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ATOL 4112. ATOL Protection extends primarily to
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| Stone Money |
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Long before manta rays made Yap famous to the diving fraternity,
Yap was well know to anthropologists for its stone money. These discs
of stone, some as much as 12ft in diameter where the traditional form
of money and are still used today for major transactions such as for
purchasing property and as dowries in marriage. They can be found
all over Yap, but particularly in some of the more traditional villages
leaning in neat rows next to the Men’s Houses, or faluw, in stone
money banks. These huge discs of stone are without any doubt the largest
pieces of money in the world! Fortunately for us, the US dollar is
the "offical" currency of Yap, and you need not ask your
bank to supply you with 5 tons of stone discs in loose change!
The stone money, or rai, were quarried on the nearby Palauan island
of Babelthaup, cut from the living rock with simple stone implements.
They are valued by three factors; firstly, and most obviously, by
their sheer size – in general, the larger the disc, the more
valuable. Secondly by the shape, texture & hue of the disc; the
rounder the better, and those with attractive markings etc are better
than dull ones. And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, by the
effort that was involved in getting stone back to Yap, perilously
lashed to an outrigger canoe and subject to the vagaries of local
weather. In other words, the more storms encountered, the more lives
lost and the more hardship endured in getting it back to Yap, the
more valuable a rai would become. So, a 5ft rai may in fact be worth
more than a 10ft rai, purely because of the ordeal in getting it back
to Yap!
Even when a transaction has taken place, say as a dowry between
families in two separate villages, the stone disc may not necessarily
be moved. After all, it may get damaged! The bush telegraph spreads
the news fast that a rai has changed hands, so all know that this
rai or that now belongs to someone else!
A day tour of the island is an essential part of any holiday in
Yap – the cultural heritage is not only rich but strong, and
you will get the opportunity to visit beautiful villages in fabulous
locations, meet people living a traditional lifestyle and see for
yourself the stone money that, with the manta rays, makes this country
so unique.
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T: 01342 823 222 | EM: info@scuba-safaris.com
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