ABSTRACT
The central subject of the first part of the analysis of Tale social structure was the lineage system. The attention was fixed on the permanent large-scale framework of the society in relation to which individuals behave primarily as members of corporate groups. All politico-ritual offices are vested in particular maximal lineages or clans. These are the basic units of Tale social organization that emerge in corporate activities. In this scheme of clanship ties and politico-ritual relationships, the maximal lineage emerges as a corporate unit irrespective of its internal constitution. A medial lineage includes two or more inner lineages. It may be a major segment of a maximal lineage or a major segment of a major segment. Its founding ancestor may be placed from six to eight or nine generations back.
