CHIEF

a political leader of a primitive social group, such as a band, tribe, or confederacy of tribes. Among many primitive peoples chiefs have very little coercive authority and depend on community consensus for implementing recommendations; also, often among such peoples a number of recognized chiefs may form a tribal chiefs' council. Among more advanced preliterate peoples there may be a single paramount tribal chief with coercive authority. Popular Western literature has introduced a number of mistaken notions about the chief in primitive society. In loose usage, the word has been used to denote any famous war leader or orator who frequently appears in negotiations with whites. Such a man may well be a leader in his community but not a chief. An example is the Sauk Indian Black Hawk, who led a band of Sauk and Fox in the Black Hawk War (1832). Black Hawk was not a member of the Sauk chiefs' council and was never recognized as a chief by the Sauk tribe, despite his prominence as a warrior and spokesman.