ABSTRACT
While we are used to thinking of Indian people as living in tribes with particular names, many of the common ways of describing human organization on the Plains actually mask the complex realities of social and political life. It is necessary to understand the true variety of social units that Plains Indians participated in, and their structure and purposes. Apart from the large-order groups usually termed “tribes,” these units include kinship-based bands and clans, as well as associations or clubs formed by non-kinsmen. Special attention should be paid to the Native names for these units, the reasons for forming them, and the leadership positions that emerge in them.
