Circuitry of Kinship: The Tribal Circuit Part 1

Let’s start with what Ra calls the “Tribal Group”, as this is essentially the foundation upon which human life depends. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this circuit group is “primitive” – it’s not. Nor is it unsophisticated or simple.

In Human Design, all 3 of the major circuit groups describe how people arrange themselves into cooperation groups. These 3 methods of organization have been well-documented globally over several millennia.

The Distinction Between the 3 Circuit Groups is Based Upon:

•         How much commitment is required?

•         Over what time span is it required?

•         How is the chain of command structured?

Out of the 3 major circuit groups, the tribal group requires a lot of commitment over a really long time period, and governance of the group is via a highly stratified hierarchy. The higher up you are in the group, the more those below have to obey you. In addition, you are basically committed for life, at least If you want the benefits of membership.

Tribal Cultures

“Tribal cultures” include family, religion, kingdoms, even empires. Ancient Egypt, Rome, China, 15th century England and the Catholic church are all organized the same. Power is top down and typically absolute such as from parent to child, Pope to parishioner, King to serf, Emperor to citizen. Also, the tribal system can include multiple hierarchies such as child to parent, to parish to church, to king to emperor.

Ultimately, this complex system includes many behaviors, all of which are necessary to make this method of group cooperation robust enough to flourish at any time with any number of participants from a handful to millions.

Two Underlying Dynamics of Tribal Behavior:

•         Each person recognizes that he/she is inherently alone and must compete with others for survival.

•         Each person recognizes that it’s impossible to survive alone so each of us needs support from others.

Obviously, these two behaviors are polar opposites. Every “me” has to compete, yet every “me” also has to cooperate.  The goal of the tribal structure is to define the rules that the members have to follow so that there is enough stability and opportunity for each member to succeed in the material world.

Two Critical Rules Within Tribal Structure:

•         The acknowledgment that each member has ownership rights over some area and some stuff in the material world.

•         There are rules that everybody has to follow.

Okay, this is a pretty simple description, but If you look around in the world you will see countless permutations of this. What I am describing here is a group of SPECIFIC behaviors in these circuit groups that have adapted and evolved over the millennia. These behaviors allow people to organize themselves into groups that are reasonably efficient at ensuring survival in the material world of all the members.

All families are pretty rigid in their structure. The rules of the family, however strange they may be, are supposed to be observed pretty strictly by the members. Generally, the rules that work become enshrined as tradition and carry greater weight of authority than that of even the highest-ranking member.

Each “me” has specific rights and obligations. If the traditions don’t satisfy both the group and each “me” then the group erupts into chaos.

Foundation of Tribal Hierarchy

The Tribal method of group cooperation is the first organizational structure among humans and occurs in family groups. For all humans, there are always two primary issues:

•         How to get along within family

•         How to get along with others

Cooperating is one method of “getting along”. Cooperation is any act between two or more people where the transaction, the agreement as to what will or won’t happen, is clearly stated and clearly understood.

”Here’s the deal, you do this and I will do that”. The specifics of what you and I will do are dependent upon what we each want and don’t REQUIRE that we play nice.

To illustrate, let’s suppose I point a gun at you and say “Give me your money or I will kill you”. If you give me your money then you have “co-operated” with me. If I accept your money and don’t kill you then I have “co-operated” with you. I gain money and you lose it. I have forced, coerced you into doing what I want. Yes, but once you give me the money you have co-operated.

Out of the 3 major circuit groups, the “deal” is indeed everything in the tribal structure. Family – “Do what I say or you will be punished”. Church – “Do what I say or you will be damned forever”. The military – “Do what I say or…….”.  Thus, the terms of the deal are always set by whoever has the power: the gun or the status/rank or the law, etc.

The Tribal Circuit Group – Final Thoughts

Above all, there is a place for everyone and everyone in their place. The appeal of this method is that it’s very stable. You always know where you stand in the deal.

If you enjoyed this blog post, read more in Bonding & Belonging: The Tribal Circuit Part 2!

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