Political Bands

Political Organization and Leadership
Bands
V.B. Modern Microcultures
V.A. Modern Folk Societies
IIII. States
III.
Chiefdoms
II.
Tribes
I.
Bands
I.
Bands
the political organization
of foraging groups
II.
Tribes
a political group that
comprises several bands
or lineage groups, each
with similar language and
lifestyle and occupying a
distinct territory
III.
Chiefdoms
a political unit of
permanently allied tribes
and villages under one
recognized leader
IIII. States
a centralized political unit
encompassing many
communities and
possessing coercive
power

a social type of rural
farmer associated with
preindustrial civilization,
dominated by the city and
its culture but marginal to
both

a distinct pattern of
learned and shared
behavior and thinking
found within larger
cultures such as ethnic
groups, and institutional
cultures
I.
Bands
the political organization
of foraging groups
small groups of
households, between
twenty and a few hundred
people at most
Band Societies
Hunting / Gathering
99% of humans time has been
that of a hunter-gatherer
10, 000 B.C. 100 % Foragers

Ascent to Civilization, p. 10.
A.D. 1500 1 % Foragers

A.D. 1982 < 0.001 % Foragers

Band Societies
Until the mid-1980s the !Kung
model of the foraging lifeway
dominated the band paradigm
(Science, May 1988)
Map 12-3
Band Societies
Anthropologists no longer take
the !Kung as the model of preagricultural band societies
Band Societies
Anthropologists now recognize
a much greater variability
among foraging bands
(Science, May 1988)
Band Societies
The Hunters are hunters, for example . . .
But The Desert People are not hunters
Band Societies
The Desert People
Pfeiffer, Ch. 15
The Hunters
Pfeiffer, Ch. 16
Hunting / Gathering
The Desert People
Australian
aborigines
The Hunters
Bushmen
!Kung San
Khoisan
zhun/twasi
(ourselves)
desert dwellers
Aborigines of the
Western Australian Desert
!Kung San of the

Kalahari Desert
Band Societies
The Desert People
simple material
culture
The Hunters
simple material
culture
Band Societies
The households come together
at certain times of the year,
depending on their foraging
patterns and ritual schedule
Band Societies
Moving puts a premium
on multi-purpose tools
e.g.,
digging stick, blade tools . . .
Hunting / Gathering
While foraging groups are
usually bilineal in descent and
inheritance, some early hunting
groups may have been
patrilineal bands . . .
Hunting / Gathering
The Desert People
The Hunters
band society
band society
and many hunting band societies

are still patrilineal
Hunting / Gathering
patrilineal kinship
Hunting / Gathering
patrilineal kinship
Hunting / Gathering
patrilineal societies are patrilocal
patrilocal residence
Band Societies
simplest level of social organization
small groups of families

ca. 20 50 / group
Band Societies
!Kung San in Camps
Band Societies
20 500 persons integrated by a

shared language and a sense of
common identity
exact numbers depend on the carrying

capacity of their geographic area
Band Societies
magic numbers are 25 and 500
Band Societies
External
conflict between
groups is rare since
territories of different bands
are widely separated and the
population density is low
Band Societies
Band
Band
membership is flexible
composition is fluid as
people shift residence
frequently
Band Societies
If
a person has a serious

disagreement with another
person or a spouse, one
option is to leave that band
and join another
Band Societies
Leadership is charismatic:
no official leaders
leadership is informal
leader has no power and only limited

authority
position carries no rewards of power or

riches
Band Societies
Leadership
is based on the
quality of the individuals
advice and personality
Band Societies
Band
leaders have limited

authority or influence, but no
power
Band Societies
Age and sex
generally determine
who will exert influence:
strongly male dominated
but the old people -- male and

female -- are respected and are
influential
Band Societies
influence
may dissolve or be
created in an instant
person may come to the

fore as a leader for specific
tasks or events
Band Societies
status
positions are fluid from

generation to generation
Band Societies
There
is no social
stratification between leaders
and followers
Band Societies
Group
decisions are made by

consensus
Band Societies
Political
activity in bands
involves mainly decision
making about migration, food
distribution, and
interpersonal conflict
resolution
Band Societies
Marriages
are through
alliances with members of
other bands
Video: N!ai, The Story Of A !Kung Woman
hunting
Bands are often nomadic
hunting-gathering groups
hunting
When bands are hunters,
male male relationships
dominate
usually there are male

associations
hunting
Difference between
young males and old males
is intensified in hunting
societies
hunting
Ability to hunt signifies change
of status and may be required
for adulthood
hunting
Hunting intensifies
differences between sexes . . .
hunting
Hunting creates a male world
and a world of the women
and children
hunting
Hunting increases the division
of labor between sexes
hunting
But hunting thus also creates
more need for
cooperating between sexes
hunting
In hunting societies, sharing
becomes important
for survival
hunting
Females specialize
in collecting
hunting
75 % of hunters
rely more heavily on collecting
than on hunting
(Martin and Voorhies, 1975)
hunting
In the Gibson Desert, for e.g.,
90 % of the time
women furnish at least
80 % of the food
hunting
In hunting societies
females stay
in the home base more
hunting
Female division of labor
by age
hunting
Home base
changes socialization patterns
hunting
Delayed maturity is related to
home base
emphasis
is placed on learning
hunting
From the childs point of view
the home base
= a self-contained world
hunting
Home base
allows sick to survive
Paleopathologists Wil Salo (left) and Art Aufderheide (right).

Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archaeology, 8th Ed., p. 117.
IIII. States
III.
Chiefdoms
II.
Tribes
I.
Bands

Political Bands

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Political Organization and Leadership

Political Organization and Leadership

V.B. Modern Microcultures

V.A. Modern Folk Societies

Political Organization and Leadership

Political Organization and Leadership

Political Organization and Leadership

Political Organization and Leadership

Political Organization and Leadership

V.A. Modern Folk Societies

Political Organization and Leadership

V.B. Modern Microcultures

Political Organization and Leadership

10, 000 B.C. 100 % Foragers

A.D. 1500 1 % Foragers

A.D. 1982 < 0.001 % Foragers

But The Desert People are not hunters

!Kung San of the

digging stick, blade tools . . .

and many hunting band societies

patrilineal societies are patrilocal

small groups of families

!Kung San in Camps

20 500 persons integrated by a

exact numbers depend on the carrying

magic numbers are 25 and 500

a person has a serious

leader has no power and only limited

position carries no rewards of power or

leaders have limited

strongly male dominated

but the old people -- male and

person may come to the

positions are fluid from

decisions are made by

Video: N!ai, The Story Of A !Kung Woman

usually there are male

Paleopathologists Wil Salo (left) and Art Aufderheide (right).

Political Organization and Leadership

V.B. Modern Microcultures

V.A. Modern Folk Societies

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