The Kina Shell is manufactured from the shell of the Gold lip shell and was part of the traditional payment and medium of exchange in Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya.
The Papua New Guinea currency equivalent of the dollar is called the kina, but shells are still used in traditional ceremonial payments. (left) Another traditional unit of shell currency is the toea like the one used in this shell pendant. The Papua New Guinea coins were named after these disks. 100 toea coins equal one kina in the PNG currency. (right) Large shell money ring from the Maprik area, East Sepik Province. Boy wearing kina shell necklace. Glass or plastic trade beads are used in his headband and for his multi-strand necklaces. When the Leahy brothers came into the Highlands searching for gold, they found people who valued the gold-lipped pearl shell as much as the miners valued gold. The name kina is derived from Kuanua language of the Tolai region, referring to a callable pearl shell used widely for trading in both the Coastal and Highlands areas of the country. The kina (ISO 4217 code: PGK) is the currency of Papua New Guinea. It is divided into 100 toea. The kina was introduced on 19 April 1975, replacing the Australian dollar at par. Crack the shell open by piercing the centre or navel of the kina with a butcher's knife. Hold the kina steady with the left hand and press the knife down firmly with the right hand, at the same time levering the knife to the right then to the left. Since the shell is brittle, it should then open in two. There are two better known varieties: Kina ariki, a long-spiked variety, and Kina korako, a short-spiked variety. A screwdriver with a long wooden handle, tied to the wrist with a piece of string, is the ideal implement to use in prising the kina from the crevices and rock ledges. The Kina Shell is manufactured from the shell of the Gold lip shell (Pinctada maximums) and was part of the traditional payment and medium of exchange in Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya. She gave the modern currency the name Kina in Papua New Guinea. The Kina Shell was an object of value and an essential part of the bride price. The value is guided from the condition of shell, the size and the colour. Most valued were the ruddy coloured Kina Shells. They had the highest valency and acceptance in the Mount Hagen ar The Kina was so named because in Tok Pisin (neo-melanesian) and in the Kuanua language it referred to the valuable pearl shell used widely in the Highlands as traditional money. Toea, is a Motu word, meaning valuable arm-shell and has had a wide traditional use in coastal Papua for trading and brideprice payments. The currency of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is made up of Kina (keena) and toea (toya) with 100 toea equal to One Kina. The Kina was introduced on the 19th of April 1975. Use and Value: The Kina Shell was an object of value and an essential part of the bride price. The value is guided from the condition of shell, the size and the colour. Most valued were the ruddy coloured Kina Shells. They had the highest valency and acceptance in the Mount Hagen area. Kina prepared as above is called kina poha and will keep in the refrigerator from three to four days. Kina poha may be eaten uncooked, and is often spread on slices of buttered bread. Maoris in the early days used a large hollowed-out kina shell as a container for poha, and also sometimes cooked it in this container. They did this by placing the shell on the burning embers of an open fire, and leaving it until the contents were thoroughly heated through. There are two better known varieties: Kina ariki, a long-spiked variety, and Kina korako, a short-spiked variety. A screwdriver with a long wooden handle, tied to the wrist with a piece of string, is the ideal implement to use in prising the kina from the crevices and rock ledges.
http://www.art-pacific.com/artifacts/nuguinea/bilas/traditional/shells.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_New_Guinean_kina http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/journals/teaohou/issue/Mao52TeA/c1.html http://www.he-artefakte.de/InfokinaE.html http://www.michie.net/pnginfo/moni.html http://www.he-artefakte.de/InfokinaE.html http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/journals/teaohou/issue/Mao52TeA/c1.html
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