Almost with lightning acquiescence, in the December 1915 issue of Lone Scout, Chief Totem announced that "Tribes" could be organized. Two weeks later he stated that five members could form a Tribe, which should not contain more than twelve members. Two to four "Tribes" would form a "Wigwam." Indian names and customs were suggested.

Originally, it was suggested that Tribe meetings be held at least once a week, Tribe elections were to be held every three months, and that the only Tribe officer was to be a secretary, or Holder of the Feather.

As soon as the Tribe was organized a report was to be made to Chief Totem W. D. Boyce. This report gave the name of the Tribe, the name and address of the Tribe Captain, the names and addresses of the charter members who attended the first regular meeting, and the date the Tribe was organized.

Each Tribe had a leader, the Tribe Captain, elected to a term of three months. If the Tribe wanted, he could be elected to multiple terms in office.

In August 1917, a special Tribe Captain badge was authorized. The Indian head stood for the head of the tribe, the peace pipe for brotherly love and the tomahawk represented the Tribe as an independent organization, the arrowhead to remind the Tribe to have a goal and aim toward it, progressing surely and swiftly. In November 1920, the position was changed to Tribe Chief and a new badge of office authorized. Later, there was a Tribe Chief's badge authorized.

Once authorized, Tribes sprang up everywhere. They became so numerous that Lone Scout magazine soon announced a new department dealing exclusively with news of the Tribes. The Tribe was required to follow a parliamentary system of order such as that used in Congress. In the 1916 L.S.A. publication, Tribes: How They Are Organized, all the rules regarding all aspects of Tribe organization and conduct of business was laid out in terms boys could understand.

Mail Tribes came into existence when Elmer Hill asked permission to form the "Interstate Tribe" for ten Lone Scouts, each from a different state. Chief Totem gave permission and Mail Tribes came into existence. The "Universal Mail Tribe," organized August 1, 1916 by Lone Scout Barton Baker eventually reached a total membership of about 3,000 Lone Scouts.

National Mail Tribe pin

Mail Tribes were often set up among boys who shared a common interest like collecting stamps, raising the same farm animals, etc., but who did not live in the same area. They followed the same guidelines as regular Tribes and were issued Tribe Charters. Communication was ordinarily done through correspondence. A Lone Scout could belong to several Mail Tribes as well as a regular Tribe. Some Mail Tribes issued their own membership pins.

Black Hawk Boosters pin	W.L.S. Radio Tribe pin

In addition to local Tribes and local issues, there were Tribes organized around a particular interest such as Boosting. These Booster Tribes were at times provincial in that they promoted a state or region by advocating recruiting more new Lone Scouts and/or subscriptions to Lone Scout magazine than any other state or region.

Many Tribes formed by such publications as Wallaces' Farmer did much to promote the Lone Scouting program and provided many items for the Lone Scout. One of these was a watch fob shown below.

The Wallaces' Farmer Agriculture Award watch fob	The obverse of the fob. It reads: "Agriculture Award presented by Wallaces' Farmer Tribe/Lone Scouts of America"

Armstrong Perry First Director of Lone Scouts

After the merger with Boy Scouts of America, Armstrong Perry was appointed as the first Director of the Lone Scouts. His expertise was with the farm and business world. He enlisted the Farm Journals to form Tribes or (Wigwams) to reach the farm boys. He also helped form the W.L.S. Radio Tribe, which made broadcasts of Lone Scout messages.

The first crude Tribe papers ushered in a golden era of journalism in America. The first of the Tribe papers was the Black Hawk, established December 11, 1915, by Elgie Andrionne. It was a one-page, handwritten paper, which was given considerable publicity in Lone Scout and resulted in an avalanche of Tribe papers. Nearly every issue of Lone Scout announced new Tribe papers. As time went on, Tribe papers outgrew their original purpose. They no longer confined their scope to Local Tribes, but evolved into "Amateur Publications," as they were known in later years. In a limited sense, some of them attained national prominence.