I'm thinking of a guy that would be like the commander of the guards. Like the guy that is in charge of the warriors or hunters in the tribe. I'm not sure if there is an official tribal name for that type of person. I'm just trying to get some ideas to use as a title that sounds appropriate for a tribe. An authority figure, but for the fighter types of the tribe.
And thanks so far for the other roles. I have other NPCs I'm trying to work out, so I can use those ideas for their roles within the tribe.
tl:dr version: wolfs have such "official" position, it's the Beta wolf. In most tribes this role falls either to chieftain or the person who'd become chieftain next. It can be his brother, and then son in patriarchal societies, son of his sister in matriarchal ones (although there's a strong tendency to favour his own son. But this is only for as long as the chieftain dies, then all bets are off, and his son loses all privileges). There is no codified name, as scientist made a point of developing functional names rather than deriving them from regional ones. Of course system was not totally foulproof (totemism in Polynesia, taboo's all over the place, shamanism mostly known in North America, despite coming from Siberia...), but enough not to make for fun lists.
Normal version:
Tribes generally have a: chieftain, shaman-ish person, and then there's the men and women. "Roles" within a tribe almost never depend on some codified titles. If you're good at something or have resources to do something - you're expected to do so. For example, someone who owns a boat gets bigger part of the draft, but has to keep the boat repaired and, make sure it's properly crewed etc.
The "heir" is kindof a second in command to the chieftain. It makes for a fun dynamic in matriarchal societies, whith a constant struggle between chieftain's sons, and sons of his sister (who are rightful heirs to the title within tribe).
if you have more time for prep I'd strongly recommend works of Bronislaw Malinowski.
---
Alternatively, I suggest looking rather at organization of wolfpacks, as this is closer to organization you already have in mind. But scratch the common misconceptions, especially regarding the alpha male. Alpha, is the leader/s. It can be a male, female or both. They're cunning, but not necessarily strong. They lead the chase, react first at any intrusion. It's not possible for a male to be only alpha for long, as it's female wolves who communicate that they want to take new territory, and it's their role to respond to such calls when some pack wants to go on given territory (a pinging, if you will ;-) )
All members of pack demonstrate humility in front of alpha. They look down when facing him, will walk away from meat when he approaches. He or she - has great mating privileges.
Beta, is the strongest wolf, he is the Alpha's "enforcer'. This "position" gets taken if Alpha is not physically overpowering.
Omega, is a wolf of very low status. He has however a role to fulfil - he eases any tensions within pack, he's the local jester, or comical relief
Young wolfs get special treatment altogether. All members of the pack offer them protection and additional food (when possible).
But, they're presenting humility to all adults, even the Omega.
---
Little is known about Mesolithic tribes, but all known data suggest as big versatility as with any tribes. Making tools needed high specialisation, but there was high demand to do this in the middle of extended hunts, so they were still regular hunters, just with additional "job" to do (there are many temporary work sites, often at same place as kill site).
Neolithic organization is also very enigmatic, but position most probably also depended more on personal skills than any set "positions to fill". All members were supposed to be very versatile. Each household made their tools, and had own garden. They really didn't do much herding, as bovines roamed the park-forest largely unattended (interesting trivia - contrary to popular belief, those animals almost never mated with local animals. not even vermin! There's been findings of mouse skeletons near settlements, and those are either the local species, or the same that lived in Anatoly and followed the tribe on it's journey).
---
If you're looking for specific names - there rarely were any that we know of. Prehistoric, historic or modern, buggers tended not to name their roles in modern English. And because there's enough confusion in scientific journals, people generally agreed to name them functionally, with catching names like "boat owner" or "chieftains third son". One of few that always get mentioned are names for "outsider". Note, that this does not need to be the gringo researcher, to tribe anyone from outside given village (as extended family) it an outsider. He can often live with the tribe though. But any member can often cast him away simply by declaring him as Unwanted.
What I'm getting at is: just think whatever cool name springs to your mind. Already coined terms were made for ease of description in professional journals, not actual internal organization, or recognition of those roles.
The little names that
are non-functional, come from Polynesia, as anthropologists simply
loved this area of world. Many isolated islands make for many different organization types.
I'm again referring you to works of Malinowski, as his works are throughout and very fun to read. He is The Anthropologist to read, whether you're a layman or a pro.
