tribal
relating to a tribe or tribes
About a tribe or tribes, especially Indigenous people with their own culture, leaders, and land.
[tribal] [noun]
- The new law gives more control to the tribal government over education and health services.
- Researchers spent several months living in a tribal village to study local customs.
- She specializes in tribal art from the Pacific Northwest.
- Access to the river is limited because it runs through tribal lands.
- Tribal leaders met to discuss how to protect their language and traditions.
- Many tribal people still speak their own language.
- We visited a small tribal village in the mountains.
- The museum has a room of tribal art.
- The river is part of tribal land.
- A group of tribal leaders came to the city to talk to the government.
showing strong group loyalty
Very loyal to your own group and often unfriendly or unfair to people in other groups.
become [tribal] about [something]
- Public debate has become increasingly tribal, with each side refusing to listen to the other.
- Her politics are less ideological and more tribal; she supports whatever benefits her own group.
- Social media can make people very tribal about even small issues.
- In such a tribal atmosphere, compromise is almost impossible.
- They warned that tribal loyalties could tear the organization apart.
- People are very tribal about sports teams.
- The country’s politics are now very tribal.
- Online discussions can become tribal and angry.
- He is not tribal; he listens to different ideas.
- Tribal thinking makes it hard to work together.
in a style from tribal cultures
Showing patterns, pictures, sounds, or style copied from traditional tribal cultures.
[tribal] [tattoo/pattern/music/print]
- He has a large tribal tattoo on his shoulder.
- The collection features bold tribal prints in bright colors.
- The track mixes electronic sounds with heavy tribal drums.
- She wore silver tribal jewelry she bought on her trip.
- Tribal patterns are popular in interior design this season.
- She has a tribal tattoo on her arm.
- I like shirts with tribal patterns.
- The band uses tribal drums in their music.
- He bought tribal jewelry at the market.
- The dress has a red and black tribal print.
- Base: tribal
tribal council
1governing group of a tribe
A group of leaders who make decisions and rules for a tribe.
- The tribal council voted to build a new school on the reservation.
- Any changes to the land must be approved by the tribal council.
- She was recently elected to the tribal council.
tribal knowledge
1unwritten know-how in a group
Useful information or skills that many people in a group know but is not written down anywhere.
- When the older engineers retired, a lot of tribal knowledge was lost.
- We need to document this tribal knowledge so new employees can learn it.
- The company depends too much on tribal knowledge instead of clear processes.
tribal land
1land owned or controlled by a tribe
Land that is owned or controlled by a tribe, often with special legal rules.
- The pipeline does not have permission to cross tribal land.
- Hunting is only allowed on tribal land with a special permit.
- Tourists must pay a small fee to enter the tribal lands.
tribal politics
1group-against-group style politics
Politics where people strongly support their own group or party and strongly oppose other groups, instead of talking about ideas calmly.
- Tribal politics are making it hard to pass any laws.
- Many voters are tired of tribal politics and want more cooperation.
- The election campaign quickly turned into ugly tribal politics.
tribal warfare
1war or fighting between tribes
Fighting or war between tribes or very strongly divided groups.
- The region has a long history of tribal warfare.
- Tribal warfare forced many families to leave their homes.
- Critics say social media turns debate into a kind of tribal warfare.