Subsistence economy

– Definition:
– Subsistence means supporting oneself and family at a minimum level.
– Basic subsistence includes food, clothing, and shelter.
– A subsistence economy focuses on meeting basic needs rather than market activities.
– It often relies on natural resources like hunting, gathering, and agriculture.
– The system is sustained through sharing, feasting, and ritual observance.

– History:
– Before cities, all humans lived in a subsistence economy.
– Urbanization and division of labor led to shifts to other economic systems.
– Some societies remain unchanged, including uncontacted peoples and traditional cultures.
– The subsistence economy is prevalent in marginalized areas of developing countries.
– It embodies cultural perspectives on relationships with places, people, and animals.

– List of Strategies:
– Hunting and gathering techniques, such as foraging.
– Artisan fishing and subsistence hunting like Aboriginal whaling.
– Agricultural methods like subsistence agriculture and horticulture.
– Pastoralism practices including pastoral nomadism and transhumance.
– Distribution and exchange methods like redistribution, reciprocity, and potlatching.

– References:
– Subsistence agriculture in the Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology.
– Definition of subsistence economy from BusinessDictionary.com.
– Chief Seattle’s message to President Pierce on land sale.
– Studies on traditional activities in Northern Dene communities.
– Research on sharing-based social capital and harvest production in the Canadian Arctic.

– Citations:
– Stone Age Economics by Marshall Sahlins.
– Study on wildlife harvesting and sustainable regional native economy in Ontario.
– Various economic systems have evolved over time.
– Subsistence economies are still prevalent in certain regions.
– The subsistence system is rooted in cultural and historical contexts.