Anthropologists’ money bag

Anthropologists’ money bag

By Kuan Yu Chou,

   Department of Cultural Resources and Leisure Industry

   Money has always played an important role in our daily life. Have you ever wondered where were
our money came? When I first came across the name of the exhibition - anthropologists’ money bag,
I was very curious about it. In the beginning, I was wondering what the currency was and surprisingly
found out that things I can’t even imagine were accepted as currency. From cigarettes and alcohol、
to instant noodles, which are mostly used as currency in jail. In prisoners are not allowed to exchange
things for money. Another interesting thing is that Salt is also a form of money which can be paid as
solders’ salary. Farmers can exchange crops for a haircut.

There are other kinds of currency, e.g., red-feathered money and pigs as their property.
The most astonishing thing is that it costs the feathers of three hundred birds to make just one
red-feathered belt! What’s more, even animals’ teeth can be money, such as dolphins, bats, pigs,
etc.

Moreover, an ethic group called Langalanga from Solomon Islands used their special-made shell
money to trade even until now. They were once force not to use this currency during the French
colonization. However, people didn’t stop producing shell money even all region did so. That’s
why Langalanga’s money so special that of other regions. Their local traditional culture is worth
spreading.

Shell money is not easily made as there plenty of manufacturing procedures involved. First shells
have to be broken into pieces, and be ground. Afterwards a tiny hole is drilled in the center of
each shell. Finally shells of the same colors are sorted and make into a string. Shell money is
meaningful to the ethnic group in terms of transaction, marriage, compensation, and decorations.
In addition, if people fights, they use shell money tied with a red cloth to represent reconciliation.
Also, before election they will sit together to produce shell money, eliminating argue from
rooting different candidates.

Some people even call shell money “the central bank” since this currency around the world-to
me, this is the most impressive part. Nevertheless, through European role, people in Solomon
had to change currency. From that time, currency was not just considered as a medium for
transaction, but also a symbol of power. Those white European always believe that they are
seniority. That’s why nowadays, people who use Euro are more superior than those who still use
local money in Haiti. ” What makes currency become currency is based on people’s belief “,
which means that If citizens don’t believe in their government, then the money will lose its value
and validity.

I found out that this exhibition had plenty of interactional devices and activities. For instance,
one of the devices instructed us to pretend we are time-crossing travelers and imagine the things
we could bring. Intriguing thing is that people from different areas choose different items. For
example, Taiwanese mostly choose instant noodles, while Soloman people will choose axe.
At the end of the exhibition, we tried on a shirt made of shell money and were given the
opportunity to put on precious shell cloth that three of our former presidents had worn. We also
learned about grinding shells and it is amazing to know that the local people use rope and an
arrow as tools.

The purpose of this activity was to make us think what could be used as currency. Additionally,
there was another activity in which we can design our own money, and a turntable that I could
spin to see how different forms of money was used in the past.

This exhibition really changes the way I thought of currency and it made me appreciate the
evolution of currency; the currency evolves from years and years of negotiation based on
people’s beliefs not just straightly changes. this exhibition was both entertaining and educational
which broadened my horizon and open my mind!