Founded 1980 Years active 1980–present Criminal activities Drug dealing, assault | Founding location Murupara Ethnicity Māori | |
Allies Killa Beez (gang), Bad Troublesome Ward, New Zealand Nomads, Black Power | ||
The Tribesmen are a prominent outlaw motorcycle club based in the North Island of New Zealand. They have a relatively large presence, having set up chapters in Otara, Rotorua and Murupara.
There are currently 108 members imprisoned.
History
The Tribesmen were formed in 1980 as a Māori Motorcycle Club in Murupara. The gang has since adopted the colour yellow, and uses the Middle finger as the club's salute. The Tribesmen serve as the managers for the Killer Beez, a large Otara street gang who also wear yellow, and several members of the Killer Beez eventually join over to the Tribesmen.
Some say the Tribesmen were formed by ex-members of the Stormtroopers, a Northland based gang.
In 2010, an innocent teenager was murdered by the Mongrel Mob for wearing yellow and being an apparent "associate of the Tribesmen", due to the tension in Murupara between the Tribesmen and the Mongrel Mob.