“The tribal and kinship structure had always been in place (see Jacob 1:13). … What we see in 3 Nephi 7 is a default government, not centralized like that formerly headed by kings or chief judges, yet sufficiently capable to enact and administer ‘their laws, every one according to his tribe’ (3 Nephi 7:11). A version of that dispersed political structure surely continued following the appearance of Jesus Christ, because nothing is said of any central government from then until possibly the time of Mormon (see Mormon 2:2)” (Sorenson, “How Could Joseph Smith Write So Accurately about Ancient American Civilization?” 284–85).