A tribe is defined as: ‘A social division in a traditional society consisting of families or groups linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.’
When we hear tribe we generally think of some indigenous culture that lives deep in the woods, secluded from the modern world or cemented in history somewhere. Tribes still exist today, just not in that same sense, your tribe can be the type of friends you choose to have or a community of partners that have similar interests.
Why should you build or become a member of a tribe?
Having a tribe in the traditional sense was necessary for survival. While having a tribe in this day and age is not the difference between life and death, but more so the difference between doing something partially v.s. accomplishing it to its fullest potential. The combined life inside of any given tribe is what each individual life is multiplied by. If I get six people to look at a project and critique or add something to it then that is the equivalent of having six minds in one, and I ultimately get to present this project as one person. Do not forget to credit others for their work in some way so they can use it to showcase their value as well. The idea of a tribe today is that each member has something to bring to the table and some area they need to grow in or help to construct a mutually beneficial project.
A tribe endeavor now might not look like building a winter lodge to keep out of the elements. It could be something like a publication project with a video attached which several tribesmen pitch in to make possible. Cultivating a community will make life easier for everyone as long as people take control of different tasks, someone can’t hunt down publicizing outlets if their assignment is to constantly edit the content produced by the tribe.
A tribe divides the work but also makes the end product better because they can dedicate more time to specific parts of a project where one person might have to ship something they did not feel like they had enough time to work on due to a deadline that approached too quickly. In the past, that person would struggle through winter or perish in the cold, but now it looks like making a signal that falls short of showing its true value.
The hunters and gatherers of today are those who seek valuable connections, whether its leads in sales, new partners, or a group of problem solvers, it is of the same importance to success as gathering food is for survival.
How do you find a tribe?
In many cases, there are groups of people who have already formed a tribe but would not mind taking on more members. Methods I have found useful include joining Facebook groups, posting to forums, or asking friends and family if they know people with similar interests.
When you use things like social media or specified forums it is generally a quick process to get some help/find tribesmen who will rally with you on a deeper level. This is because most people already a part of those things know more than you about a topic, it’s a win-win, they get to look intelligent on the internet and you get valuable resources. Use the internet smart Alecs to your advantage, this will also teach you whether or not you want to be in that specific tribe.
You don’t have to stay online to locate your tribe by any means, in fact, you are more likely to find your tribe by stepping out of your hut and attending events or just generally being in places you enjoy.
Some ways to find a tribe in real life:
-(Music) Festivals
-Tradeshows
-Conferences
-Maker Spaces
-Coffee shops
-Hiking Trips
While these places/events are great to search through for a tribe, an easier place to start would be by just becoming interested in something and then making that thing interesting. Talk with friends about what you want out of a tribe, they might know someone to connect you with. Being interesting and interested in finding a tribe in every situation will yield a helpful learning experience almost every time, you will either learn either about what you don’t want in your tribe or more what you do want.
Offer something
Generally speaking, most people won’t spoon feed you information, especially if they think you are only there to ask questions without offering some value or sign of knowledge on the topic. Good thing for you is that if you’ve gone far enough to search for a tribe, you’ve probably learned a decent amount about what you want in a tribe and what you can offer to it.
I found my tribe by investing into the hobby of airsoft, first, it started out as being a consumer offering my money for new replicas or gear. When I really started to develop my tribe, I took the reigns to create a team, the dichotomy of a team inside of a tribe is another post entirely, but inside of this tribe I offer the ability to create compelling videos, compose and edit articles, or reach out to new leads for promotions, or even build/fix replicas. I have used this tribe to cultivate my abilities in all of these areas by initially being a great communicator and opening up new opportunities in the community. During the games themselves, I make a point to reinforce teamwork and bring new players up to a point that makes them desire to invest into higher tiers of the hobby, I can lead them in a game to get hits and accomplish objectives. This is inspiring on a somewhat primal level, to feel like a part of some force that grows and conquers together.
Go out, work hard, seek your tribe. Kill together, feast together.