Ceremonial coin

Ceremonial coin "Tolai or Tambu". New Britain, Papua New Guinea, first half of the 20th century,
Shells and fibers.
Provenance: Gérard Wahl-dit-Boyer (1944-2014) Paris. He was an important Parisian antique dealer. This piece comes from his widow. This Tolai coin was purchased during the Parcours des Mondes art fair, Paris, in 2010.
Measurements: 83 cm (diameter).

Assa shells are still used today as part of the traditional currency of the Tolai people. They are important for bride price payment when paying dowry for a new wife. They are rarely sold or traded and few are found outside of Papua New Guinea, or their traditional use within Tolai society. When a man accumulates many shells, he strings them on pieces of reed to keep them together and organized. These shells can be used in daily transactions, for example, to buy a pig, a canoe, etc. When the man becomes quite wealthy, the threaded shells are rolled together in circles like this. At important community events, these coins are displayed and presented to the wife's family as the most important part of the Bride's Prize. They are also presented at compensations and funeral gatherings, where they are used to pay debts to those who have helped the deceased during his or her lifetime. In these ceremonies, the shell pieces are unrolled from the circular section and cut into sections to be presented to the various participants. Then, the process of acquiring enough shells to make other giant shell rings begins again.