Tribe

A tribe is an ambiguous term, generally used to refer to stateless societies that emerged across the wasteland, characterized by the absence of formal government, a distinct cultural identity, and self-sufficiency. The term tribal is typically used as a pejorative noun by inhabitants of various non-tribal communities, to describe someone as primitive, uncouth, and unsophisticated.

In a broad sense, every human society can be described as a tribe, a linked family of families, regardless of the place they inhabit or other circumstances.

Background
Joshua Graham describes wasteland tribes as a connection of "families of families," where the family unit extends beyond blood relations and often encompasses the entire community. This results in much more close-knit communities than in other wasteland settlements, but also tends to make these tribes highly insular and wary of outsiders.

Tribals often possess a highly religious or mythologized view of the world, in contrast to more cynical or secular worldviews held by other wastelanders. As such, some tribes consider pre-War technology and structures taboo, preferring to live in isolated agrarian communities or as nomadic hunter-gatherers.

This mystical worldview and disconnection from the pre-War world often lead to tribals being stereotyped as backward and uneducated by outsiders, though as with all stereotypes this is not always the case. Some tribes, such as the Boomers and New Canaanites, utilize technology and social systems not dissimilar to those used by more "civilized" wastelanders.

Tribes were concentrated in the western United States, and those that inhabited the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau were each known for a specific weapon. A majority of the tribes of Arizona and New Mexico were slaughtered or assimilated into Caesar's Legion, while in California the New California Republic has been rounding up the tribes and attempting to "domesticate" them. NCR prospectors travelling east into tribal lands have been known to drive the inhabitants away.

West Coast

 * Arroyo tribe, existed 2167-2242
 * Jackals, remaining only in the Mojave Wasteland, elsewhere destroyed by the New California Republic
 * Khans, later called New Khans, eventually migrated to the Mojave Wasteland, last fully organized raider tribe that originated from Vault 15
 * Oregon's cannibals
 * Primitive Tribe
 * Vipers, remaining only in the Mojave Wasteland, elsewhere destroyed by the Brotherhood of Steel

Midwest

 * Beastlords, destroyed by the Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel in 2197
 * Brahmin Wood tribe
 * Dirt Haven tribe
 * Whachutu, a tribe originating in Peoria

East Coast

 * Crow's tribe
 * Point Lookout tribals
 * Treeminders

Mojave

 * The Kings, former tribe members
 * Boomers
 * Boot Riders, until 2274, reestablished themselves as the Chairmen
 * Fiends, raiders with many tribal customs such as splintering into bands, cannibalism, and wearing tribal clothing
 * Great Khans, descendants of the Khans and New Khans from New California
 * Jackals, last remaining remnant of the tribe from New California
 * Vipers, last remaining remnant of the tribe from New California
 * Slither Kin, until 2274, reestablished themselves as the Omertas
 * Mojave's cannibals, until 2274, reestablished themselves as the White Glove Society

Southwest

 * Blackfoot, assimilated into Caesar's Legion
 * Crazy Horns, potentially destroyed by the White Legs, slavers, raiders, and prospectors
 * Dead Horses
 * Fredonians, assimilated into Caesar's Legion
 * Hangdogs, assimilated into Caesar's Legion
 * Hidebarks, assimilated into Caesar's Legion
 * Kaibabs, assimilated into Caesar's Legion
 * New Canaanites
 * Painted Rock, assimilated into Caesar's Legion
 * Ridgers, destroyed by by Caesar's Legion
 * Sorrows
 * Sun Dogs, assimilated into Caesar's Legion
 * Tar Walkers, potentially destroyed by the by the White Legs, slavers, raiders, and prospectors
 * Twin Mothers tribe, destroyed or assimilated by Caesar's Legion
 * Twisted Hairs, assimilated into Caesar's Legion
 * White Legs, prospect for assimilation into Caesar's Legion
 * 80s

Fallout
One tribal group appears in Fallout, located in southern California, the Khans. This band of raider-tribals live their lifestyle on the Mongol warriors. Two raider-tribal factions are also mentioned, the Vipers with their shamanistic nature and the Jackals with their savage and cannibalistic nature. They were both obliterated in time but their remnants appear in Fallout: New Vegas. They originated from Vault 15 with the Khans, and are culturally based upon early human cultures.

