4.4

A smaller group inside a larger community whose members share similar interests and interact more closely

focuses more on a structured internal identity with leader and customs

How Big

nation
1.7
ethnic group
58 2.8
tribe
576 2.3
subtribe
7.4
clan
594 2.9

Surface Forms

subtribe singular
subtribes plural

Morphology

subtribe = tribe (transparent) = sub + tribe

Clear combination of the productive prefix 'sub-' ('under/below' or 'smaller') with 'tribe' producing 'a subdivision of a tribe'.

Etymology

Subtribe comes from the parts sub- meaning 'under' and tribe meaning 'a group of people'. So it literally means a smaller group 'under' the main tribe, like a small family inside a larger one with its own leader or customs.