| age set | Group uniting all men or women born during a certain time span; this group controls property and often has political and military functions.
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| big man | Regional figure found among tribal horticulturalists and pastoralists. The big man occupies no office but creates his reputation through entrepreneurship and generosity to others. Neither his wealth nor his position passes to his heirs.
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| chiefdom | Form of sociopolitical organization intermediate between the tribe and the state; kin-based with differential access to resources and a permanent political structure.
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| differential access | Unequal access to resources; basic attribute of chiefdoms and states. Superordinates have favored access to such resources, while the access of subordinates is limited by superordinates.
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| fiscal | Pertaining to finances and taxation.
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| head, village | A local leader in a tribal society who has limited authority, leads by example and persuasion, and must be generous.
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| law | A legal code, including trial and enforcement; characteristic of state-organized societies.
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| office | Permanent political position.
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| power | The ability to exercise one’s will over others—to do what one wants; the basis of political status.
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| prestige | Esteem, respect, or approval for acts, deeds, or qualities considered exemplary.
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| sodality, pantribal | A non-kin-based group that exists throughout a tribe, spanning several villages.
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| state | Sociopolitical organization based on central government and socioeconomic stratification—a division of society into classes.
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| stratification | Characteristic of a system with socioeconomic strata—groups that contrast in regard to social status and access to strategic resources. Each stratum includes people of both sexes and all ages.
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| subordinate | The lower, or underprivileged, group in a stratified system.
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| tribe | Form of sociopolitical organization usually based on horticulture or pastoralism. Socioeconomic stratification and centralized rule are absent in tribes, and there is no means of enforcing political decisions.
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| wealth | All a person’s material assets, including income, land, and other types of property; the basis of economic status.
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