Fallout 2
In Fallout 2, the Chosen One was born and begins his quest in the Arroyo tribe, as a tribal descendant of the Vault Dweller from Fallout. A potential companion Sulik is a tribal of the Primitive Tribe, seeking his sister, Kurisu, who was captured by a mysterious group. The Primitive Tribe lives on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in California (which they call the "Great Salt Water"), and they are one of the tribal groups which can be seen in random encounters while traveling through the coastal area, they are extreme believers in the here-after and revere many spirits. Also, a cannibalistic tribe next to Arroyo can be met in random encounters, and therefore appear to be from Oregon. The Khans make a second appearance in the New Khans. When the Vault Dweller massacred the Khans in 2161 the sole survivor Darion was corrupted by survivors' guilt, and over the next eight decades, he devoted his life to rebuilding his tribe to its once former glory, but solely to get revenge on the Vault Dweller. Eventually, the New Khans became a major raiding tribe and again based their lives on the Mongols like they once were and by 2241 they occupy Vault 15 which is also their original place of origin. Other tribals live around the Den, only seen during the slaver quests of Metzger, if the Chosen One is a slaver.

Fallout 3
The Treeminders are a peaceful group of tribals that have renounced using technology. They are found in Oasis and worship the FEV mutant Harold, who became one with the tree Bob (which Harold liked to tease by calling Herbert). Crow is said to be of tribal birth. One belief of Crow's tribe is revealed when he gives his unique eyebot helmet to the Lone Wanderer, claiming it to be made from the hide of one of the wisest wind spirits. Also, the Point lookout tribals are a group of tribals living in the swamplands and the Ark & Dove cathedral in Point Lookout in the Fallout 3 add-on Point Lookout. They cultivate, worship and consume the punga fruit and believe that the physical world has been destroyed, they're now concentrating on reaching astral planes of existence.

Fallout: New Vegas
The Boomers is a group of tribals originating from Vault 34, living in Nellis Air Force Base as of 2231. They revere explosions and the discharge of weapons. The White Glove Society, the Omertas, the Chairmen, and The Kings were all formerly tribals with other names before Mr. House enlisted their help, making the first three more civilized and gave each of the control of different areas of the New Vegas Strip. The last group known later as the Kings, currently residing in Freeside, likewise abandoned their tribal culture. The Great Khans are a raider tribal gang based at Red Rock Canyon. They originated from California but migrated to the Mojave to escape the NCR. They live in tents and glean their history and legacy from the Mongol warriors. An old abandoned tribal village can be found north of Goodsprings. Many also are involved in making and moving various chems. Additionally, the Fiends, though operating as raiders, share many tribal customs such as splintering into small bands, cannibalism, and wearing tribal style clothes. There are two other raider tribes in the Mojave, the Jackals and the Vipers. Both migrated from California to escape the NCR and Brotherhood of Steel, who have significantly reduced their numbers.

The add-on Honest Hearts introduces four tribes from Zion Canyon and the surrounding area: the New Canaanites, the Sorrows, the Dead Horses and the White Legs. A territorial raiding tribe known as the 80s is also mentioned. Also mentioned are the Tar Walkers and Crazy Horns, both of which were destroyed. The New Canaanites, Sorrows, Dead Horses, White Legs, 80s, Tar walkers, and Crazy horns are all based in Utah, east of the Colorado River.

Fallout Tactics
There are some groups of tribals living in The Belt region, and are usually friendly folk. Three missions in Fallout Tactics involve visiting a place with a tribe: Dirt Haven tribe (only in the demo), are a peaceful people who live in a small village north of Chicago. Their leader is called the Town father and their shaman is called Salik. Brahmin Wood tribe, are a wealthy tribe who worship Brahmin gods. They live in a large village west of Chicago. Their leader is the tribal father Charon, and their shaman is Hawkeye. The last peaceful group, the Peoria tribe live near the remains of Peoria. The people who live there are Whachutu tribals. Their leader is Chevron the tribal father, and their shaman is Dhal. Also, one raider-tribal faction that the Warrior has to defeat, called Beastlords, are a people who have a unique mutation, allowing them to take control over animals. Their leader is Daarr.

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Cyrus is known to have grown up in a semi-tribal farming community, with an important reverence for tattoos. This community had its share of problems with raiders, radscorpions, and the like, but was finally devastated by the remains of the Master's Army when he was just a boy, sometime after 2162.