a Boar-tusk based economy (cool photos!) - General Tiki

I ikitnrev Tiki Socialite D.C. / Virginia Joined: Jul 27, 2002 Posts: 1325	I ikitnrev Posted posted on Thu, Aug 21, 2008 9:45 AM One of my favorite magazines is Colors, a somewhat photo-based publication that looks at various cultures throughout the world. The recent issue #73 took a look at how money is viewed through different cultures of the world. One of the regions shown was the Pacific Island of Vanuatu, where pig tusks are still used as basis for the economy, and the value of each tusk is determined by the amount of work needed to raise the pig. The following link is to a pdf file of the Vanuatu section of the magazine - including some amazing pictures of a small bank where numerous strings of curved boar tusks are shown hanging from the ceiling. I'm one of those who often wears a boars-tooth necklace at tiki events - I found these photos and decsriptions of the real thing to be quite facinating. http://www.colorsmagazine.com/money/stories/microbes.pdf Vern
M MadDogMike Grand Member (8 years) The Anvil of the Sun Joined: Mar 30, 2008 Posts: 10862	M MadDogMike Posted posted on Thu, Aug 21, 2008 11:21 AM Boar's tooth currency makes more sense (cents?) than the rai stones of Yap, Micronesia. Giant stone coins up to 10 feet in diameter and weighing several tons. Let's see you put one of those on a necklace :lol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rai_stones Anything worth doing, is worth doing to the point of wretched excess. [ Edited by: MadDogMike 2008-08-21 11:22 ]
S Swanky Tiki Socialite Hapa Haole Hideaway, Knoxville, TN Joined: Apr 03, 2002 Posts: 5398	S Swanky Posted posted on Thu, Aug 21, 2008 11:56 AM The most valuable tusks are those which make a complete circle. In order for a tusk to grow that way, the pig must be raised in a cage and hand fed. Once the tusks grow too far, the animal can no longer actually eat. About 1 in 10 pigs survive the process and live this way long enough to have circular tusks. A necklace with one of those is very valuable.

I

ikitnrev Posted posted on Thu, Aug 21, 2008 9:45 AM

One of my favorite magazines is Colors, a somewhat photo-based publication that looks at various cultures throughout the world.

The recent issue #73 took a look at how money is viewed through different cultures of the world. One of the regions shown was the Pacific Island of Vanuatu, where pig tusks are still used as basis for the economy, and the value of each tusk is determined by the amount of work needed to raise the pig.

The following link is to a pdf file of the Vanuatu section of the magazine - including some amazing pictures of a small bank where numerous strings of curved boar tusks are shown hanging from the ceiling.

I'm one of those who often wears a boars-tooth necklace at tiki events - I found these photos and decsriptions of the real thing to be quite facinating.

http://www.colorsmagazine.com/money/stories/microbes.pdf

Vern

M

MadDogMike Posted posted on Thu, Aug 21, 2008 11:21 AM

Boar's tooth currency makes more sense (cents?) than the rai stones of Yap, Micronesia. Giant stone coins up to 10 feet in diameter and weighing several tons. Let's see you put one of those on a necklace :lol:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rai_stones

Anything worth doing, is worth doing to the point of wretched excess.

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2008-08-21 11:22 ]

S

Swanky Posted posted on Thu, Aug 21, 2008 11:56 AM

The most valuable tusks are those which make a complete circle. In order for a tusk to grow that way, the pig must be raised in a cage and hand fed. Once the tusks grow too far, the animal can no longer actually eat. About 1 in 10 pigs survive the process and live this way long enough to have circular tusks. A necklace with one of those is very valuable.