That's interesting. I don't think I have one.

My neighborhood could be considered sort of tribal. Everyone knows everyone else and there's no hope of having any secrets from the group. There a lot of intra-group helping out and volunteering and sharing. We also tend to party together fairly often or at least hang out at the coffee shop together.

The other side of tribalism is antagonism toward nearby tribes and I see that a lot too. There are often border squabbles between the adjoining neighborhoods and the main avenues that divide them often gets ignored because they can't co-operation on redevelopment. We were trying to find a hall for the Xmas party and I offered a suggestion that was a few blocks away and I got shot down because "it has to be in our neighborhood".

I hope I'm not the first to say, um, probably you guys?

Oops, I mean the only one to say.

I did, and I loved them, and we all tried very hard to stay close, but this last year, particularly, we have fractured and fallen out of each others' vital structures, I think. I spent most of last year struggling mightily with that and I anticipate only more struggle this year.

I mean, I've got Guy, and my parents still, and my sister in the case of catastrophe. But very often, I sitting staring at work, or at loose ends on a Saturday and I realize that I do have no-one to call and say "hey, today was shit on a stick, want to grab a drink and listen to me vent" or no-one to call to see if they want to go try on tragically expensive shoes and then grab lunch.

It's age; it's people having children; it's people moving; it's the burdens of other people's lives and my own inability (physical distance, for instance) to pitch in and earn reciprocity. It's bound to be self-perpetuating, too. Which is not a cheerful thought.

I don't think I'm particularly tribal, but I would like to point out that, at 3:44 in Return to the Tribe, you can hear Tobi sing a guitar solo.

If I was in a tribe I'd be the runty outcast one that the others would all turn on and kill horribly.

My homie. (Roommate in college. We've kept in touch. It was most poignant when I was sitting in my car outside the local PP freaking out about going in to get my tests when she called me. I hadn't called her and told her what I was doing, but she just knew something was up.)

Also, definitely the people over statements. We check on each other all the time, heh.

One of the neat things about the modern era, I think, is that we don't have to pick just one.

But very often, I sitting staring at work, or at loose ends on a Saturday and I realize that I do have no-one to call and say "hey, today was shit on a stick, want to grab a drink and listen to me vent" or no-one to call to see if they want to go try on tragically expensive shoes and then grab lunch.

This rings pretty true. Maybe it's a factor of living in a city with no family, or, who knows. I'm REALLY REALLY glad you guys are here. Couple times in the last couple years, like the death of my best friend, and the end of my marriage, I've really been glad that this place exists, for both advice and venting. BUT...I dunno, I think I really lost something when Nev died. He's the guy that KNEW all my backstory. ALL of it. That's something.

P.S. I don't really need to try on tragically expensive shoes, I don't think. Then again, I've never tried.

P.P.S. I like what box said.

I'm kind of cross-tribular. My life sometimes seems like a funny Venn diagram of overlapping communities - online and off. Some early tribes included the folks I went to arts school with, and then my fellow summer-camp staff, and then the group I taught environmental education with for a few years. Each of these was a tightly knit network and I'm still in touch with many of those folk (and the tribes are to some extent intact, through Facebook and occasional real-life reunions and gatherings). When I lived in CT I became part of a tribe of co-workers and boat geeks and academics, and they are still among my best friends - I travel with a group of them every year, and visit a few friends there often. And today there's a hearty tribe of townspeople I enjoy running with - mostly people involved in the food and/or arts/culture sectors of life. These tribes all exist in parallel to the online ones - here and MeFi, and a couple other places where I'm much less active but still hanging in.

Facebook is a big mishmash of all of the above, which makes it a lot of fun. I've been lucky to be involved in some fun, vibrant communities and to know some wonderful people. In many ways, starting early on, these 'tribes' saved my life.

I'm with gaspode - it's you guys. Besides the mister, there's no one I trust more.

I'm also with gaspode, especially since I lost two of my college-era tribes after I moved to NYC.

Me three. MeCha is almost home for me.

'pode, that was my first thought also.

No.

I do, but it's really catty. As primary tribes go. I mean, I think if I died or had an illness or crisis, they would help. But they would also gossip about it gleefully. Also, what box said. That helps counterbalance the primary tribe thing.

i'm between tribes at the moment lol

Outside of immediate family I can't really say I feel a part of any tribe.

I'm tribeless! Except Metachat.

I had many tribal circles in New Orleans, then far fewer after moving to Greece, now down to about zero after moving again in Greece. My husband has work/friend tribes, but I do not haz.

I have my church tibe and my Mefi/Mecha tribe. Those are the big ones. I stay in touch with a lot of people from high school (since a large number of them moved here), but they're all pretty loosely connected.

Protestations aside, I spent a couple of hours last night chatting with someone, largely on the grounds that we belong to the same tribe. I'm still mulling it over; it was an exceptionally uncommon experience for me.

I'm like Miko, with lots of overlapping Venn diagrams. My actual family constitute a pretty damn good tribe, but none of them are currently local. Almost none of my tribes are disjunct, online or off; there's overlap everywhere.

You guys are my tribe these days, along with a group of people at work who are my meatspace tribe. It used to be that #mefi was my entire lifeline to what passed for reality at that time in my life, but I've very much moved on from there.

Mostly, though, I'm pretty much a lone wolf.