Traditional definitions of tribal economy – Essay

The current approaches to tribal economy are based altogether on the traditional approaches. Now, it is increasingly felt that the tribal econ­omy is the part of the tribal social totality.

This has been aptly demonstrated by Malinowski and Sahlins. It is spread over all the in­stitutions of tribal life. For example, if a man performs magic for protecting his crop, he has mixed culture for economy.

The Trobrianders’ rights over women and children have an aspect which the classical economists might call economy. The Bhils get bride-price in view of giving their daughters in marriage. For a rational economy, this is an economic activity.

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This kind of interpretation does not have relevance to understand the tribal economy. Despite this new approach to tribal economy, a few traditional definitions can be given here. For example, Ralph Piddington writes:

Economic system designed to satisfy the material wants of the people is to organize production, to control distribution and to determine the rights and claims of ownership within the community.

Obviously, Piddington dwells on production and distribution of commodities. But, the nature of tribal economy does not come under his discussion.

The definition given by Beals and Hoizer is the standard defini­tion of economics given in the textbooks of economics. They observe:

The economic organization is the pattern of behaving result organi­zation of society relative to production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

Modern economy, thus, studies all the activities related to produc­tion, distribution, exchange and consumption. But, the activities of production and consumption are not in the hands of tribal individu­als. This vital aspect of tribal economy remains neglected in the definition.

Bohannan has introduced a few new variables in the analysis of tribal economy. Tribal resources and the indigenous technology con­stitute part of primitive economy. The author also stresses on the “requirements of human beings” as the motivating factor for eco­nomic activities. But he also looks at rational economy in the tribal society.

However, it must he said that whether the economy is deter­mined by the tribal group itself or imposed from the market economy, there is always a need to organize production, distribution and exchange.

In other words, if a tribal has surplus production, how would he market it? If there is exchange, what are the indigenous ways of organizing exchange? These are some of the aspects of tribal economy which we propose to deal with below.