Conflict Resolution and Social Control (CBarbH)

Barbarians have no written laws, and rarely have formal procedures for resolving conflicts. Instead, they settle disputes though negotiation, sanction, and force. Custom, not law, regulates behavior. Though standards vary, most tribes expect their members to obey authority figures, refrain from indiscriminate violence, respect the natural world, and follow religious tenets.

Social indoctrination begins with the family. Parents teach their children at an early age the importance of conformity and obedience. As soon as he can walk, a child is expected to perform small chores, such as picking fruit and gathering firewood. Older siblings supervise these chores, punishing transgressions by withholding food or slapping the perpetrator on the head. An informal hierarchy exists within each family; the young are expected to follow the old, women are expected to defer to men (or vice versa in matriarchal cultures), and the physically strongest member, usually the father, has the last word.

In some tribes, a council of elders settles grievances between families or bands. There are no hearings or formal presentations; instead, the elders discuss the matter among themselves until they reach a consensus. If a discussion reaches an impasse, the elders adjourn, then convene another day. Such discussions many drag on for weeks or even months, during which time the antagonists may give up and settle the matter themselves.

The tribal leader serves as the overall authority, and his judgments are final and binding. He bases his decisions on precedents, the best interests of the tribe, and the advice of clerics. The leader may also ask the spirits for help; a black butterfly, a thunderstorm, or a bad dream may be taken as a sign of guilt. The accused may be thrown into a lake with his limbs tied; if the spirits bring him to the surface, he is declared innocent. Alternately, the accused may be required to run a gantlet of warriors, each with a single arrow or spear; the number of wounds indicates the degree of guilt.

Many punishable transgressions involve marriage, property, or sloth: a man dishonors his wife by flirting with her sister, a warrior uses his friend's bow without permission, a woman takes a nap instead of supervising her children.

An abrupt death or mysterious disappearance an otherwise healthy adolescent dies in his sleep, a seasoned warrior fails to return from a hunting trip—demands immediate investigation, as it may involve supernatural forces. In fact, any transgression with supernatural overtones is regarded as extremely serious; failure to punish the guilty party may bring the wrath of the spirits upon the entire tribe. In such cases, the leader may call on a cleric to use his powers of divination to determine who—or what—is responsible. The cleric roasts bones in camp fires and examines the cracks for clues, petitions the spirit of the departed to visit him in a dream, and prays to his deities to reveal the culprit.

Punishments range from reprimands to execution. Minor transgressions may result in extra duties, such as killing a dozen deer or making new tunics for all the members of an insulted family. Perpetrators of serious crimes, such as murder or cowardice, may be beaten, starved, or killed. Common forms of execution include stoning (the accused is dumped in a pit; warriors pelt him with rocks and bones), incineration (the accused is tied to a pole surrounded with brush; tribesmen ignite the brush and dance while the fire burns), and poisoning (the accused is sealed in a cave with venomous serpents). Those guilty of heresy may be banished rather than killed to prevent their ghosts from haunting the tribe.

Perhaps the most effective punishments, and certainly the most feared, involve the supernatural. A cleric may simply inform the guilty party that he has been cursed, or that he will be haunted by the spirits of his victims. Many wrongdoers would rather be executed than cursed, for fear that their suffering will continue unabated in the afterlife.