Anthropology of Subsistence and Social Organization
Part of the Anthropology For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Humanity has practiced all kinds of ways of subsistence, or getting food. This table shows different modes of subsistence and the affects they've had on social organization.
| Band | Tribe | Chiefdom | State/Civilization | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subsistence: | Foraging | Foraging/pastoralism | Horticulture or (rarely) foraging | Agriculture |
| Mobility: | High | Medium/cyclic | Low | Lowest |
| Food storage: | Little: days to months | Little: weeks to months | Medium: seasons to a few years | High: reliance on stored foods |
| Emphasis on property: | Low but present | Medium: among pastoralists, herded animals are property of individuals | High: elites own special items | High: major differences in material possessions by economic class |
| Attitudes toward social ranking: | Low: little stratification and generally equal access to resources for all members | Medium: among pastoralists, families with more animals have higher rank | High: hereditary elite class exists, but has more power to coerce than command | Very high: resources allotted depend on social rank |
| Population: | 10–150 | Less than 200 | Low hundreds to 1,500 | Tens of thousands to millions or billions |
| Examples: | Paiute of North American Great Basin, Inuit of Arctic Canada | Maasai of East Africa (cattle herders), Saami of Arctic Scandinavia (reindeer herders) | Maori of New Zealand, Vikings of medieval Scandinavia | Ancient Egypt and Greece, Shang China, Maya (Mexico and Guatemala), United States |
