What it Means to be a Tribe

In the world of Ásatrú there are three distinct groups that vary in personality and practice. This writing aims to describe the personality of each group and explore which group the Independent Tribes of Ásatrú (ITA) belongs to and why. This work, if viewed by members of each group, may find it to be controversial or inaccurate. The author is not downplaying the groups that differ in practice to the ITA, but merely attempting to show the reader the other options that are out there, so they can make an informed decision as to which group they think they might be best suited for. Each group has pros and cons, and no group is perfect. The gods work in ways unknown to us on Midgard, but with the right group, you might be able to unlock their mysteries in ways you never thought possible.

The three groups that will be discussed are the Universalists, the Folkish, and the Tribalists. As stated above, they all vary quite significantly, even though they all claim to practice Ásatrú. How can this be? Wouldn’t members of the same religious affiliation practice the same? It is quite common for people with the same religious beliefs to practice in different ways and to have quarrels over what is the correct way to practice. If we look back to Christianity in the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation began to unfold. The monk, Martin Luther authored an article called the Ninety-five Theses in response to the Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences. The sale of indulgences was made to lower the punishment of alleged sins by a Catholic practitioner. The sinner could perform acts or pay money to have his punishment reduced. To the common Ásatrúar, it seems strange to be punished at all for just behaving in a human way, but to the Catholics, this was a way to maintain social control and increase the treasury of the church. During the Reformation, Martin Luther’s interpretation and attacks on indulgences led to the creation of a new sect of Christianity called Protestantism and/or Lutheranism. Looking further at worldly religions, we can see significant differences in the Muslim faith. There are two distinct groups, the Sunni and Shia Muslims. While they share most of the fundamental beliefs of Islam, they differ in how leadership is to occur. After the death of the prophet, Muhammad in 632 CE, the Sunnis believed that a leader should be elected based on those that would be capable to perform the job. Shias believed that leadership should stay with the descendants of the prophet Muhammad. They have fought countless battles trying to settle this debate, but if we look more closely, it will appear that the differences in these religious groups are purely political. Ásatrú is no different. The three distinct groups of Ásatrú all appear to have varying political beliefs, which has caused the rift that we see, and will be explored in this article.

We will start our exploration with the Universalists. The Universalists are a group of heathens that are the most open and accepting of new members. They are quite outspoken about not discriminating against anyone based on their ethnicity, age, sexual preference, etc. In the early years of my practice with Ásatrú, I belonged to a Universalist group. While I enjoyed my time with the Universalists, I always thought it was lacking something. As I became more in tune with my spirituality, I realized that it was the spirituality that was missing from the Universalists. We did some ceremonies and talked about gods occasionally, but it was all very scattered and not succinct in practice. Many Universalists state they have a Wiccan or Celtic Druid background, and practice magick, which is fine if that’s what you’re into, but it was not for me. In my experience with the Universalists, you could always count on folks coming to a gathering, or getting together to plan for a gathering, but when it came time to execute the gathering, it was all just a lot of talk about gathering. There were no formalities or anybody herding the cats. It was almost like a gathering of hippies and witches, who just enjoy getting together in nature. There were always more than just Norse gods being discussed, and I found this to be quite difficult to stand behind. I’ve also realized that many Universalists, although very non-discriminatory against anyone, reject all those who don’t claim to be non-discriminatory. This seems quite hypocritical, as they are discriminating against a group of people that won’t state outright that they don’t discriminate, even if they don’t discriminate. It does typically appear that the most open-minded of folks tend to be the most close minded when it comes to people who don’t agree with their methods. For those following along, you can tell that the Universalists follow a similar political religion to that of the modern day liberal. I think many less orthodox heathens are drawn to the Universalists as it lacks any real structure or substance and allows folks to practice as freely as they’d like to. As our Gothi, Patrick, has said “the Universalists I used to gather with in San Antonio came up with beliefs based off dreams they had. Like, “Freyja came to me in a dream and said she likes strawberries, so let us proclaim it”. Based off Patrick’s observations, it is clear to see that the Universalists are the furthest away from practicing anything remotely close to the lore and Eddas that most modern Ásatrúar tend to follow. The perceived openness of the Universalists is a great tool for recruitment, but the infrequency of gathering, or promotion of any real spirituality is its downfall.

