A headband that has cowrie beads represents fertility, an indication that one is now a woman. Jane Nampaso, the county coordinator of the Ushanga Initiative, says the Samburu, Maasai and Rendile ...

Wampum, a type of shell bead, were used as currency by Native Americans while whale teeth were exchanged for goods by people in Fiji. The cowrie, however, proved especially popular and endured for ...