The offerings of the tribal chiefs in Numbers 7 reveals something of how they viewed themselves and their roles.

1) They cooperated. They all brought identical offerings.
2) They were united. The offerings were organized so that no one could approach alone.
3) They were peers. Nobody brought more or less than another, despite having very different population sizes.
4) They were submitted to God's will. They didn't try to dictate how their offerings would be used.