The Acoustic Instruments

Disclaimer:

I have no credentials that might charitably imply that I could ever possibly pull off the allegory that I shall now attempt. Any insights gained by you, gentle reader, are most likely either coincidental, serendipitous or illusory.

Introduction

Homo Sapiens have lived in small groups of mostly extended family members for most of our existence on this planet. Our social conventions show evidence of these relationships regardless of local cultural norms.

This design uses the following eight Types:

Outward Looking Castes

Chief - The Alpha

In an emergency, someone has to be in charge. The Chief is the default leader and the person who designates the ad hoc leader for every common situation. A leader who cannot delegate squanders the major advantage of tribal teamwork.

Hunter / Gatherer

The people who go out and find things needed by the tribe. 

In the modern world, 'Salesman' is the best example. Salesmen find 'customers'. Customers are the natural prey of the business oriented tribe. Most customers are caught in the wild because they are difficult to domesticate properly. Domesticated customers are called 'clients'.

Elder

The people who know the most about common things.

Elders are "inward interested", but they watch for danger both from within and without. They are the ones who preserve the traditions of the tribe.

Stranger

They only look like people. They are as dangerous as the wolves, and not nearly as clean. This category includes everyone who is neither part of the tribe or nor a mystical authority figure (like a celebrity).

In the modern business world, the Stranger brings esoteric knowledge which may be dangerous or useful or both.

Inward Looking Castes

Shaman

The person who specializes in uncommon knowledge. This has become less a part of the "personal tribe" because of the amount of specialized information available. In the modern world every doctor and lawyer has "secret knowledge" that is seldom shared with the laity.

If you have a friend that helps you with technical, medical or legal matters, that person is your personal Shaman.

Potter / Weaver

The people who make things.

These are people who have skills useful to society at large. In the modern world every dental assistant and plumber has "secret knowledge" that is seldom shared with the laity.

Youth

Oaf - The Omega

Half-People who will never grow beyond their current limited abilities. Kept as long as they are harmless and useful.

Slaves are also considered to be in this caste regardless of their actual intelligence or skills. One of the reasons that slavery does not work (besides the horrendous psychological toll upon the humanity of both the slave and the slave owner), is that intelligent talented slaves will work tirelessly to sabotage any system that keeps them fettered.

True Oafs, on the other hand, accept their place and work hard to remain useful to the tribe. In gaming terms, these are the "Non-Player Characters" (NPCs) and they are treated as such.

A 'false' Oaf is someone who's primary skills are seen as useless to the tribe. Ideally false Oafs leave to start their own tribes. This is why the majority of the Earth's dry surface became infested with humans before the invention of the wheel.

This design only shows positive terms. Negative terms would be the opposite of each 'passive' term listed below. If the term is 'active', the negative form will invoke the function or be used to capture the state or current Value.