Shell money

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Description

10 strings, divided by two clips of dark stone, red shell discs cut from Spondylus or Chama Pacifica, white shell discs made from Conus, dark discs made from coconut or seeds, in former times thread on hibiscus fibre (present synthetic fibre);
red, white and black are the characteristic colours for shell money from the Solomon Islands, at which the red shells, “rongo”, were considered more valuable than the white discs, called “turombuto”. Shell money was used as bridal price, for compensation, for paying pigs or specialists and it was thrown into the open grave as an expression of condolence.

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Comparing literature

Greifenstein, Ute, Fremdes Geld, Völkerkundemuseum Frankfurt o. J., p. 80

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