Shells (Spondylus princeps)from the US west coast and feathers (macaw) from
Central America have been found in Pueblan ruins in New Mexico. These are
obviously the result of trade over hundreds of miles for the shells and
thousands of miles for the feathers. So it could very well be that cowry
shells from the Caribbean were traded northward and later found and revered.
Here's hoping it is true as it is a great story.
Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA
-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
John Varner
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 12:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Wikipedia entery in Cowries
Abbott mentions in "The Kingdom of the Shell" that the British attempted to
introduce cowries as a medium of exchange, after noticing wampum in use in
the coastal Northeast. Despite importing fairly large amounts of Cyp.
moneta and or annulus from the Indo-Pacific, the practice never caught on,
though these shells were traded among tribes as ornamentation and have been
found as far west as the Mississippi basin (burial mounds in Indiana? or
Illinois?)
- John
>From: "Monfils, Paul" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Conchologists List <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Wikipedia entery in Cowries
>Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:43:04 -0400
>
>There are many online references to "megis shell". I only had time to look
>at a few, and I didn't find one that actually describes how these tribes
>got the shells. Here are a couple:
>
>http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/history/native/native_6.html
>
>http://www.turtle-island.com/customs.html
>
>
>
> > ----------
> > From: Conchologists List on behalf of Doug Stemke
> > Reply To: Conchologists List
> > Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 1:21 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Wikipedia entery in Cowries
> >
> > I was glancing through Wikipedia this afternoon and saw the following
>entry:
> >
> > "The Ojibway aboriginal people in North America used the cowry shells
>(which
> > they called sacred Megis Shells or whiteshells) in Midewiwin ceremonies,
>and
> > the Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, Canada is named after this
>type
> > of shell. There is some debate about how they traded for or found these
> > shells so far inland, away from the natural sources. Oral stories and
>birch
> > bark scrolls seem to indicate that they were found in the ground, and/or
> > washed up on the shores of lakes or rivers. The cowry shells so far
>inland
> > may indicate the use of them by an earlier tribe or group in the area,
>and
> > an extensive trade network in the ancient past. Petroforms in the
>Whiteshell
> > Provincial Park may be as old as 8,000 years, and there are questions
>about
> > how long the shells were used in that area as well."
> >
> > Is there really any trueth to this at all or is this, yet another,
>Wikipedia
> > entry that is total nonsence? Any thoughts?
> >
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> >
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