Cowrie Shells: Cut - 1 Kilo Bag - Kenya, Africa

Years ago, many people didn't have the privilege of getting a formal education. Even today, almost 1/3 of people around the world can't read or write. Yet, many can do complex mathematics that would take some professors days to complete. A good example of this is the market women of West Africa. Many foreign visitors are amazed to learn how easily these African merchants can do all the arithmetic in their heads. They memorize years worth of sales figures and accounts.

Centuries ago, parts of West Africa used cowrie shells for counting. It was considered taboo to count animals or people so they used cowrie shells as a substitute. They also used shells for money. They would trade their shells in for produce or necessities. Forty shells were tied together to form a sort of necklace and was called a "string".
 

Here is a table to better understand how people of West Africa would calculate their shells.
 
 

Another use of the cowrie shells was to make decisions. They would toss the shells to give a "yes or no" answer similar to tossing a coin ( "heads or tails"). Also, cowrie shells were used as beautiful decorations for jewelry - Kenya, Africa