Stone Money, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia

Stone Money, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia
rai
largest diameter 17in (43.2cm)

Provenance
Henry and Arabella Huntington, San Marino, California
Thence by descent
Private Collection, California

According to Barbara Wavell, "Yap is known throughout the world for its giant stone money. Sometimes taller than the height of a man, this money is the largest and, many say, the most unusual form of money in the world. It consists of stone wheels of crystallized calcite shaped like millstones that are mined in Palau, 250 miles from Yap, and originally transported across the ocean on rafts attached to outrigger canoes. Many Yapese were killed in storms and accidents during transport, and, therefore, stone money was relatively rare, as well as somewhat restricted in size. These stone wheels, called rai, could be as small as seven inches across but were mined in larger and larger sized once European traders...supplied iron tools for mining and began to transport the stone wheels on sailing ships." (Wavel, Barbara, Arts and Crafts of Micronesia, Bess Press, 2010, pp. 77-78)