Rai stones
E413889
Rai stones are large, carved limestone disks used as a unique form of traditional money on the Micronesian island of Yap, valued more for their history and ownership records than for physical possession.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Rai stones canonical | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
commodity money
ⓘ
cultural artifact ⓘ stone money ⓘ traditional currency ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
compensation payments
ⓘ
marriage payments ⓘ political agreements ⓘ social status ⓘ |
| canBeOwnedBy |
clans
ⓘ
families ⓘ individuals ⓘ villages ⓘ |
| culture | Yapese people ⓘ |
| doNotRequire | physical relocation for transfer of ownership ⓘ |
| exampleOf | money whose value is independent of physical possession ⓘ |
| exhibitedIn | museums around the world ⓘ |
| feature | central hole ⓘ |
| historicallyQuarriedIn |
Palau
ⓘ
other Micronesian islands ⓘ |
| influencedConcept | theory of social credit and reputation-based value ⓘ |
| locatedIn |
Federated States of Micronesia
ⓘ
Yap Islands ⓘ
surface form:
Yap
|
| material | limestone ⓘ |
| ownershipRecordedAs | oral history ⓘ |
| ownershipRecordedBy | community consensus ⓘ |
| recognizedAs | example of money without physical transfer ⓘ |
| shape | disk ⓘ |
| sizeRange |
large stones several meters in diameter
ⓘ
small hand-held disks ⓘ |
| stillUsedFor |
ceremonial payments
ⓘ
traditional exchanges ⓘ |
| studiedIn |
economic anthropology
ⓘ
history of money ⓘ |
| symbolize |
collective memory
ⓘ
community trust ⓘ |
| timePeriodOfUse |
19th century
ⓘ
20th century ⓘ pre-colonial era ⓘ |
| transportMethod | ocean voyaging canoes ⓘ |
| transportRisk | dangerous sea voyages ⓘ |
| UNESCOStatus | part of the cultural heritage of Yap ⓘ |
| usedAs |
medium of exchange
ⓘ
store of value ⓘ symbol of wealth ⓘ |
| valuationBasis |
difficulty of quarrying and transport
ⓘ
history of the stone ⓘ ownership history ⓘ size and craftsmanship ⓘ |
| weightRange | from a few kilograms to several tons ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.