cowries
Traded tropical shells
Cowries are small, glossy sea snails with smooth, dome-shaped shells, found mainly in tropical waters.
The shells have a distinctive slit-like opening and porcelain-like finish.
For centuries, cowrie shells served as currency across Africa, South Asia, and the Pacific: Traders exchanged goods for cowries.
They remain common in jewelry and decorative crafts.
Ornamental personal accessories
- necklaceNeck-worn ornament
- braceletOrnamental wrist band
- beadsSmall pierced ornaments for stringing
- adornmentDecorative addition or accessory
pendant · decoration · headdress · anklet · embellishment · craftsmanship · stringing · fashion
Currency for transactions
- barterDirect goods-for-goods exchange
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- tradeExchange of commodities
- paymentFulfilling a financial obligation
wealth · transaction · denomination · circulation · commodity · medium · tribute · dowry
Tradeable raw materials
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- marketplaceVenue for commerce
- importObtain from overseas
- exportForeign-bound sale
goods · caravans · routes · commerce · merchants · Africa · Maldives · India
Authoritative wisdom source
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- auguryOmen interpretation practice
- omensProphetic signs or warnings
- fortune-tellingClaiming to predict futures
casting · reading · ancestors · spirituality · rituals · Yoruba · Santería · seer
Single-shelled soft creature
- snailShelled, slow-moving mollusk
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- mantleCovering or wrap
- shellHard outer covering
soft-bodied · marine · tropical · Indo-Pacific · aperture · dorsum · polished · glossy
jewelry
Ornamental personal accessories
adornment · pendant · decoration · headdress · anklet · embellishment · craftsmanship · stringing · fashion · accessory
money
Currency for transactions
- barterDirect goods-for-goods exchange
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- tradeExchange of commodities
payment · wealth · transaction · denomination · circulation · commodity · medium · tribute · dowry · bride-price
commodities
Tradeable raw materials
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- marketplaceVenue for commerce
- importObtain from overseas
export · goods · caravans · routes · commerce · merchants · Africa · Maldives · India · China
oracle
Authoritative wisdom source
- prophecyForetelling of future events
- auguryOmen interpretation practice
- omensProphetic signs or warnings
fortune-telling · casting · reading · ancestors · spirituality · rituals · Yoruba · Santería · seer · interpretation
gastropod
Single-shelled soft creature
- snailShelled, slow-moving mollusk
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- mantleCovering or wrap
shell · soft-bodied · marine · tropical · Indo-Pacific · aperture · dorsum · polished · glossy · porcelain
ceremony
Formal event marking occasions
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- tribalOf a clan
- indigenousOriginating in a region
heritage · ancestors · folklore · customs · sacred · African · Oceanian · totems · regalia · status
specimens
Representative items for examination
cabinet · display · classification · identification · varieties · museum · catalog · valuation · grading · condition
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- marine invertebratescrabs, lobsters, shrimp, clams, mussels
- mollusksclams, mollusk, mollusks, snail, snails
- gastropodssnail, slug, nudibranchs, sea slugs, land snails
- primitive moneywampum, cacao beans, cocoa beans, gold dust, silver ingots
- seafloor lifesea cucumber, sea cucumbers, sea urchin, sea urchins, sand dollar
cowriesminted coins
Manufactured metallic currency
paper money · fiat currency · banknotes · coinage · gold coins
cowriesgold bullion
Refined precious metal bars
gold bars · diamonds · silver ingots · doubloons · treasure
- cowrie shellsMollusks used as currency