chief
dom
Plural
chiefdoms
1
a form of sociopolitical organization in which a centralized authority governs a community or a collection of communities
- In a chiefdom, the chief often inherits their position and wields considerable influence over the tribe's decision-making processes.
- Archaeologists discovered artifacts that suggest the ancient civilization was organized as a chiefdom.
- The chiefdom relied on the chief's ability to mediate disputes, distribute land, and coordinate communal projects.
- The chiefdom system can be seen as a precursor to more centralized and bureaucratic forms of government.