Ethnography of Microneeia. 261 



Chapter VI. 

 Money. 



Ill the East CaroUne Islands, in Mortlock for instance, beads 

 niado of the shell of coconut or bracelets of tortoise-shell serve as 

 money ; while in the West Carolines there are special forms of 

 money. As stated in an earlier chapter, the neck- ornament which is 

 w\)rn by the women of Palaii and is called Palau money, is a 

 kind of currency of extremely high value. In Yap, the natives have 

 stone and shell money. I give a detailed description of each. 



1. Palau Money. — The Palau money above mentioned is much 

 prized by the natives as currency of high value, so it is very 

 difficult to secure any specimen of it. Moreover, it is only women 

 or girls of " rich " families who are seen wearing the Palau money 

 {»n their necks. Such being the case, the available data for study, 

 to my regret, were rather scanty. Of two or three pieces of Palau 

 money which I saw, one was some 30 mm. in length, form edlike a 

 prism and yellowish-brown in colour, another w^as shaped like a ball, 

 etc. According, how^ever, to Kubary, there are several variations 

 in the shape, some like the Imdatama or klrihodaiua unearthed from 

 ancient tombs in Japan, and others like a ball or polyhedron. 

 A^arious materials are used, including glass, porcelain, agate, and what 

 is supposed to be jasper. The pieces of Palau money have each a 

 hole for convenience in wearing them. Their value varies according 

 to the kind, and the kind possessed varies according to the social 

 status of the wearer. The chiefs naturally, own more valuable 

 pieces, some of wliich are worth several hundred shillings. It is not 

 known when and by whom this money was introduced into Palau 

 (PL XXVI). Kubaryi gives a detailed account of the Palau money. 



1 J. S. Kiibary, " Ethn -)g. Beiträge znr Kenntnis des Karolinen Archipels," pp. 1-28 ; Taf. I ' 



