What is the difference between clan and tribe

Setting your Language Level helps other users provide you with answers that aren't too complex or too simple. Sign up Sign in. English US. Question about English US. What is the difference between tribe and clan? Feel free to just provide example sentences. Report copyright infringement. The owner of it will not be notified. In a tribe, the marriage inside the tribe is highly respected and appreciated.

On the contrary, the belief that all the clan members share a common ancestor restrict them from marrying someone inside the clan. Every tribe has a tribal chief who has the power to make significant decisions related to his tribe. A tribe is divided into a number of small clans, and each clan is headed by its own leader. The chief of each clan works according to the instructions received from the tribal chief.

The members of a clan accord with the common culture of the tribe, the larger social unit to which they belong. However, a tribe stands unique and does not follow the common culture of mainstream society.

A tribe is a group of clans who reside within a specific geographical location. They stand apart from the mainstream socio-political, economic and cultural grounds of the country. In contrast, a clan is a family that believes that they descend from a common ancestor. The main difference between tribe and clan, therefore, is that a tribe is an endogamous group of people while a clan stays exogamous.

Furthermore, the size of a clan is smaller than the size of a tribe. Published by Experts. View all posts. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Another significant aspect is that this common ancestor may not be a human always. It could be a non-human representation.

Moreover, it is said that most clans are exogamous. The members are not allowed to marry from the same clan. That could be another reason for not having a common ancestry in a clan. However, clans are a part of the mainstream nation and more or less similar to tribes. They are also known as sub-tribal groups. Tribe can be recognized as a group of people who live together, sharing a common land and also are different from the mainstream culture of a nation.

Tribes are said to be mostly self-sufficient, and they have their own customs, traditions and beliefs.