ABSTRACT
One thing that is clear in the discourse about “tribes”, “tribalism” and “tribal societies” is that the word “tribe” has dierent meanings for dierent people. For some it has connotations with Karl May and his romantic heroes, Winnetou and Kara ben Nemshi. Others think of African bush or desert tribes and bands that have been described by European and American anthropologists. ose with a classical background may associate the word with the Celtic and Germanic tribes of pre-Roman and Roman Europe. All of these groups have traits in common: they are aggressive, warlike, sometimes heroic and primitive – at least compared to the civilization to which the narrator belongs.
