As a result the conflict spread within the tribal structures.

That's the trouble with the spread of global communications: tribal structures break down.

It dates back to the earliest governments and tribal structures of the world.

Understanding the tribal structure is very important because in Somalia the tribe is the community, the political party and the power on the ground.

The decades of war have pounded away at the country's tribal structures even further.

Most of the population lived in small farm communities organized under a tribal structure.

Kumalo reports, stressing how the traditional tribal structure is breaking down.

Degrees of continued acceptance into tribal structures were low during the ensuing decades.

The tribal structures, the ethnic groupings - they matter to Iraqis.

Cultural norms are deeply affected by the tribal and religious structure of the society.