action. This demonstrates that bands were politically independent and had no rigid structure. Each band had a 'peace chief'. The peace chiefs were not picked in a formalised way and could not control the members of the band through rules. He was a 'big man' and his control was based on influence. The chief had to maintain consensus amongst the band so order was upheld. The Comanche had a self-help civil law system called a familial system. In a familial system the community is only affected indirectly by an illegal offence. The victim has community support but undertakes the position of authority and deals out the punishment for the offender themselves (though with family help and within certain boundaries). The peace chief had limited power to enforce appropriate behaviour. Amongst the Comanche a common offence undertaken was that of wife stealing. The husband was expected to punish the man who stole his wife, with physical force allowed. Wife stealing was illegal and considered inappropriate behaviour. However, the man who stole the wife gained prestige. It was therefore difficult to enforce appropriate behaviour. Usually the power available to enforce what is deemed appropriate behaviour in a band is limited to a degree, because of the self-help legal system and the narrow authority held by the chief (Baileys and Peoples 2003).
             Tribes were similar to bands, as they were basically egalitarian and usually foragers. But they had a more formalised political system that organised the small units (sodalities) of a tribe. The sodalities came together for collective action. They were led by a chief and were based on kinship and non-kinship units. However, there were many structures that a tribe could take. An example of a tribe is the Cheyenne of the Great Plains. Members of the tribe were controlled by the council of forty-four. The council dealt with both religious and political matters. A chief was expected to...