Early European American scholars described the Native Americans (as well as any other tribal society) as having a society dominated by clans or gentes (in the Roman model) before tribes were formed. There were some common characteristics: 1  The right to elect its sachem and chiefs.nterracial relations between Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans is a complex issue that has been mostly neglected with few in-depth studies on interracial relationships. Some of the first documented cases of European/Native American intermarriage and contact were recorded in Post-Columbian Mexico.