Band society
A band society is the simplest form of human society. A band generally consists of a small kin group, no larger than an extended family or clan; it has been defined as consisting of no more than 30 to 50 individuals.[1]
Bands have a loose organization. Their power structure is often egalitarian and has informal leadership; the older members of the band generally are looked to for guidance and advice, and decisions are often made on a consensus basis,[2] but there are no written laws and none of the specialised coercive roles (e.g., police) typically seen in more complex societies. Bands' customs are almost always transmitted orally. Formal social institutions are few or non-existent. Religion is generally based on family tradition, individual experience, or counsel from a shaman. All known band societies hunt and gather to obtain their subsistence.
In his 1972 study, The Notion of the Tribe, Morton Fried defined bands as small, mobile, and fluid social formations with weak leadership that do not generate surpluses, pay taxes or support a standing army.
Bands are distinguished from tribes in that tribes are generally larger, consisting of many families. Tribes have more social institutions, such as a chief, big man, or elders. Tribes are also more permanent than bands; a band can cease to exist if only a small group walks out. Many tribes are sub-divided into bands. Historically, some tribes were formed from bands that came together from time to time for religious ceremonies, hunting, or warfare.[3] Among the Native Americans of the United States and the First Nations of Canada, some tribes are made up of official bands that live in specific locations, such as the various bands of the Ojibwa tribe.
Band societies historically were found throughout the world, in a variety of climates, but generally in sparsely populated areas.[3] With the spread of the modern nation-state around the globe, there are few true band societies left. Some historic examples include the Shoshone of the Great Basin in the United States, the Bushmen of southern Africa, the pygmies (Mbuti) of the Ituri Rainforest in Africa, and some groups of indigenous Australians.
[edit] See also
- Chiefdom
- Hunter-gatherer
- Lineage-bonded societies
- First Nations Government, in which a "band" forms a fundamental component.
- Tribe
Characteristics of band societies typically include:
1. Economy based on hunting and gathering (or occasionally fishing or horticulture)
2. Social structure based on ties of kinship
3. Relative equality between the sexes
4 . Egalitarian way of life: no-one has superiority over anyone else
5. De-emphasis on leadership, which in any case tends to be unspecialised and temporary (such as for hunting expedetition)
6. Decisions taken by consensus
A typical example is the G/wi Bushmen, described by George Silberbauer in Hunter and Habitat in the Central Kalahari Desert (1981). G/wi have traditionally lived in bands averaging some 50 or 60 people. Bands would migrate within their respective territories and disperse seasonally. When there are disputes, band members discuss the issues and co-operate in finding a solution. Even those who disagree tend to abide by such decisions, without formal judgements or coercion. Like many band societies, the way of life of the G/wi is under serious threat today. They were thrown out of their traditional lands in 2002, and their right to those lands has since then been the subject of ongoing court battles in the Republic of Botswana.
[edit] References
- ^ Band (1973). Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th Ed., Vol. I. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 780.
- ^ Erdal, D. & Whiten, A. (1996) "Egalitarianism and Machiavellian Intelligence in Human Evolution" in Mellars, P. & Gibson, K. (eds) Modelling the Early Human Mind. Cambridge Macdonald Monograph Series
- ^ a b Britannica.
