tribelet

English - English

Definition of tribelet in English English dictionary

A small tribe of Native Americans (diminutive of tribe); specifically; small independent groups of Native California people which shared a language and usually comprised of one principal village - larger groups possibly having several villages all in close proximity

Tribelet...defined a political and geographical unit comprising several units, usually including a principal and most powerful central village, tied by relations of kinship.

Small independent groups of Native California people who shared one language, comparable to multifamily landholding groups in other hunter-gathering and agricultural societies. They may be comprised of a principal village, and demographically applies to the people who live there plus any others who might be scattered in the vicinity. They were often tied by relations of kinship, and shared the land and resources. "Larger" tribelets might have several permanent villages in close proximity

A small tribe of Native Americans (diminutive of tribe)

Hyphenation

tribe·let

Etymology

() Coined by anthropologist Alfred L. Kroeber to refer to many groups of Native Americans in Central California. The word stems from the word tribe, and suffix -let. It has been in use since at least 1925. Kroeber maintained he had identified over 500 tribelets in California. The term has been employed by many anthropologists since to denote California groups of native people.