Institution

Secret society

Also known as secret societies

A secret society is an organisation whose membership, rituals or knowledge are restricted to initiates. In the Luba Empire the Bambudye society acted as custodian of historical memory and as a check on royal excess. The Luba Empire and Lunda Empire profiles both show such societies playing a significant role in governance and political legitimacy.

Secret society
Image: Miss Alice Donlevy · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Luba EmpireFoundation, GovernanceLunda EmpireImpactRepublic of Haiti (1806-1849)Decline

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Selangor SultanateFirst Dominican RepublicTagalog Republic

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Secret society. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/secret-society
MLA
“Secret society.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/secret-society. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Secret society.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/secret-society.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Secret society’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/secret-society (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