chiefdom

[ cheef-duhm ]

noun

Origin of chiefdom

First recorded in 1570–80; chief + -dom

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Spanish historical accounts mistakenly assumed that powerful chiefs ran Indigenous communities in what have become known as chiefdoms.
Indigenous Americans ruled democratically long before the U.S. did | Bruce Bower | September 6, 2022 | Science News
Suffice it to say, their mythology rather mirrored this vast scope, with various tribes, chiefdoms, and even later kingdoms having their own set of folklore and pantheons.
15 Powerful Ancient Celtic Gods and Goddesses | Dattatreya Mandal | June 24, 2022 | Realm of History
Just from looking at that, you can get a rough sense that even by stringent criteria, these societies, that are about chiefdom level, not hunter-gatherers, will have some of these kinds of moralizing gods.
The Worth of an Angry God - Issue 109: Excavation | Brian Gallagher | December 15, 2021 | Nautilus
Opechancanough could not save his people or his chiefdom from the sheer numbers of arrivals who flooded into the colony during the 1630s and 1640s.
How a Powhatan Tribal Chief Became One of Colonial America’s Greatest Military Leaders | James Horn | November 17, 2021 | Time
Then an agricultural revolution about 12,000 years ago fueled population growth and the emergence of tribes, then chiefdoms and eventually bureaucratic states.
‘The Dawn of Everything’ rewrites 40,000 years of human history | Bruce Bower | November 9, 2021 | Science News

For thee, free pardon and reinstatement in thy principality—yet is it not to be a kingdom, only as a great chiefdom.
Pabo, The Priest | Sabine Baring-Gould
Candidates for the chiefdom had to show their fitness, and "a young lord's first spoil" was a necessary exploit.
Irish Nationality | Alice Stopford Green
It should be the largest and most magnificent of all the Indian head-dresses, as it is the insignia of chiefdom.
Patriotic Plays and Pageants for Young People | Constance D'Arcy Mackay
His love for his wife was an insane love—it far outdid his love for his chiefdom.
Skookum Chuck Fables | Skookum Chuck (pseud for R.D. Cumming)
Sebituane's successor in the chiefdom was his daughter, Ma-mochisane.
The Personal Life Of David Livingstone | William Garden Blaikie

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