Happiness...

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Buddha

...Tribe, Clan or Band?

Tribe

A tribe is viewed, historically or developmentally, as a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states. Many anthropologists used the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups (see clan and kinship). Traditional genealogy defines tribes as groups who have common blood relations.

Some theorists hold that tribes represent a stage in social evolution intermediate between bands and states. Other theorists argue that tribes developed after, and must be understood in terms of their relationship to, states.

'Tribe' is a contested term due to its roots in colonial anthropological foundations and the connotations that these hierarchical definitions have. To avoid these implications, some have chosen to use the terms 'ethnic group', or nation instead.

Clan

A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a symbol of the clan's unity. When this ancestor is not human, it is referred to as an animalian totem. Clans can be most easily described as tribes or sub-groups of tribes. The word clan is derived from 'clann' meaning 'family' in the Irish and Scottish Gaelic languages. The word was taken into English about 1425 as a label for the tribal nature of Irish and Scottish Gaelic society. The Gaelic term for clan is fine [finɨ]. Clans preceded more centralized forms of community organization and government; they are located in every country. Members may identify with a coat of arms or other symbol to show they are an independent clan.

In different cultures and situations, a clan may mean the same thing as other kin-based groups, such as tribes, castes, and bands. Often, the distinguishing factor is that a clan is a smaller part of a larger society such as a tribe, a chiefdom, or a state. Examples include Irish, Scottish, Chinese, Japanese clans, Rajput clans, Nair Clan or Malayala Kshatriya Clan in India and Pakistan, which exist as kin groups within their respective nations. Note, however, that tribes and bands can also be components of larger societies. However, the early Norse clans, the ætter, cannot be translated with tribe or band, and consequently they are often translated as house or line.

Band society

A band society is the simplest form of human society. A band generally consists of a small kin group, no larger than an extended family or clan; it has been defined as consisting of no more than 100 individuals.

Bands have a loose organization. Their power structure is often egalitarian and has informal leadership; the older members of the band generally are looked to for guidance and advice, and decisions are often made on a consensus basis, but there are no written laws and none of the specialised coercive roles (e.g., police) typically seen in more complex societies. Bands' customs are almost always transmitted orally. Formal social institutions are few or non-existent. Religion is generally based on family tradition, individual experience, or counsel from a shaman. All known band societies hunt and gather to obtain their subsistence.

In his 1972 study, The Notion of the Tribe, Morton Fried defined bands as small, mobile, and fluid social formations with weak leadership that do not generate surpluses, pay taxes or support a standing army.

Bands are distinguished from tribes in that tribes are generally larger, consisting of many families. Tribes have more social institutions, such as a chief, big man, or elders. Tribes are also more permanent than bands; a band can cease to exist if only a small group split off or die. Many tribes are sub-divided into bands. Historically, some tribes were formed from bands that came together from time to time for religious ceremonies, hunting, or warfare. Among the Native Americans of the United States and the First Nations of Canada, some tribes are made up of official bands that live in specific locations, such as the various bands of the Ojibwa tribe.

Band societies historically were found throughout the world, in a variety of climates, but generally in sparsely populated areas. With the spread of the modern nation-state around the globe, there are few true band societies left. Some historic examples include the Shoshone of the Great Basin in the United States, the Bushmen of southern Africa, the pygmies (Mbuti) of the Ituri Rainforest in Africa, and some groups of indigenous Australians

Becoming part of the community...

A major focus for our tribe/clan will be making our world a better place to live for everyone...especially for children. After we gather as a tribe, we will start our journey westward to Thailand. Thailand is still technically a developing country, lacking a tight-knit social safety net and an executed environmental protection program. Volunteering as a group for either humanitarian/educational work, or environmental/animal welfare work will be our first test as a group (we will still decide as a group after we gather).

Northern Thailand, especially Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, has a number of volunteer opportunities working with disadvantaged hill-tribe groups. Chiang Mai, Mae Sot and Sangkhlaburi have distressed communities of Burmese refugees and migrants. There are also many volunteer teaching positions in northeastern Thailand, the country's agricultural heartland. We also can volunteer for local conservation efforts and animal welfare work. Whatever we choose, we will be able to improve this beautiful world of ours.

Couchsurfing in paradise...

We can help you find hosts in Hawaii if you are on a budget and need a place to stay.

Welcome to Followers of the Sun

"Followers of the Sun", Anhängarna av Solen in Swedish. This is the name I'm giving the tribe/clan until we gather and decide what we will become. Why Swedish? I recently had my DNA tested, and I'm 86% Scandinavian and 14% German. I don't even speak Swedish because it was never spoken by my grandparents who were then 2nd generation American citizens. Is any of this important? No, but it will give you an idea of where my genetic memory is taking me. I have traced my genealogy back through time (as of this post, over 14,000 ancestors), and have one line going back as far as Odin himself (through the Norse Sagas). Whether you believe this or not, or whether it's relative makes no difference to me, but I do know that the wanderlust that infected my Viking forefathers, has infected me to the core of my being. We all have a unique genealogy, and if you don't know, I'll help you find it.

I come from a typical American nuclear family in which there was marriage, debt, divorce and drug abuse (alcohol). I've always wanted something more, to be a member of a tribe/clan, not a commune. Now I think it's time to see if anyone else might have the desire to explore this idea. What makes a tribe/clan different from a commune? A tribe/clan is mobile; moving to new "hunting grounds" as the season or environment changes. Communes tend to be absorbed into their environment/community as they become static and soon lose their identity. Tribes/clans are fluid, and ever changing and adapting to their environment. Tribes/clans show unity by becoming united in a cause or action agreed upon by the entire group. In a tribe/clan, each individual is responsible his/her own welfare, but each individual is also responsible for all the other members welfare in times of need and want.

I'm not looking for some modern day new age crystal hippie group, I'm looking for individuals that want to travel as a tribe/clan, and learn about a culture, and give back to every community we are in. Our tribe/clan will leave nothing but goodwill and community improvements behind. When I start receiving inquires, I will post them (if that person approves), and we will discuss it as a group. I'm sure there will be many things added as definitions are finalized, but the dream begins.

Heading West

As I travel back to our gathering place in Hawaii, I can only think that the journey west has only just begun. The sun raises in the east, beginning a new day and as it travels to the west we see the hope of living a life that will bring us all happiness and peace. I do hope that those that are wandering the same path as me will find us, and join us for a journey into happiness and peace. Our tribe/clan will start small, but through hard work and personal spiritual growth (not religion), we will succeed.