A Note from Mrs. G

Dear Chatham Hall Community, 

In celebration of Black History Month, I am sharing the backstory and social impact of beloved adornment-cowrie shells.

A little more than three weeks ago, Supreme Court JustiKetanji Brown Jackson wore a beautiful cowrie shell necklace to the presidential inauguration, which coincided with the federal holiday celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday. Extending the practice of the honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mrs. Jackson empowered her choice of jewelry to tell a story, which reverberated around throughout the fashion world and sent many to the Internet to learn the full history. 

The discovery of cowrie shells is noted as early as 7 th century BCE. Across Asia, India and West Africa, their utilitarian appeal was manifested as currency, ornamentation, and throughout the transatlantic slave trade, as power and prosperity. Why cowrie shells, you may ask? The reasons are simply elegant-cowrie shells are small, do not decay, and do not break. As such, their inclusion in religious rituals, as well, was what some believe to be divine. Spanning many centuries, women around the world have also worn these shells as armors of protection and as instruments to encourage fertility. Ironically, while cowrie shells were an important financial element of the slave trade, they also symbolized a strong resistance to the global practice of enslavement. It is noted on the African American History Museum website that the cowrie shell may have served as a talisman, or lucky charm, to ward off the evils of slavery, hence its appearance on American shores. 

Cowrie shells are more popular than ever in this country and around the globe. Worn as necklaces, woven in hairstyles, and added as adornments to clothing, cowrie shells serve as a multicultural symbol of beauty and a rich history of strength and social impact.

Happy Black History Month!

 

Mrs. G.