Traditional Economic System

Class Exercise

Scenario

You are a member of the African tribe called the Massai. You worship cattle because you believe that “GOD GAVE CATTLE AND GRASS, WITHOUT GRASS THERE ARE NO CATTLE, AND WITHOUT CATTLE THERE ARE NO MASSAI” Cattle also happens to be the only source of economic survival. Everything that is traded and exchanged is measured in terms of cattle. Cattle, to you, is money.

Q: Cattle are central to your community’s economy. They are accumulated as a sign of wealth and traded or sold to settle debts. You notice that your community’s “economy” is declining. What are you and your young warrior friends going to do?

A: ___________________________________________________________________________

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Q: In your society, the only way to get a wife is to be able to pay bride price which is always a certain number of cattle. However, you, being young and inexperienced, do not have any cattle but you really want this young Maasai girl who has been eyeing you. What can you do? (You can’t steal because you are physical weak)

A: ___________________________________________________________________________

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Pd. 10

Group Members: Zubair Azad, Cindy Cai, Alex Hsu, Igor Radovitsky, Pamela Sundelacruz, Julia Yoon

Pd. 10 Zubair Azad, Cindy Cai, Alex Hsu, Igor Radovitsky, Pamela Sundelacruz, Julia Yoon

Traditional Economy Quiz:

• Which of the following is not an example of systems of production?

            a. horticulture

            b. pastoralism

            c. foraging

            d. intensive agriculture

            e. none of the above

• Many societies today have ____________________ economies.
• However, a traditional economic system is a type of __________________________ economy
• In many traditional economy societies, _______________ ________________ money is used instead of ________________ __________________ money
• The currency for a traditional economy is ___________________?
• How are products in a traditional economy produced?

• What are three examples of a traditional economy?

• England used the _________________ to enforce the policies of mercantilism on the colonies
• Why was mercantilism unsuccessful in England?

• What are the five classes in feudal Japan from the highest down

• Name two examples of traditional economy in American society