cowrie shells
Tropical trade shells
Cowrie shells are the smooth, glossy shells of small sea snails, oval with a distinctive slit opening on the underside.
They served as currency across Africa, South Asia, and the Pacific for centuries, and remain important in jewelry, divination, and decorative arts: She wore a bracelet of cowrie shells.
Also spelled cowry.
- divination toolsObjects for seeking hidden knowledge
- traditional healerPractitioner of ancestral medicine
- shell moneyMollusk-based medium of exchange
- fertility symbolObject representing reproductive power
- ancient currencyMoney from past civilizations
spirit money · currency exchange · beadwork · protective charm · good luck charm · Maldives · mollusk · burial rites · barter system · manilla · tribal art · gastropod · Shang dynasty · marine species · colonial trade · trade goods · Indo-Pacific · tropical reefs
- African traditionsinitiation ceremonies, naming ceremony, ancestral worship, rites of passage, tribal chiefs
- AfricaEgypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania
- moneydollar, euro, coin, cash, pound
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- beach debrisdriftwood, seashells, marine debris, wreckage, detritus
- trade goodsgoods, oil, silk, commodities, crude oil
cowrie shellsminted coins
Manufactured metallic currency
fiat currency · paper money · gold coins · banknotes · silver coins
cowrie shellsdigital currency
Currency stored electronically
cryptocurrency · electronic money · fiat money · credit · bank transfers