Jim,
I think you are wrong on this. In my research on the economics of the
Pacific Northwest aboriginals, I found information indicating formal,
inter-community barter/trade. For instance, I interviewed one elder who
told me his family had traditionally been allotted a cedar area where,
during the summer, they would fall and split the cedar into planks which
were then taken to the village chief for community consumption
(housing). The village chief's reciprocated with supplying food
(salmon, whale, etc) from that supplied by other families that were
allocated fishing areas, berry areas, etc. This was not exchange in the
market sense of the word. However, this elder told me that they would
normally cut extra cedar and take it down to villages in neighbouring
sounds where it would be exchanged for salmon and that this was an
annual event. This was distinct from and additional to inter-village,
inter-house redistribution through potlatches.
Also, the long distance, inter-'tribe' trade in oolichan oil,
obsidian, and many other items, (e.g. salmon from the lower Fraser R.
and the Columbia R for Camas bulbs and meat and furs from the interior)
have long been known. Indeed, if you look at the first volume of the
Canadian Historical Atlas, you will see maps of trade routes all over
North America where regular exchange was carried out between various
first nations groups that long preceeded the European invasion. This
has become an issue at law in aboriginal rights claims. Aboriginals
have a right to resources for subsistance uses but, according to the
Supreme court, also for limited commercial use where a commercial trade
existed historically.
Paul P
Jim Devine wrote:
FWIW, IMHO Marx was wrong on this one. Equal exchange between distinct
communities does not work unless the property rights of the two
communities are protected. Some sort of sovereign above the
communities is needed. On the other hand, it's quite possible that he
was not referring to _pure_ exchange. That is, it could be exchange
mixed up with threatened robbery and/or war. Most of the original
merchants had armed caravans and sometimes engaged in piracy.
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