Currency

This is an example of indigenous currency made by the Kanak people of New Caledonia. This type of currency was not used to buy or sell things – it indicated a commitment to do something or was used as an exchange or gift to show respect. For example, these currencies were exchanged when people came together to build a great house for the chief. They would indicate their commitment to work on the project by exchanging or gifting these currencies between builders and the commissioning party or house owner.

Decoration

The different parts of the currency are said to represent a head, a body and a foot. They usually have a case made of tapa cloth which represents a house for the currency. The head of the currency sometimes takes a form of a carved wooden head. The head may also be more abstract woven and beaded shapes, a small doll representing a man or even a woollen or a knot made from flying fox fur cord. The body is the string with objects attached to it and the foot is the tassel of flying fox fur cord. This example is a modern one which uses pink wool instead of the flying fox fur cord. There are two shaped pieces of turtle shell, three seeds, a twist of fibre, a small gastropod shell and two segments of animal or bird bone attached to a twisted and plaited cord of dark pink wool. A strand of tubular beads ending in a tuft of lemon-coloured wool is attached to this. The case is made from tapa cloth, which has been stitched around the edges with the pink wool.

Acquisition

This indigenous currency is a modern example which was made in 1990 in Hienghène in the north of New Caledonia. It was collected by Leonie Smiley who worked on womens development projects in the Pacific during the 1990s. It is one of a large group of items Leonie donated to Te Papa in 2002.