Next, we will discuss the Folkish heathens. The Folkish heathens have been around the longest amount of time since the neo-Pagan movement of Ásatrú started in Vinland. Most of the founders of all three modern day Ásatrú groups were at one time organized within a Folkish system. The Folkish groups have a great understanding of the lore and Eddas, they gather regularly, and they even have hofs or temples throughout the continental United States. They are very well organized, well-funded, and have a structural system in place that rivals that of some Christian faiths. They typically have a chieftain, alsherjargothi, and other positions of authority, that function as decision makers for the group. In contrast to the Universalists, the Folkish groups tend to be closed off to allowing new members into the group. They expect those that wish to join to have a substantial percentage of Scandinavian or Germanic blood in their DNA and have often been cited as requiring a DNA test prior to acceptance into the group. This has led many to call the Folkish groups as being a “white only” church. Interestingly, the Folkish groups do quite a bit of prison outreach or prison ministry, so while they may want a prospective member to have certain DNA, they do not judge based on the previous actions or character of an individual. If the person is a practitioner of the old gods and has the requisite DNA, they are free to join. It was once said that a percentage of a member’s income also must go to the hof that they belonged to, but I am unsure if that is still enacted today. The folkish groups excel in practicing in a way that may be most closely related to that of our ancestors. Their ceremonies and rituals show their dedication and belief in the gods in a way that makes the Universalists look like children. However, their membership being filled with ex-cons, many of whom are proclaimed white supremacists or neo-Nazis, makes for much confrontation and potential unrest in political situations. Members of a Folkish group were seen antagonizing or even becoming physically violent with members of the Antifa and Black Lives Matter movement at a Civil War statue in the late 2010’s. Some of their members were allegedly carrying around KKK and Nazi imagery. Again, we can see which side of the political spectrum these members fall on. Conservative is probably not the correct term for many of their members, however, we cannot rope all of them together based on the actions of a few right-wing extremists. While the Folkish group has a draw much different than the Universalists, one must think, are they all that different? They both claim to practice the faith of the ancient Norse, they both gather to discuss their beliefs, they both discriminate against certain people. Which side is the correct side is entirely up to you.

This is where the third group of Ásatrúar comes in, the Tribalists. Tribalist groups tend to be smaller in nature, mostly family or community oriented. Most members know each other just like an extended family would. They are neither open nor closed off to new members. They practice the ways of the ancient ancestors similarly to that of the Folkish groups. They have structure, regular gatherings, and are often assembled in a traditional tribal formation with a chieftain and gothi. However, the titles are not indicative of any real or perceived power, which is contrary to that of the Folkish groups. All members of a tribe carry the same amount of responsibility and voice. Some tribes are more open and accepting of new members, others are more closed off and have a stringent set of requirements necessary to join. The key word to a Tribal group of Ásatrúar is family. They act and operate like a family, and at times a dysfunctional family. There can be members of different ethnicities, age, sexual preference, and backgrounds within a Tribal group. The thought is that our ancestors, especially during the Viking Age, traveled far and wide across the globe. They brought back many people from different countries, including North Africa, and while they may not have had the same status, they were part of the tribe if they assimilated into the culture and traditions of the group. Tribes have existed successfully for thousands of years because all members of the tribe are expected to participate and contribute. If we look at American Indian tribes across North America, many of them were large, with hundreds or even thousands of members. They were successful because everyone did their part. This allowed them to have more leisure time than we are accustomed to today. The males would go hunt buffalo for days or weeks, then bring back meat that would last them months. They were free to roam, explore their environment, enjoy the pleasures of life. They often had a chief to help make decisions for the tribe, but his role was often that of a mentor or guide. What kept the tribe together was the social norms and traditions that were created. Those males that could not go hunt, maybe due to an injury, found work elsewhere. They took pride in accomplishing something for the good of the group. It was about group survival, not personal gain. If an individual decided to take more food than he was allocated, or steal from a tribe mate, they would be punished. The tribe always came first. In the 1700s when European settlers began moving west from the Atlantic Coast, many European men and women took refuge with the American Indian tribes. When forced to reintegrate in with white society, many times they rebelled or ran away back to the tribes that took them in. Interestingly, almost no American Indians tried to join white society. Because European society is lonely. Humans were designed to be tribal in nature. To share life and the world together. The loneliness of modern society has created the mass amounts of depression, anxiety, and PTSD that we know so well today. If we look at tribal communities across the world, they have very little or even no mental health issues. More wealth does not always equal more happiness, but community and pride do.

