Manillas

Manillas are bangles that form a not quite closed circuit, made of bronze or copper, in rare cases, also of gold. They were used as a kind of money or an object of exchange and, occasionally, as jewelry under various peoples of West Africa, in particular the Gold Coast, the Kingdom of Calabar and other parts of Nigeria. They were also known as " slave trade currency" after the Europeans had begun to use them for the purchase of slaves for the transatlantic slave trade in the Americas. Manillas were the first generally exchangeable currency, which was known in West Africa. It was for the trade - as used in markets such as bride price, for the payment of soothsayers or as grave goods for the next world - in marked contrast to cowrie money.

Origin of name

The name " Manilla " is probably derived from the Spanish word " Manella " for bracelet or from the Portuguese word for finger ring or from the Latin manus (hand) or monilia, plural of monile (necklace ). They are generally horseshoe shaped, having ends which face each other and are approximately diamond-shaped.

Types of manillas

The Africans had different regional names for manillas, they identify different value and were picky about which version of manillas they accepted. Manillas were also divided according to the sound, which was created when clashing.

A report of the British Consul of Fernando Poo from 1856 gives an impression of this sophistication. He lists five different forms of manillas which were common in Nigeria. The Antony manillas were in all markets of the hinterland accepted, the Congo Simgolos or "bottlenecks ", however, only in the market of Opungo, the Onadoo was particularly popular in the UK Calabar, at the Igbo between Bonny and Kalabari New; the Finniman Fawfinna is used in Juju Town and on the market of quality, however, is only worth half as much as the Antony and the Cutta Antony is valued by the people of Umballa.

The distribution of other African names is likely to be due to regional customs than to actual differences in the production or in the material. The " Mkporo " was probably a Dutch or British Manilla and the " Popo " in French, but the rest are from the same production in Birmingham.

History

Origin

Some sources attribute the spread of manillas to the Phoenicians, who are supposed to have been driven in ancient times on the coast of West Africa trade or traders or explorers from ancient Carthage. The Egyptians were adopted as the source, since they also used diamond-shaped money. According to a theory fishermen have received from what is now Nigeria, these copper objects through their networks from European shipwrecks in the Bay of Benin. Other theories are based on an African origin and assume that the manillas are a metal copy of traditional bangles made ​​of raffia or were the model of the manillas Mondua the Yoruba.

The manillas also remember the torc who wore example, the Celts in Central Europe.

In each case there was before the arrival of the first Europeans on this coast already a tradition copper bracelets that were worn by women as a sign of prosperity. Duarte Pacheco Pereira, who drove here in the 1490s trade, already mentioned, that he paid 12 to 15 manillas brass for a slave. 1522 the cost of a slave in Benin 50 manillas and the Portuguese king limited the price to 40 per manillas slave to stop inflation.

With the decline of the slave trade in the 19th century, the production of manillas went back. In the 1890s, they still had some importance in the trade of palm oil. Many manillas were fused by African craftsmen to produce works of art. Manillas were often placed over a grave, to demonstrate the wealth of the deceased and in some parts of Benin women wear to funerals still large manillas around the neck, returning to the family shrine later. Goldmanillas to have been made ​​for very important people such as King Jaja of Opobo in 1891.

Between 1504 and 1507, the Portuguese led alone 287 813 manillas from Portugal via their Trading Station San Jorge da Mina in Elmina in present-day Ghana. Later, the Dutch and the British used it as a means of payment here, especially in the slave trade. Originally copper was preferred as the material, later the late 15th century brass and finally 1630 bronze. In the early 18th century were in Bristol and then in Birmingham the most important factories for their production.

Manillas were also produced in Africa itself, but little is known about it.

Abolition of manillas as currency

By " Native Currency Proclamation " prohibited the British colonial rulers in 1902 the import of manillas to Nigeria, if that was not approved by the High Commissioner. The intention was to support the use of embossed British coins. However, until the 1940s they were more in use, which was considered excessive administrative problem.

By "operation manilla " attempting to replace the manillas final against British coinage the British. The campaign was quite successful and 32 million shares were bought and used as scrap. On April 1, 1949, the history of manillas ended up being legal tender in British West Africa after a six month period of withdrawal. A maximum of 200 pieces per person were allowed for ceremonial purposes at funerals and weddings. Only the varieties Okpoho, Okombo and abi were officially recognized and were bought at a fixed price. 32.5 million Okpoho, 250,000 and 50,000 okombo abi were passed. A metal dealers in Europe was 2460 tons manillas, yet the company cost the taxpayers of the region £ 284,000.

Nowadays manillas are still made for tourists.