Interesting thing about the natives - money meant little to them.
One, a multi-millionaire, was the person who swept out the department store
(size of super sized 7-11) every work day. The natives worked for fish hook
money and fishing line... It was is a Kingdom and the King and his son
went to the world's fair and had a glass bottom boat. Other than that,
he was just hanging around. I used to know most of their language - it
was 400 words of Native, German, Japanese, G.I. Marine ( :-) ), and
English.. They leased the island by family name to the U.S. and got
monthly checks. They still made canoes and outriggers as their forbears
did. Since their main income was coconut products added money
on the side was a help. There was metal - bronze, brass, lead and all
just there for the taking and doing with - but it just sat. No interest.
Interesting time spent there.
Actually the reef was the atoll rim atop a deep and long forgot mountain.
(70 miles diagonal for the atoll.) The coral heads in flowing water
between the deep ocean and the deep lagoon flowed even during
low tide. Depending on the spot, it was either all coral (near ocean)
to mostly sand on the lagoon side. It was a bit tricky to trek through
having black spiny sea urchins looming out awaiting to stab and do
a number on you. Lost use of my hand for a few days with one.
The tidal flow brought 'materials' from the lagoon as it emptied
over the edges and flowed out the channels. The current could
be very tough to stand in.
During the Good Friday Earthquake in Alaska, after Hawaii got
smashed up, it was our turn. Our northern area - boomerang shape
atoll with a long 'blade' facing north - It was feared that the tidal wave
would dump the lagoon over the southern section - a.k.a. mostly Kwaj.
It wasn't a happy time.
But with that said - storms would flush the lagoon southward and
the tide in and out and around. The sand on the lagoon ran deep
and was full of helmets and trumpets and everything else.
So our section of reef (we had access to) (and some other places)
was being constantly populated and swept away. A very dynamic
site. Smaller shells would hug into the coral, the larger ones would
get caught or tumble or float away.
Some were crabby and some cracked but not all that much
happened.
Martin
Andrew Grebneff wrote:
> <snip>
>
>> The toughest one my mother went through was standing on the reef at
>> low tide
>> and watching a native walk ahead of her and pluck out a fist size Golden
>> Cowrie.
>> She knew the law - if they found it first - they do what they want. He
>> cracked
>> it in half long wise and slurped down the snail and continued north on
>> the reef
>> towards home. Such is life.
>
> She should've offered him a few dollars for it before he broke it...
> he'd certainly have taken the money. But since when does C. aurantium
> live on reef-flats? Unless it was caught in a storm surge and tossed
> up onto the reef, in which case the shell was probably already in bad
> shape.
> --
> Regards
> Andrew
>
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--
Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/
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