Reply #31: I'm not positing that "tribal" equals "primitive"

[StandingInLeftField]

What I am saying is that the classical definition of "tribe" is:

"A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.
Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups (see clan and kinship).
Some theorists hold that tribes represent a stage in social evolution intermediate between bands and states. Other theorists argue that tribes developed after, and must be understood in terms of their relationship to, state."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe - sorry, don't have access to my anthro books

and works best for small groups with like-minded ends and personalities.

My understanding of "tribe" relates more to classical anthropology, while yours may relate more to post-processual anthropology. Again, I argue that tribalism works best in small groups, say less than 500 individuals. Did your tribe have more than 500 individuals?