Oceania, Micronesia, Caroline Islands, Yap region, ca. 19th century CE. This is a massive wheel shaped stone disc known as a "rai" (also a raay or dei) with a wide hole drilled through the center. The stone is a chalky white calcite and aragonite rich limestone with roughly flaked faces and shallow circular cavities from extracting the large rock. Rai stones were used as exchangeable currency by the Yapese people and were literal monumental signs of wealth- indeed the discs could be 8 feet in (2 meters) in diameter! When exchanged, the massive rai often stayed in the same spot, requiring memorization of ownership. The value of an individual rai stone is based both on the overall craftsmanship as well as the exciting history of obtaining the original stone. Yapese had to sail to distant islands, possibly encountering hostile tribes, and tow the rocks back on canoes- it was this peril and herculean effort to acquire the stone that created the value! Size: 27" Diameter x 2.25" W (68.6 cm x 5.7 cm); 28.5" H (72.4 cm) on included custom stand.

Rai stones from the Yap Islands are some of the most intriguing types of currency in the world and represent an intriguing interpretation of the definition for 'money.' According to author and traditional currency expert Charles Opitz, "The larger stones were displayed and in many cases were displayed outside the bachelor's house to show the wealth of the village. The stones had no practical non-monetary use other than as ornamentation. The stones were also used for political payments. A large stone could be used to buy support of a neutral tribe during a war. The German government set fines in stone money. The stone money was purely an internal money and was never used to trade with other islands." (Opitz, Charles. J. "An Ethnographic Study of Traditional Money: A Definition of Money and Descriptions of Traditional Money." First Impressions Printing, Florida, 2000, p. 319)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010; ex-private Hawaii, USA collection, purchased on Maui in an estate sale in 2004

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#170083

Wear to faces and chips and abrasions and natural pitting to limestone, otherwise intact. Mineral and earthen deposits scattered throughout.