Before money, these 8 items were used as currencies in pre-colonial Africa

Farida Dawkins August 02, 2018

Before money, these 8 items were used as currencies in pre-colonial Africa

Installation of Nigerian hoe currency in Ka-Ching exhibition, 2015…Hamill Gallery of African Art

Blade

Though shaped like weapons, unsharpened iron blades were used in place of money.

Countries such as Gabon, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Guinea traded what appeared to be weapons used for defense. They were actually non-functional hoes, blades and spears.

Last Edited by:Ismail Akwei Updated: August 2, 2018

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