Museum object · Slavery and Freedom Objects
String of cowrie shells
1800 - 1968
West Africa, Africa
Source catalog description
This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.
A string of cowrie shells. There are sixty (60) tan and yellow colored cowrie shells on a string composed of multiple natural-colored strands twisted together. The shells do not create a distinct pattern and they are oriented on the string in varying positions.
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Sources & collection details
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗
Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13
Catalog reference: 2014.182.59
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