As a Tribalist Ásatrú group, the ITA allows its members to do as they please. A members’ politics, ethnicity, or sexual preference is of no concern to us. While we may discuss these matters, it is of little significant value to the tribe. Our ultimate goal is the safety and survival of our faith and members. We want to teach our younglings to be compassionate, explorative, and spiritual adults. In terms of politics, we would probably consider ourselves to be anarchists, or the antiestablishment sect of Ásatrú. We don’t want anybody in our business, nor do we want to be in anyone else’s. We concern ourselves only with each other and the good of the group. We do not just accept anyone into our family. Each prospective member is screened prior to ever showing up to a gathering, then if they decide they wish to join, they must proclaim it and endure a probation period so that tribe mates may get to know the new person or kindred well. If after the probabtion, they have integrated into our family, then we welcome them with open arms. If after the year, we find them to be of questionable character and/or unable to provide anything of significance to the group, we will let them go. In a tribe with many young children, we are wary of newcomers who have yet to prove themselves and their character to us. We offer the opportunities, but not necessarily the outcome.

Modern society makes it increasingly challenging to raise or maintain a group of tribalist minded individuals. It is difficult to find people with similar values and background that would wish to become a tribe, or kindred as we call it in Ásatrú. Once a group of people have connected and decided they wish to be a kindred, homogenizing and growing can be a seriously daunting task. You will meet folks that have nothing in common with the rest of the group, some will be fat and lazy, others will annoy you to the brink of throwing spears at each other for the sheer thrill of hoping it impales you. For a tribe to function properly all members must be indoctrinated into the community norms and traditions. For a new tribe or kindred this means having a set of guiding principles or values and teaching them to the community and any newcomers that may wish to be present in the group. It is sometimes expected that any new individual will just know how to behave properly when in the tribe, as it is common knowledge or practice for the group. It is far easier to say someone doesn’t meet expectations when no one in the group has put in the effort to show them the correct ways to behave. For an Ásatrú kindred, an easy place to start is with the Hávamál also known as the Sayings of Har. The words of Odin provide the folk with an easy-to-follow guide on how to behave in many situations. For instance, “A man shall not boast of his keenness of mind but keep it close to his breast; to the silent and wise does ill come seldom when he goes as guest to a house; for a faster friend one never finds than wisdom tried and true” stanza 6. Or “Shun not the mead, but drink in measure; speak to the point or be still; for rudeness none shall rightly blame thee if soon thy bed thou seekest” stanza 17. And finally, “A paltry man and poor of mind at all things ever mocks; for never he knows, what he ought to know, that he is not free from faults” stanza 22. These words give particularly good guidelines for how to behave, especially in a tribe. For a tribe to remain constant, teachings must occur as often as possible. The elders in the tribe, although busy, must be available to prepare the next generation of tribesmen or else it will fail.

Every tribe needs to have a cause that all members can buy into. A common goal. Every member needs to have a role in accomplishing that goal. That goal could be hunting for a dinner meal. Both men and women understand that without a successful hunt they will go hungry. All those capable of breaking brush and going into the wilderness in search of a game animal should go. Those unable know that when the meat is brought forth that cleaning and cooking need to take place. It doesn’t matter who does which job, but it needs to get done. A tribe understands that every member has a distinct set of skills. Some are going to be good at finding and tracking the game animal. Others are going to be better at harvesting that animal. And others will be better at cleaning and cooking the animal. Members need to be provided the opportunity to demonstrate their set of skills so that when tasks need to get done the right people can accomplish the job as effectively as possible. There is no person that lacks skills completely. If a tribe member is weak in some skills, it is up to the members that are better to teach them and bring them up to the standard of the tribe. This helps build camaraderie, loyalty, and increases the effectiveness of the tribe in accomplishing tasks. Elders of the tribe will typically view the younger or new folks as their children. The chief will provide guidance and mentorship to all members to ensure that everyone understands what is expected and where the tribe is going. Being a tribe means being a family and doing whatever it takes to carry on and pass down the legacy to ensure the tribe remains for generations to come.

As stated in the title, the folks of the Independent Tribes of Ásatrú are, and will hopefully remain a tribalist organization for many years to come. The philosophy and practice of the Tribalist Ásatrúar takes a good mix of both the Universalists and Folkish heathens. While there is no right answer for which way to practice, the author believes that to be successful in a neo-Pagan group such as Ásatrú, removing the religion of modern-day politics is the best approach. Our ancestors more than likely had differences in ideas when it came to social agendas, but that was never the focal point. It was always surviving. Tribalists provide the closest path to the true history of our ancestors, and if conducted properly should flourish. Being prepared for any chaos that may occur on this earth is easier to handle when a tribe of likeminded and targeted individuals band together to endure. The resiliency of that tribe comes from the inherent and learned skills of all members collectively. The non Tribalist groups will struggle without the cohesion and defined roles of its members. Being a part of a tribe brings one closer to others and closer to the gods and the ways of our ancestors.

Go with the gods.