According to different writers, the community’s chief could be the oldest man or the man proven to be most skilled, useful, and vital to the community's well-being. This position is accompanied by the freedom to have more wives.

Trespassing of land by strangers was a capital offence which was enforced without hesitation. However, native laws allowed controlled access to vital, localized resources – like specific foods or materials – or for carefully arranged inter-tribal gatherings.

Estimates of the sizes of native tribes varied, but a pattern is obvious: settled native tribes were typically small. Some chroniclers describe a tribe as comprising 20 to 60 families or 50 to 60 people, while others mentioned tribes of up to 1,000. However, most chroniclers suggest that a typical tribe with a core group of around 200 adult men (about 1,000 people total) was more plausible. There are also instances where more than one tribe joined together to form a larger group for specific purposes, especially for warfare or ceremonies.

A tribe can be described as an entire distinct community, like the Larakia, or a smaller division within one. This can be used interchangeably. However, often, the writer defines its use. When they don’t, you must read between the lines to get how it is being used.

The Torres Strait Islander Flag was designed in the 1990s and features a white dharri or deri (a type of headdress) with a five-pointed star representing the different island groups. The white represents peace, the green represents land, the black represents the people and the blue represents the sea.

The Aboriginal Flag was designed in the 1970s and its colors represent different aspects of Aboriginal life. The black symbolises Aboriginal people, the yellow represents the sun and the red represents the earth and the relationships between people and the land.