What do cowrie shells represent?
Wherever the cowrie shells are found, they almost always symbolize wealth and fertility. Spiritual meaning. In African legend, a love of cowrie shells shows that you could be family to an ocean spirit of wealth and earth.
Why do people wear cowrie shells in their hair?
Many women wear them in their hair or in long strands around their waist and hips. They also are a sign of femininity and fertility, with women often wearing them not only to help them conceive, but to help them give birth safely. Cowrie shells have the energy of an ocean goddess, bringing prosperity and good health.
What is the history of cowrie shells?
Cowrie shells, especially Monetaria moneta, were used for centuries as currency by native Africans. Starting over three thousand years ago, cowrie shells, or copies of the shells, were used as Chinese currency. They were also used as means of exchange in India.
What is the meaning of the word cowrie?
cow·rie | \\ ˈkau̇-rē \\. variants: or less commonly cowry. plural cowries. : any of various marine gastropods (family Cypraeidae) that are widely distributed in warm seas and have glossy and often brightly colored shells also : the shell of a cowrie.
What are the characteristics of a cowrie shell?
Cowrie Shells as Currency. The attractive white shell has all the characteristics required of money: easy to handle and carry around due to its light weight, non-perishable, good for small and large purchases. Its shape makes it instantly recognizable and difficult to forge.
Who introduced the cowrie shell to Africa?
Caravans of Arab traders were probably the first to introduce the cowrie shell into West Africa, possibly as early as the 8th century. By the 15th century the shells circulated as money, especially in the Empire of Mali. But it is only with the Portuguese, French, British and Dutch that Africa found itself under an avalanche of these shells.
How are cowries used as a divination tool?
Many communities across western Africa and beyond use these shells as divination tools. The fortune-teller throws or simply drops the cowries onto a typically circular surface, and interprets their positions to tell the future. The number of shells used depends on each diviner and the tradition they come from.