Malaita’s ancient currency is still making bank.
Words by Dana Williamson Images and video by Jed Cranfield
I’m a regular at my local money exchange, forever on the hunt for euros and pesos, dollars and yen. Yet there was one elusive currency I couldn’t get my hands on
until we landed in
The Solomon Islands
I’m a regular at my local money exchange, forever on the hunt for euros and pesos, dollars and yen. Yet there was one elusive currency I couldn’t get my hands on
until we landed in
The Solomon Islands
Understandably, when you first hear about shell money, your mind may jump to the classic sand dollars of Animal Crossing (or maybe that’s just me…). The reality of this ancient tradition goes far beyond something you’d assume is only ever found in a pineapple under the sea.
Here are threads upon threads of tiny shell discs, each meticulously ground against stone with such precision I would have assumed they were machine-made if I hadn’t witnessed the passion behind the process myself in Malaita.
Making bank, one tiny shell at a time.
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After dodging a wild boar upon landing, the grass airstrip was a surprisingly cushy welcome mat. My tailbone quickly forgot about that comfort once we hit the construction zones of Auki’s rapidly expanding streets, with little relief coming from the banana boat waiting for us at the marina.
The ruckus over lakeno (what I can only describe as the Solomon Islands’ answer to mochi) at the local market faded between the vibration of the motor and the wind now sweeping us across Langa Langa Lagoon - a glassy ribbon of water barely a kilometre wide but half a marathon long, stashing the secrets of shell money I’d come to unravel.
Auki Market is where the locals come to spend their hard-earned cash. Shell money not necessarily accepted at checkout.
The local answer to mochi, lakeno is proof that Malaita knows how to make some serious dough.
For a place that lured me in with its shells, I was suddenly consumed by its foundation of coral.
As in, the literal artificial islands built by stacking blocks of fossilised coral rock directly onto the reef flats scattered across this salty blue highway.
With almost comedic timing, during the briefing for our arrival at Busu Village, I was told these islands were originally built to escape attacks from inland tribes and mosquitoes. I disembarked not only with a souvenir welt on my leg, but with a much larger spear aimed directly at my face.
More weapon-wielding warriors emerged from the mangroves with roaring chants and stomping feet, closing in on us until their chief arrived to determine our fate. By the time my heart rate dropped back to something resembling normal, our tour of the royal mint was well underway, our toes digging into the sandy floor of the production line.
There couldn’t have been more than 15 people around the circle of workstations, each playing a part in this lucrative trade. Men gathered, women crafted, and kids slotted in wherever they could, making shell money that may one day pay for their weddings, school fees and potential disputes.
A bride price check that had me feeling like a million bucks. My boyfriend, not so much...
Then there was me… in the middle getting an arm workout as the aunties stacked tafuli’ae after tafuli’ae to calculate my future bride price.
There couldn’t have been more than 15 people around the circle of workstations, each playing a part in this lucrative trade. Men gathered, women crafted, and kids slotted in wherever they could, making shell money that may one day pay for their weddings, school fees and potential disputes.
Then there was me… in the middle getting an arm workout as the aunties stacked tafuli’ae after tafuli’ae to calculate my future bride price.
A bride price check that had me feeling like a million bucks. My boyfriend, not so much...
Forget waterfront property. In Langa Langa Lagoon, the locals went one better and built their own islands from coral.
Something I found much more amusing than my boyfriend did, watching on in a pool of sweat, and it wasn’t from the tropical heat.
My eyes stayed glued to the shells as I tried to comprehend their beauty and impact. In a world rushing towards digital payments, this unique currency is still growing in demand across the provinces.
Despite the resurgence, I was assured there are no plans to swap their open-air beach hut for a giant printing warehouse anytime soon.
Mind you, after a recent cyclone blew our original itinerary off course, we were here on a Sunday, meaning it wasn’t quite business as usual. Let’s be real: regardless of your place of work, it’s not somewhere you usually opt to clock into on your day off.
The fact Busu Village made an exception for us had me feeling like I was Prince Philip on his momentous 1959 Langa Langa Lagoon tour (though I doubt there’ll be a matching commemorative statue built of us).
Not that it would matter what day you visit.
Our time across the Hapi Isles made it abundantly clear that you do not have to be royalty to be treated like family here.
Extending the welcome even further, the chief invited us on a stroll through the main village.
No translation was needed when the universal language of giggles erupted at every corner, as we unknowingly accumulated a small army of children who followed us all the way back to the main hut, now turned gift shop.
No machines, no shortcuts, no funny money.
The fact Busu Village made an exception for us had me feeling like I was Prince Philip on his momentous 1959 Langa Langa Lagoon tour (though I doubt there’ll be a matching commemorative statue built of us).
Not that it would matter what day you visit.
Our time across the Hapi Isles made it abundantly clear that you do not have to be royalty to be treated like family here.
Extending the welcome even further, the chief invited us on a stroll through the main village.
No translation was needed when the universal language of giggles erupted at every corner, as we unknowingly accumulated a small army of children who followed us all the way back to the main hut, now turned gift shop.
No machines, no shortcuts, no funny money.
Now, a single fold-out table scattered with a handful of shell jewellery may not sound like much, but it’s worth packing a few actual Solomon Islands dollars to bring home a piece of shell money. A word of warning, though: your snazzy new necklace may become an unexpected friendship bracelet across the provinces, connecting you with locals elated to see a niche yet integral part of their culture celebrated and living on beyond the coral walls.
After all this money talk, now that is priceless!
get in the know After John F. Kennedy's patrol boat PT-109 was sunk in 1943, Solomon Islanders helped rescue him and his crew. Kennedy famously scratched a rescue message into a coconut shell and later kept the shell on his desk.
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