Hi All,
Two comments:
First, somewhere along the line I'd gotten the idea that the kota was used as a ceremonial/dance accessory, rather than as a currency. This isn't worth much, as I can't remember the source at the moment.
Second, about knives as currency.... I'm not sure how they were used in Africa, but biologists and anthropologists working in Amazonia and in Papua New Guinea still use knives as currency. It's not a matter of "can you give me change for a machete?..." Rather, it's a matter of carrying a stock of machetes, axes, bush knives, tarps, flashlights, etc. as payment for whatever they're working on: animals, help trapping, help collecting plants, payment for letting them stay in a village, etc. I suspect that the African currency blades are used in similar ways, although the fact that many are not functional may mean that they're taking on more of the functions of a true currency.
My 0.02 cents,
F
|