Traditionally, political life centered on the kin-based groups that dominate Somali life. In line with the segmentary nature of the society there were councils with essentially similar functions at each level of kin group organization. Except for an occasional sultanate, true states did not exist among the Somali. Settlement patterns vary among the Somali according to their economic mode of existence. In the south where agriculture is important, the Somali are located in more or less permanent settlements, while in the north, where pastoral groups wander in nomadic bands, only temporary camps surrounded by fences of thorns are in evidence.
Marriage is considered a secular contract having both economic and political importance.
The two individuals involved are regarded as the representatives of their respective lineages or dia-paying groups. In order to obtain a wife, a negotiated brideprice has to be paid by the prospective bridegroom to the father of the bride. This payment was made in either livestock, money, or slaves. Marriage with any first cousin, or within one's own lineage or dia-paying group is forbidden. Although the Somali differ somewhat from the normal Islamic marriage preferences, all groups practice non-sororal polygyny including the Muslim limit of four wives.