There's been discussion around the economics of just that of an individual to a community or tribe. In Econ 101 we're taught that a pelt trader could have a very good year and collect a lot of pelts to trade but the trade only would work if there was someone would "buy" them or exchange them for something else of value.

Typically you wouldn't trade 100s of the same item so the pelt trader might end up trading 10 pelts and have 90 left over. There's some discussion that what would happen is that the pelt trader would give those 90 pelts to his/her family and community as an "I got you now and you get me later" implicit social contract.

Cooperative breeding, child rearing, and sharing of resources made sense. It kept everyone alive and thriving. United we stand...