MONEY SUBSTITUTES

Money is something that we take for granted but have difficulty in defining exactly.

A very simple description could be that money is something in which payments can be made, is used as a store of value and is a measure of worth.

The items in this book have many other attributes. some contain spirits or can be used to commune with the dead, others are required in ceremonies of birth, death and marriage. They are gifts to the gods and show a man's status in society. They are necessities of life and many have wonderful stories.

Other considerations regarding the items in this book take in the area from which they come and the people who used them.

Most of the people of the Torres Strait and Papuan Gulf were headhunters and many were cannibals with sea-going warriors roaming the coasts and islands in the search of heads, spoils of war and trade.

But even headhunters needed money - this book shows some of the wealth items that they used.