CHIEFDOM

Chiefdom

A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a political-ideological aristocracy relative to the general group. A chiefdom is thus led by a highly ranked incumbent of an inherited political role, chief: chiefs lead because of their ascribed status, not their achieved status.

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chiefdom

Noun

  1. An area or region governed by a chief.
  2. A society larger than a tribe but smaller or simpler than a state.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: chiefdom
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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