Tribal symbol, as those people see it, is short of height (5)
I believe the answer is:
totem
'tribal symbol' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'as those people see it is short of height' is the wordplay.
'as' becomes 'to' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'those people' becomes 'them' ('they' refers to a group of people).
'see it is short of' suggests deleting specific letters.
'height' becomes 'h' (abbreviation in geometry).
'them' with 'h' removed is 'tem'.
'to'+'tem'='TOTEM'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for totem that I've seen before include "Animal as emblem" , "Native American symbol" , "Object of veneration" , "Natural item of spiritual significance" , "Pole used in ritual" .)