Sokemen are defined as middle ages European tenants on property who provide specified services or payment of rent but not military service to the free holder.
The smoke monster was never explained in the series. But the producers and writers were keen on sticking anagrams into the show.
If the smoke monster(s) were island "tenants," it would appear from legend of the Others that the smoke monster(s) were "security guards" protecting the island from outsiders. But who were the land owners?
Crazy Mother and Jacob were "guardians" of the island, not owners. A guardian is a person who is appointed to look after a person or property because of a legal disability, including being a minor.
A storm is a violent airborne force of nature that has destructive powers. The manifestation of smokey in smoke form does transform into a deadly tornado.
So we have a potential hierarchy on the island:
The island's owner.
The island guardian who manages the island for the owner.
The island's tenant(s), who are smoke monsters.
Working up, since the smoke monsters are supernatural beings, one can then assume that the island itself is a supernatural place.
We know the island guardians were immortal beings, who could grant immortality to other souls who arrived on the island (as Jacob did to Alpert). But that immortality could be extinguished, apparently by a non-guardian under vague circumstances such as reversion to a human form. This suggests that the island guardians were not humans, but manifestations of human beings such as spirits.
Logically, the island owner would be someone who has greater power or authority over immortals, spirits or supernatural beings. But somehow, that person is put into check by some form of immaturity or status. It could be a god, or child-god. Or, the island could be its own intelligence - - - as native American Indians believed that all things, human, earth, stone, sky and animal, had souls - - - but unable to communicate to the world around it.
The idea that the smoke monster(s) are allowed to live on the island in exchange for protecting it is a intriguing possibility to explain the motivations of MIB/Flocke. Perhaps, the smoke monster(s), including Jacob, could not evolve except on the island. Or that they were bound to their island tenancy like sharecroppers or slaves to the island master. And the only way to break that lease was to die at the hands of lowly but non-evil human beings who were not corrupted by the island power. (This seems unlikely in the case of Ben, who lusted for power, as he killed Jacob.)
If the smoke monster(s) were killed off in the series, then what would happen to the island? Normally, one needs someone to work the land in order to preserve it. If there were no spiritual tenants to keep the balance on the island, would it have sunk to the bottom of the ocean, killing everyone else on it? That is a possibility as Hurley's guardianship reign seemed as short as Jack's.
