subtribe
Sign in to saveAlso known as subtribus
In a social context, a subtribe is a secondary division of a broader ethnic grouping or tribe, functioning as a distinct unit defined by specific kinship ties, geographic territory, or linguistic dialects. For example, the Kipsigis are a major sub-tribe that falls under the broader Kalenjin ethnic group of East Africa.
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- In an anthropological & social context, the classification works as follows
- References
In a social context, a subtribe is a secondary division of a broader ethnic grouping or tribe, functioning as a distinct unit defined by specific kinship ties, geographic territory, or linguistic dialects. For example, the Kipsigis are a major sub-tribe that falls under the broader Kalenjin ethnic group of East Africa.
This term also serves as a formal taxonomic rank in biological science, where it is positioned directly below a tribe and above a genus. Following this hierarchy, the Hyptidinae is a botanical subtribe categorized under the tribe Ocimeae within the mint family. In both fields, the "tribe" acts as the parent category, while the "subtribe" identifies a specific branch within that larger lineage, with scientific names typically ending in -ina for animals (e.g., Hominina) and -inae for plants.