tribal

/ˈtraɪbəl/

/ˈtraɪbəl/

Other forms: tribally

Tribal things have something to do with a group or tribe, like Native Americans' tribal land, where certain tribes lived for thousands of years.

You might have heard the term "tribal sovereignty" before — it's basically the legal right of indigenous or native people to govern themselves under certain conditions. In the United States, for example, tribal groups are recognized as "domestic dependent nations." Sometimes the adjective tribal is slightly derogatory, but only when it's used to mean "overly loyal to a group."

Definitions of tribal

1. adjective

   relating to or characteristic of a tribe
   “tribal customs”