🎭 Culturepublished 2w ago
The Giant Stone Coins That Never Need to Move
On the Micronesian island of Yap, traditional wealth is measured in rai: giant, circular limestone disks that can measure up to twelve feet across and weigh several metric tons. Because transporting them is dangerous and impractical, transactions occur through public acknowledgment rather than physical exchange. Even after one famous stone was accidentally lost at sea during a storm over a century ago, villagers agreed its value remained intact, and its owners still trade it today.
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