Some few tribes have individuals who are adrift and hungry, and some even sell the poor into slavery when they are in debt. But even slaves are fed and housed. The second great pattern of economic orders is one I shall call the syphon system . Constant fluidity of goods is ensured also in many cultures between intermarrying families. All the extended kin group unite in gift-giving not only at betrothal and marriage but also at birth of children and at death and even at the subsequent marriage of children.
Goods pass from hand to hand endlessly.
The syphon systems often begin their operation even before accumulation can occur. In such societies produce is actually pooled whether or not it is stored in private storehouses. These are preeminently the societies of good will, where murder and suicide are rare or actually unknown. When one is studying aggression in different cultures, therefore, one of the things ons looks for is the degree to which economic distribution is set up according to the syphon method or the funnel method. Social organization, and social opinions, do not reflect the degree of development of productive forces.