I find there is really no good substitute for the concept of
"tribe", ie. a cultural or ethnic group without a state. I insist
that European "nations" in fact are generally tribes, in the same
sense in which we apply the word to African tribes, i.e. the German
speaking tribe(s), the Czech, the Croat, the Yoruba, etc. Europeans
have decided each tribe is a nation, and have essentially settled
their borders on the basis of tribalism. This has given us two great
European wars, which we call world wars. Other tribal wars in Europe
can be seen daily on your TV news. A warning to African countries
not to go that way.