Tribes



A tribe is an ambiguous term, generally used to refer to stateless societies that emerged across wasteland, characterized by the absence of formal government, a distinct cultural identity, and self-sufficiency. The term tribal is typically used as a pejorative noun by inhabitants of various non-tribal communities, to describe someone as primitive, uncouth, and unsophisticated.

In a broad sense, every human society can be described as a tribe, a linked family of families, regardless of the place they inhabit or other circumstances.

Overview
The pressures of life in the wasteland, especially in the immediate aftermath of the Great War, resulted in the emergence of tribes as the dominant form of organization of human societies. Focusing on the immediate needs, the tribes typically returned to simpler methods of agriculture, hunting, gathering, and in many cases, raiding. Reliable technologies that did not require a great deal of technical knowledge dominated. As this knowledge disappeared, it was replaced by skills in surviving in the wasteland, harnessing its bounty, and surviving. As a result, tribesmen tend to be intelligent, curious, and adaptive, but lack knowledge taken for granted elsewhere.

Identity
There is a great deal of overlap between tribesmen and denizens of frontier towns. Both groups work the land and survive thanks to their skills, with the distinction being drawn based on the area they inhabit: Those who live in the burned-out ruins of pre-War towns tend to see themselves as civilized and those who live in the countryside as savages. The sentiment is mutual, though of course, tribes see themselves as civilized and those who squat among the ruins as savage.

Isolated tribes, like the Dead Horses and Sorrows that inhabit Zion Canyon, have developed a very distinct culture and even language. They are seen as degenerate, as they do not share the language of the wasteland. Dealing with them frequently requires an interpreter. These tribes can be superstitious about remnants of the pre-War world, treating them as taboo.

All tribes express their unique cultural identity in various ways. Body modification (such as tattoos or piercing), hairstyles, war paint, and even weapons serve to emphasize their identity and set them apart from other human groups. For example, apart from an unique appearance, tribes of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau are associated with a specific weapon.

Exploitations
These tribes are commonly seen as vulnerable and ruthlessly exploited. For example, traders hawk pre-War goods as religious artifacts, selling them at greatly inflated prices. Others, such as NCR prospectors and settlers, may seize tribal territories and exterminate entire tribes if they resist. New Canaan missionaries recount situations where prospectors stalk and harass tribes for days in order to box a tribe in, then use grenades to eliminate them.

List of tribes

 * The following list summarizes information found in the respective articles. Consult them for additional information and references. The list does not include unidentified tribal groups that make up the Oregon cannibals or nomads.

Fallout Tactics

 * Beastlords

Van Buren

 * Iron Rivers
 * Daughters of Hecate/Hounds of Hecate

Behind the scenes
The depiction of tribals in Fallout 2 was heavily inspired by Earth Abides by George R. Stewart.

