Culture makes

the money go round

From Cowrie to Kina: By Dr W. J. D. Mira (limited edition) Published by Spink and Son (Australia). Price $BO plus $5 postage.

Doctor Mira is no newcomer to the field of numismatics.

Many will be familiar with his work in New South Wales colonial currency. His catalo guing and study of Holey Dol lars and Dump has resulted in standard reference guides accepted throughout the numismatic world as standard references. He has many pub lished articles to his credit.

Even for such an eminent numismatist as Dr. Mira to write a book on ‘The Coinages, Currencies, Badges, Medals, Awards, and Decorations of Papua New Guinea’, as he sub-titles the volume is a daun ting task.

Much has been written on some of these areas, including past papers and books by Dr.

Mira. However there have al ways been huge gaps, and a work tying together past studies and new research was overdue.

The title From Cowrie to Kina may not be easily under stood by the layman but it indicates the change in curren cy in Papua New Guinea from the early shell currencies to the decimal currencies of today.

The layman may also not realise the significance of the colour of the cover (I am afraid I had to have it pointed out to me) which features the national colours of Papua New Guinea, red, black and gold. Also fea tured on the front cover is a photograph of the reverse of one of the gold German New Guinea coins featuring the Bird of Paradise, surely one of the most beautiful coins in the world.

Clearly the publication is not a coin catalogue. Dr. Mira has taken great pains to carefully place the coinages, currencies, badges, medals, awards, and decorations of Papua New

Guinea very carefully in his torical context, essential for any study of such items.

Dr. Mira begins with the way barter has been used as the basis of trade in different parts of the country pots, trays, mats and shell ornaments of Tami in the Huon Gulf were used to trade for taro, yams and sweet potato on the mainland.

More complex barter systems operated in the interior of the mainland as coastal goods were passed from village to village in a gradual process until remote penetration was achieved.

In the Sepik, mother of pearl shell was traded over and over again and by the time it had penetrated the interior, it had increased by over 300 per cent.

Dr. Mira spends some pages detailing several of the well known trade routes in opera tion long before the colonial period and the traditional cere monies used.

Many of these currencies are still used today such as the Tambu, made from a cowrie like shell fashioned into strips.

The strips are then joined into ‘fathoms’. A value for these

strips is set against the modem currency kina and toea. Today pigs, shells, axes and even beer are used in the payment of bride prices, settlements of dis putes etc.

Dr. Mira has spent consider able effort in researching the background for the history of the listing of ‘modem currency’ from the issuing of the Bums Philp Notes to the German coinage and private token issues. Included here is the superb issue of gold, silver and bronze by the German New Guinea Company most of which feature the superb design of the Bird of Paradise. The rare pieces command high prices at auctions.

With the passing of World War 1 the control of German New Guinea passed to the Australian Government. Seized German silver coins were melted down to produce Aus tralian coins. The acceptance of the new coins was made easier as the head of George V bore a striking resemblance to the administrator Col. Pether bridge.

World War 2 brought with it the issuing of a limited number of Japanese invasion notes.

Dr. Mira completes this sec tion of his book with reference to the issuing of Papua New Guinea coinage after independ ence in 1975. Coins and notes have been issued from that date bearing distinctive designs.

Special proof coins were also issued including 5, 10 and 100

Kina coins not issued for gen eral circulation.

The remainder of the book is concerned with emblems, badges, medals, awards and decorations. Dr. Mira has done work in this area of Papua New Guinea before and it is one of his pet interests. It may be a little specialised for most PNG collectors. However its place in the colonial history of PNG is essential and of great interest.

Stories of some of the reci pients of awards make fascinat ing reading of dedication, brav ery and courage. They lift the awards from being pieces of metal to a personal encounter with a fellow human being.

Certainly this is a classic reference for Papua New Guinea. The book will interest not only the collector but any one interested in the country. I would like to have seen a clearer map (names were hard to read) with the detailing of some the trade routes men tioned in the text. A history time line would also have been a good reference point to look back on when reading the text.

I would also have liked to see as a summary, a catalogue table listing all the pieces referred to in the book.

These are small points which should not take away the praise due to Dr. Mira for an excellent publication. With a limited edi tion of 1,000 it will, like the pieces it describes, become a

collectors’ item.

Hunter

John