On the distant island of Yap of the Pacific, transactions should not at all times with cash, however with enormous, carved rocks carrying centuries -old tales
Think about wanting to purchase a brand new cell phone. As an alternative of a card or money, you get out of your pocket … an enormous stone! Or higher but, you present an enormous, spherical stone sitting on a sq. for many years, and everybody simply agrees that it belongs to you.
Nicely, you got here to Yap, a tiny island within the Pacific with 11,000 everlasting residents, the place cash just isn’t at all times paper or plastic, however there are additionally enormous, carved rocks that may attain all 4 meters in diameter. The so -called “rai” don’t have any numbers, QR codes or magnetic films. Quite the opposite, their worth is decided by their historical past. How tough was it to be transported? How historic is it? Who held them earlier than?
Probably the most paradoxical? A lot of them don’t even change location once they change fingers. Everybody on the island is aware of who owns which Rai, with out even having to maneuver it. Some are on the backside of the ocean by shipwrecks, however are nonetheless thought-about a part of the financial system.
As for a way they have been made? The inhabitants of Yap traveled lots of of kilometers with canoe to neighboring islands to carve these stones, bringing them again on a harmful journey. The extra adventurous the route, the extra treasured the stone. Though the greenback is now the official coin of Micronesia, the massive stone Rai haven’t misplaced their worth. Even at present, they’re used for vital transactions, equivalent to items in weddings, land merchants and even as compensation in instances of offenses.
As such, in a world the place cash is digital and crypto goes up and down on daily basis, Yap reminds us of one thing vital: the worth of cash is only a deal between folks. As an alternative of wanting on the steadiness within the financial institution, you simply keep in mind that a rai on the sting of your highway belongs. Spectacular!
Supply: gazzetta.gr
