Seashells and African Religious Rituals

Authors

  • Jun Liu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62051/ijsspa.v9n3.01

Keywords:

Seashells, Africa, Religious Rituals

Abstract

African religions have a long and influential history, and seashells are not only a form of currency in the lives of African people, but also play an important role in their religious lives, thus possessing the attribute of a medium connecting the secular and spiritual worlds of African people. This article mainly explores the role and significance of seashells in daily life and religious activities, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of local African religious phenomena and contributing to a deeper understanding of the inner world of African people.

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References

[1] Bin Yang, Cowrie Shells and Cowrie Money: A global history, (London: Routledge,2020) PP.36-66.

[2] Zolrak, African Cowrie Shells Divination: History, Theory & Practice, ( Woodbury: Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, 2019), p.50.

[3] Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: Cowrie Shells and Trade Power,https://washington.org/visit-dc/guide-to-smithsonian-national-museum-african-american-history-culture.

[4] Zolrak, African Cowrie Shells Divination: History, Theory & Practice, ( Woodbury: Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, 2019), P.78.

[5] Abigail Joy Moffett and Simon Hall, “Divining Value: Cowries, the Ancestral Realm and the Global in Southern Africa,” Cambridge Archaeological Journal, (December 2019), pp.47-56.

[6] Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: Cowrie Shells and Trade Power, https://washington.org/visit-dc/guide-to-smithsonian-national-museum-african-american-history-culture.

[7] Noah Oluwasanjo Ajayi, “Cowrie shells in ojo-alaworo: a nexus of art, culture, tradition, heritage, and economic development,” Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, (July 2022), pp.78-84.

[8] Elizabeth Hahn Benge, The Ocean’s Currency: Cowrie Shells in African Art, https://www.artic.edu/articles/1077/the-ocean-s-currency-cowrie-shells-in-african-art.

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Published

2025-12-30

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Liu, J. (2025). Seashells and African Religious Rituals. International Journal of Social Sciences and Public Administration, 9(3), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.62051/ijsspa.v9n3.01