ABSTRACT
The state of the market in the midst of a subsistence crisis reflects the seriousness of a particular incident, especially for the economically more vulnerable. As such, its study will reveal important aspects of the primal stages of food crises. Occasionally popular reaction in times of a subsistence crisis took violent forms that included looting, vandalism and the lynching of those considered responsible for the grave situation. The supernatural interpretation of crises is a trait with particular antiquity. It suggests the recognition of the fact that the resolution of such a calamity lies beyond the means and mechanisms available to the specific society in question and as such indicates its seriousness. The sale of property to obtain food in times of subsistence crises was a step indicating that the crisis in question was serious. Migration from the afflicted areas was the ultimate stage of popular reaction to subsistence crises.
