The Cowry: More than just a Currency

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Currency is often simplified in our modern day world; we take for granted its beauty and symbolism and only think about its face value. However in ancient Nigeria, the natives valued their currency as a representation of several key elements of their culture—the cowry represented fertility, divinity, durability, and spirituality in early times. The cowry has since evolved into a symbol of advancement of Nigeria from a primitive state into a modernized nation—it has helped Nigeria maintain its identity and cultural history while helping the nation to develop. The cowry, not only a simplistic, bartering currency for Ancient Nigeria, represents a sophisticated, evolving currency that has manifested itself in the culture and everyday lives of Nigerians and influenced the history of their nation.

The cowry was a major part of ancient, tribal art including clothing, instruments, and sacred pieces of tribal heirloom—the cowry was important to the everyday lives of Nigerians because of its value and symbolic message. In ancient Nigeria, clothing was a representation of their way of life; it displayed the current status of the wearer, the season, and significance of the time to their society. They used the cowry to help decorate their clothing for traditional festivities and special outfits, as they held the cowry sacred. During the ____ ceremony of the Yoruba, the cowry was beaded on the clothing in order to help with influencing the gods for a healthy growing season (Falola 2000). This symbolism carried into art. Art for ancient Nigerians was a window into their culture; from early drawings on rocks to artwork displayed in their villages, it represented the key elements important to the Nigerian culture. Archaeologists have found early...

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...ancient customs and modernized practices.

Works Cited
Asante, Molefi K., and Ama Mazama. Encyclopedia of African Religion. Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2009. N. pag. 2 vols. Web. 3 Feb. 2010.

Falola, Toyin, and Akanmu G. Adebayo. Culture, Politics, and Money Among the Yoruba. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2000. Web. 11 Feb. 2010.

Johnson, Marion. Journal of African History. Vol. 1. N.p.: Cambridge University Press, 1970. 17-49. 11 vols. Cambridge University. Web. 11 Feb. 2010.

Ofonagoro, Walter. The Journal of Economic History. Vol. 3. N.p.: Economic History Association, 1979. 39 vols. Web. 2 Feb. 2010.

Saul, Mahir. "Money in Colonial Transition: Cowries and Francs." American Anthroplogist. : American Anthropoligical Association, 2004. N. pag. Web. 10 Feb. 2010. .

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