The Five Tribes are a ruling political body in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.
Description[]
The Five Tribes were the collective ruling body of the planet Askone. They formed the planetary oligarchy that governed alongside the religious figurehead, the Grand Master. This council of tribal representatives held significant secular power, influencing law, policy, and planetary decisions.
Following Askone's revolution against the Galactic Empire, the Five Tribes established a theocratic society based on a deep fear of technology. They enforced a doctrine that classified nuclear technology as forbidden sorcery, punishable by death. This isolationist policy was designed to keep external influences, like the Foundation, off their world.
Their pivotal role occurred during a conflict with the Foundation. The Askonese authorities arrested Foundation Trader Eskel Gorov for possessing nuclear technology, and the Grand Master, with the support of the Tribes, condemned him to death. Foundation agent Limmar Ponyets was sent to negotiate. Ponyets bypassed the devout Grand Master and instead directly targeted the Five Tribes. He demonstrated a transmuter, a device that could generate gold. Seduced by greed and the promise of immense wealth, the tribal representatives abandoned their own religious doctrines. They pressured the Grand Master into surrendering, forcing him to release Gorov grant the Foundation exclusive trading rights. This act of corruption ended Askone's isolation and opened the planet to Foundation influence.
Appearances[]
The Five Tribes appear exclusively in "The Traders" section of Isaac Asimov's novel Foundation.