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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Economic and Sociocultural Aspects of Cowrie Currency of the Dagaaba of Northwestern Ghana
Author:Yiridoe, Emmanuel
Year:1995
Periodical:Nordic Journal of African Studies
Volume:4
Issue:2
Pages:17-33
Language:English
Geographic term:Ghana
Subjects:Dagari
cowrie currency
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Economics and Trade
External link:https://njas.fi/njas/article/view/672/495
Abstract:The cowrie currency, the dominant medium of exchange in Ghana before the introduction of the West African pound and, later, the cedi, is now merely a vestigial relic in virtually all of modern Ghana except among the Dagaaba. This paper provides an insider's perspective on the economic importance and on the unique role of the cowrie currency among the Dagaaba that explains its perpetual presence. First, the most important nonmonetary uses of cowries by the Dagaaba are discussed. They are categorized under three broad headings: adornments, quasi-commercial uses and spiritual/religious uses. Cultural uses create a derived demand for cowries. Next, the form and characteristics of the cowries used by the Dagaaba are described, as well as the Dagaaba system of counting cowries. This is followed by an examination of the chronological evolution of currency money in Ghana and a discussion of the economic importance of the cowrie currency among the Dagaaba. The paper concludes that government policies, notably the devaluation of the cedi, together with the monetary characteristics of the cowrie, such as its flexibility in trading, lead to competition between the cedi and the cowrie. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum.
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