In Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) Grade 7, we study how people met their needs before modern shops existed. In a traditional society, people didn’t work for a salary; instead, they engaged in five specific types of activities to survive. These activities are the foundation of what we call subsistence living.
Five Types of Economic Activity That Would Take Place in a Traditional Society
By looking at the characteristics of traditional societies, we can see that their economy was based on the land. Here are the five activities that kept these communities running:
1. Hunting and Gathering
This is the earliest form of economic activity. People hunted wild animals for meat and gathered fruits, roots, and honey from the bush. This made them completely self-sufficient. If you look at the self-sufficient meaning, you will see it is all about providing for yourself using only what nature gives you.
2. Subsistence Farming
Unlike a modern society where farmers sell crops for profit, traditional farmers grew food only to feed their families. They used simple tools like wooden hoes and relied on rain to grow crops like maize, millet, and vegetables.
3. Herding (Pastoralism)
Many traditional society examples show that wealth was measured by how many cows, goats, or sheep a person owned. Animals provided milk, meat, and skins for clothing. This is one major reason traditional societies did not need money—their animals were their “bank account.”
4. Making Goods and Tools
People were very skilled at making what they needed. This included weaving baskets, making clay pots for cooking, and tanning animal skins for clothes. Because they made everything themselves, they didn’t have to ask where does money come from?—they just used their hands!
5. Bartering
When one group had extra grain but needed salt, they used the bartering meaning of direct exchange to swap. There were many advantages of bartering, mainly that it helped people get what they needed through friendship and trust.
Why These Activities Created a Harmonious Society
In Grade 7 EMS, we learn that these activities weren’t just about survival—they were about working together. For example, 2 ways African traditional religion contributes to a harmonious society is by teaching people to share the results of their hunting or farming with others.
Eventually, as trade grew, people noticed the disadvantages of bartering and moved toward using currency. Today, we use a promissory note (like a R100 bill) to buy things, which is very different from the differences between modern and traditional societies we see in history books.
Grade 7 EMS: The Economy & History of Money
Here is the simplified Table of Contents for your Grade 7 EMS module:
| Lesson Heading (Linked) | Topic Summary |
| Characteristics of Traditional Societies | Core features of ancient, self-reliant communities. |
| Can You Imagine a World Without Money? | How ancestors thrived through sharing and nature. |
| Where Does Money Come From? | The transition from physical goods to currency. |
| Exploring the Meaning of Traditional Society in 2026 | Why ancient values still matter in the modern world. |
| Advantages of Bartering | The benefits of trading goods without cash. |
| Why Traditional Societies Did Not Need Money | How survival worked through self-sufficiency. |
| 2 Ways African Traditional Religion Contributes to Harmony | Ubuntu and respect as tools for community peace. |
| Promissory Note 101: How Money is Issued | Understanding the “promise to pay” system. |
| Five Types of Economic Activity in Traditional Society | Hunting, farming, herding, making, and bartering. |
| Self-Sufficient Meaning: Living Without Markets | Providing for all basic needs independently. |
| Traditional Society Examples | Lessons from the San, Inuit, and Yanomami people. |
| Why Do We Need Money? From Bartering to Currency | Why swapping goods became too difficult for trade. |
| Disadvantages of Bartering | Problems like rotting goods and double coincidence of wants. |
| Bartering Meaning: The Complete History Guide | A deep dive into the world’s oldest trade system. |
| What is a Traditional Society? | Full definition and evolution for Grade 7 prep. |
| What is Modern Society? | Features of our current high-tech, money-based era. |
| What is Bartering? (The Tradeless Exchange) | Everything you need to know about trading without cash. |
| Modern Society vs. Traditional Society: 7 Key Differences | A side-by-side comparison for exam revision. |