COWRY CRAFT
Cowry craft is as old as the universe, as old as the sea, as old as the creatures of the sea, land and air. The early humans ate cowries alongside other sea foods. Cowries are killed and eaten the same way snails are. After the flesh of these sea snails is eaten, children collect the shells to play with. Adults collect the shells to adorn their hair, bead makers add the shells to adornments. The water lineage family collects the shells for protection. The early artists collect shells to beautify artefacts and make a statement with their craft. The early tailors adorn the clothes, staff and crown of royals with cowries. Native doctors collect live cowries alongside roots to make concoctions for pregnant women experiencing prolonged labour. Because of the blemish-free colour of the shell, native doctors also use them as recipes to purify the land when there is an outbreak of disease. Because they believed in it, it worked for them.
Because of the great advantage it had, early livestock farmers reared cowries alongside other creatures: fish, hens, and snails to sell. Not long, since it was generally accepted by the elite and masses, its net worth rose and it was deemed fit to use as a medium of exchange, to possess a bag of cowry, therefore, meant to be wealthy, to be respected. And that was how cowry craft was birthed.
Although it was one of the most important things to human existence, it didn’t stand alone, it tapped from other crafts to gain balance. Cowry craft as adornment requires the knowledge of bead making and wire works. The knowledge of wire works requires understanding the usefulness and complexity of different gauges of wire. The knowledge of bead making requires the knowledge of colours, designing and threading et ce te ra. Cowry craft as cloth art requires an in-depth knowledge of fashion designing, weaving and clothing. Cowry craft as an artwork requires a profound knowledge of fine art and history. Cowry craft as body art requires the knowledge of tattoos, white chalk African designs, lali and tribal marks. Cowry craft as a plate of food requires great culinary skills as you will be mixing crayfish, stock fish, snails, cowries, ponmon, panla and other lives to make a fulfilled dish. Cowry craft for farming requires the knowledge of livestock, agric, and understanding the nutrients in the algae that cowries eat under the sea. Cowry craft as a means of exchange requires the knowledge of accounting, money measuring, and knowing the worth of every kilogram a bag of cowry weighs.
Cowry craft is broad, cowry craft is wide and wild. And as many crafts are traced to lineages e.g Ayan for drummers, so is cowry craft traced to the water lineage, the Kulodos especially, and ilaje people. One can also learn and be a master of the skill.
Like many other African craft and tribes, kulodo and cowry craft perished during the colonization era, names were changed and the kulodo name went into extinction, religion was changed and kulodo as a name sounded dangerous beside a name like Peter. The computer came and cowry craft was called local, coins and paper money came and cowry craft was called fetish. For centuries, Africa lost her identity and her children suffered. Her children soon gained physical independence but the mental slavery lingered and it rubbished the physical liberation. So much 60years after Nigeria, the giant of Africa gained independence she still hadn’t found herself because as of 2022, cowry craft was still called fetish. Egungun festival was not as respected as Christmas was. Esu was still called satan. Religious intolerance was the order of the day.
Humanism had no home in the home of many, insecurity was the national pledge, and thou shall kill that God may live was the 11th commandment.
