Reply #104: Nothing to do with wage labor?

[Rabrrrrrr]

The meat is the symbol of the labor of the hunt. The arrows are the symbol of the labor of arrow making.

The hunter says "My hours of labor on the hunt and cutting up the meat as symbolized in this basket of meat is, to me, worth your hours of work making those arrows".

And the arrow maker says "No, the value of my arrows is worth that basket of meat plus the giraffe's kidneys".

And the hunter can say "No, worth a basket and one kidney".

And then they agree, and they trade.

Just because it isn't called "money" doesn't mean that it isn't playing the role of money. And just because it isn't called "capital" doesn't mean that it isn't. The hunter's capital is his skill set, his healthy body, his time, and his weapons. It probably isn't leveraged six ways to Sunday in a bank lending scheme, but it's still capital.