0 a small sea creature with a soft body and a brightly coloured shell, or the shell itself used in the past as money in parts of Africa and southern Asia:
a cowrie shell
There are a number of cowrie types, many of which are both distinctive and quite localized in origin.
While this report identifies cattle and salt as items exchanged for captives, cowrie shells were probably more important.
Cowrie inflation and problems with local monetary structures gave the perfect excuse to colonial merchants and their governments to ban the use of indigenous currencies.
Desert salt, cowrie shells and other scarce commodities were bartered for captives.
Conversely, a cowrie-poor individual or lineage was unlikely to attain a position of status and power within the village or enter into beneficial relations of alliance with other groups.
While certain tribes may still use salt and cowrie shells for their transactions, the effective globe is using coins and banknotes.
Many people throughout history have found (and still find) the very rounded, shiny, porcelain-like shells of cowries pleasing to look at and to handle.
The grave contained a flexed burial and over 200 iron beads, an ostrich eggshell necklace, a perforated cowrie shell, and iron jewellery.
