CURRENCY BUILDER

Global Barter / Oceania & the Pacific / G063

Oceania & the Pacific · Siassi Islands, Morobe, PNG · G063

Siassi Voyager

Seafaring middlemen turning taro into pots, and pots into pigs.

Front of Siassi Voyager: 3 Bowls, inspired by Vitiaz Strait trade system (Siassi voyagers), with actual Noun #65
Front · 150 × 75 mm
Back of Siassi Voyager: the Vitiaz Strait trade system (Siassi voyagers) tradition, how a note would work, and the traits of Noun #65
Back · the tradition

Security Edition v2

The same note set like a banknote: full engraved portrait of Noun #65, guilloche, watermark, thread, foil stripe and microtext, all printed art. What's on it

Security Edition front of Siassi Voyager: a line-engraved portrait of the full actual Noun #65 in a guilloche oval beside a watermark window, thread and holographic-look stripe
Security Edition · front
Security Edition back of Siassi Voyager: a color medallion of Noun #65 in a guilloche rosette, with the note's story
Security Edition · back
v2 front SVG ↓ v2 back SVG ↓

The tradition · pre-colonial; 1960s record

Vitiaz Strait trade system (Siassi voyagers)

Siassi Islanders were seafaring middlemen linking New Guinea's north coast with Umboi and New Britain; Thomas Harding's 1967 study traced value converted from taro to pots to pigs.

Source: Lilley (2007), Technical Reports of the Australian Museum Online 20 (Australian Museum) ↗

How a note would work

Bowls are earned by carrying goods between partner communities and spent on goods anywhere along the chain. They are never bought or cashed out.

Design concept inspired by this tradition, not issued by or for the people who keep it. Not legal tender, not for sale, no cash value, no redemption and no investment rights.

Front SVG ↓ Back SVG ↓ Machine edition
  • PlaceSiassi Islands, Morobe, PNG
  • Erapre-colonial; 1960s record
  • RegionOceania & the Pacific
  • UnitBowl · Bowls
  • Face value3 Bowls
  • SerialGB-G063-N0065
  • NounActual Noun #65 ↗
  • Why this NounValue took winding routes through this network, from taro to pots to pigs, like a maze.
  • Headmaze
  • Glassessquare yellow saturated
  • Bodyred
  • Accessorychecker RGB
  • Seedbg 0 · body 23 · acc 26 · head 123 · glasses 20