Introducing a currency in the 20th century: The case of the Yami

January 20, 2013

The idea of having a currency seems so intrinsic to my daily life. I cannot imagine how my life or the world would function without it. However, for some societies, currency is a relatively new, and unnatural, concept. To the Yami, of Botel Tobago, now Orchid Island, in the early twentieth century, currency was nonexistent (1937: 431). That is until the Japanese slowly introduced currency while they colonized the island (1937: 431).

If a society is without currency, how does it function? In the case of the Yami, the society was extremely egalitarian. The Yami, as described by Leach, were without chiefs and had no hierarchy in their society (1937: 423). Each family unit provided enough resources for themselves, so trade had never been necessary (1937: 423). If trade was not necessary, then there certainly was not a need for a currency system. So when the Japanese decided to introduce currency to the Yami, a complex process ensued. 

To introduce currency to Yami society, the Japanese had to take many steps. First, they realized that the Yami did not produce anything that they believed could be traded (1937: 431). So, the Japanese had to create a false currency of small clay and wooden sculptures (1937: 431). The false currency were then paid for in cash and then the person could buy the item, such as cloth or fishhooks, that they desired (1937: 431). This was done so the Yami could get a grasp on the concept of currency. Before this false currency was created and the Yami had begun to realize the concept of currency, they often used the coins as ornaments for dress (1937: 431). This is to not paint the Yami in a negative light, but to point out how different the Yami and Japanese societies were. The introduction was a major change for the egalitarian society and would alter their culture forever. 

This part of the article made me realize how engrained currency is in my life and Western society. How currency almost seems like a natural part of any society because it plays such a large role in mine. However this article showed how a society without currency could be possible and could work effectively. The notion seemed so foreign and even ideal on further examination. That the paradise that Leach described was not only due to the environment but because of a completely different, and seemingly more peaceful, way of life. 

References 

Leach, Edmund. 1937. “The Yami of Koto-sho: a Japanese Colonial Experiment.” Geographical Magazine 5: 417-434.