"There is a word for this, but we don't use it regularly -- it's archaic except in Old English and early Middle English. The word is frith*. It's interesting for two reasons:

1) It neatly captures the concept the fellow is looking for, and,

2) It is linguistically linked to several modern English words, including "friend," "free," and "freedom."

When the term was in common use, the idea was that free men remained free only as long as they remained friends -- devoted to each other's common defense. These frith bonds were what allowed the tribe to create a space out of the chaos of the world, in which they could establish the order they prefer. [ Is the west in danger of becoming "frith free'? No, wait. That isn't quite right... -ed. ] "