Final answer:
Chiefs maintaining granaries for community use during times of need is an example of redistribution, a system where leaders collect and then distribute resources within a community, often seen in chiefdoms and early state societies.
Step-by-step explanation:
When chiefs maintain granaries from their subjects' contributions, which people can access during times of need, this exemplifies a form of economic system known as redistribution. Redistribution is often seen in chiefdoms and early state societies where leaders collect resources, goods, or tribute from the population to later distribute them back to the community during times of scarcity or for communal events. This system ensures that while tribute flows upwards towards the leaders, benefits such as social order, protection, and public works flow downwards to the commoners.
One historical example of this system was in the Hawaiian Islands precolonial era, where chiefs controlled agricultural surplus, managing it within communal storage and redistributing it as needed. Similarly, the Asante chiefs in West Africa were obligated by a moral code to utilize resources for the community's welfare. Hence, the granaries serve as a means for the chief to consolidate power and manage the economy but also act as a safeguard for the community's well-being in times of shortfall.