How did weaker Mongol clans become subordinate to stronger clans?

In the traditional society of the Mongols, weaker clans often became subordinate to stronger ones through a process that allowed them to maintain a degree of autonomy without becoming enslaved. While these weaker groups retained ownership of their own livestock and were led by their own headmen, they were required to pay tribute to the ruling clan. Under this arrangement, the subordinate clans were obligated to move, camp, pasture, and fight under the orders of the dominant clan.1

As clans expanded, the most successful families frequently claimed greater authority over both ancestry and territory, formalizing these hierarchical relationships. During the rise of Genghis Khan, this structure was further transformed. In his efforts to unify the steppe, Genghis Khan often acted with greater ruthlessness toward rival aristocrats, sometimes exterminating clan nobility while incorporating the common people into his own military forces as servants or soldiers to crush existing clan loyalties and ensure personal obedience to his family. Eventually, he replaced the traditional pattern of tribes and clans with a more centralized, feudal-like structure, distributing families to the custody of his companions and relatives.123