Final answer:
A tribe is mostly characterized by common traits and leadership by a chief or council, with notable gender roles distinctions. Women in matrilineal tribes played significant roles in advising leaders and managing domestic and agricultural tasks, with flexibility noted in gender norms and acceptance of individuals with non-conventional roles.
Step-by-step explanation:
A tribe is mostly characterized by common traits and communal living with decision-making often led by a chief or council of elders. However, in many indigenous societies, there were distinctions in gender roles, although not as rigid as in some other cultures. In many tribes, such as those following a matrilineal system, women played a crucial role in both the domestic sphere and in guiding tribal affairs. Indeed, women were often the ones selecting and advising male leaders, and took on various essential roles in tribal life, notably in agriculture and as custodians of traditions and tribal governance.
Pre-Columbian societies in the Americas exhibited a wide range of gender roles and statuses. Women typically engaged in farming and home management, while men were responsible for hunting and protection, yet both genders shared in child-rearing. In some tribes, gender roles were fluid and those not conforming to conventional roles were accepted as long as they contributed to the community, sometimes with revered status.