> I think there is no doubt concerning the correct identification of the
> Cowries since they were carried out by Pilsbry and Dall. The problem is the
> interpretation: Since when did North American indians use the Money cowry
> for their ceremonies, etc.? After Columbus or already before he reached the
> Americas.

The choice of cowries as a trade item was not random.  They are shiny
and appealing.  Thus, they would quickly enter the trade network, just
as other European items such as metal, colored beads, guns, horses
etc. did.  (Not to mention smallpox, Y chromosomes, etc.)  Likewise,
items developed within the Americas could spread rapidly, such as
corn.  I believe that there are myths on the origin of corn in North
America not too different from the myth cited for the origin of cowrie
shells.  Seashells were widely traded in pre-Columbian America.
There's also the fact that Columbus thought he was getting to Asia,
where cowries were known to be popular.  Given the complexity of trade
routes, the origin of the shells would be difficult to trace for
anyone at several removes from the source, so speculation on their
origin would not be surprising.

Some of the parallels invoked by Jackson between Asian and American
customs seem weak.  Rituals associated in some fashion with death are
commonplace, and putting something in the mouth is not a very unusual
idea.  On the other hand, despite the millenia of separation, the
closest relatives of the Native American cultures would have been
northeast Asian cultures.  It's possible that existing rituals using a
pebble, a native shell, etc. was modified when the appealing new
shells came along.

--
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"

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