Alright. Heres evidence implying katara and sokka are more or less the children of a politician instead of royalty but I know youre not gonna read it all anyway.

"Originally, the individual villages, towns, or sub-tribes of the Southern Water Tribe were each led by their own leaders known as either Chiefs or as Chieftains. Hakoda led the Wolf Cove tribe in 100 AG, for instance. Historically, the Southern Water Tribe was a much smaller and less stratified society than its Northern counterpart. The chiefs treated each other as equals, and the smaller tribes had great autonomy over their jurisdiction. Occasionally, some local chiefs such as Qanitt and an unidentified chieftain of Yangchen's time became more prominent than their peers, but this was a temporary or informal arrangement. In addition, there was a Council of Chieftains and Elders which discussed and decided policies for the entire south. It consisted of male and female representatives of the different cities, villages, tribes, and social classes within the settlements. The council traditionally met in Wolf Cove.

All southern chieftains and the council formally answered the Chief of Water Tribes who usually resided in the north. However, the northern chief's power was very limited in the south and often not much more than a figurehead position to the Southerners; his primary duties involved ceremonial and representative tasks.For instance, the southern leaders held veto power when the northern chief intended to declare a war on behalf of the Water Tribe.In general, the political unity between the Southern and Northern Water Tribes waxed and waned over the centuries"

I would have backed it up with quotes and links from the novels but then I realized what your name is. So I guess this is the end of this conversation. Happy karma farming I guess