Kilwa Kisiwani: Meaning and Relationship
How did the Coins from Songo Mnara construct their own value, and how did this value reflect the relationship between the cosmopolitan elite and local populace of Kilwa Kisiwani?
In their article chronicling the excavation of Songo Mnara, Stephanie Wynne-Jones and Jeffrey Fleischer explore the idea of intellectual capital as the driving force behind the authoritative power of coins used in the area. They note that "as tokens of the sultan’s authority coins might have referenced the skills of craftsmanship and literacy involved in their manufacture and subject to centralized control." (Of course, the use of Arabic scripture and the invocation of holy names of Allah on coinage acts as an extension of this intellectual capital) [1]. This view is consistent with the seemingly "flexible" nature of Kilwa coins as evidenced by their alterations: the breaking of coins into representative fractions to parallel fractional value, and the usage of these coins as personal decoration, emphasizing solely the aesthetic value of these coins.
These usages indicate that, at least at the local level, (say, within the community of Songo Mnara), the value of these coins was very strongly tied to their "head-ness". This is particularly emphasized by the value of these coins as intellectual capital of the local ruler, and as artwork; thereby relating itself to comceptions of value as understood between different members of a society. While the impressive level of standardization does suggest a prioritization of quantifiable value, it can also be interpreted as a demonstration of technological prowess, and is undermined by traditions such as the use of fractional coins that have been broken apart.
This point is supported by Wynne-Jones and Fleischer in their comment that:
"[the proportions of excavated coins] indicate that coins were ‘immobilized’: minted and used long after the deaths of the individual sultans. This would suggest that those sultans whose issues were reproduced (the sultans associated with the founding of the Shirazi and Mahdali dynasties) were particularly valuable as symbols, guarantees of authority. The ancestry of the sultanate, from which they may have derived some of their continuing authority, would be reaffirmed constantly by the circulation of coins belonging to their illustrious ancestors." [2].
Focusing upon the notion of value through 'head-ness' in the local community of Songo Mnara, one can make several general claims about the nature of the relationship between the internationally connected elite and the local population. In this case, the international elite actively depict international capital on these coins, something that the local culture would not otherwise have. thus, they derive their authority from the distinction that they highlight between themselves and a purely local culture. This idea is emphasized by the disproportinately large circulation of coins featuring sultans of the famous Kilwa Dynasties, and the increased sense of authority they were percieved to have.
However, the use of this currency affords the same distinction of cosmopolitanism to others, giving it a sense of personal value that a currrency based purely on "tail" valuation would not. This same valuation of globalism is represented by the Kilwa Pot Sherds pictured here: these pots sherds, coming from ceramics manufactured from all across the Indian Ocean trade routes served to decorate and afford status to many Kilwa homes.
[1]. Wynne-Jones, Stephanie, and Jeffrey Fleisher. "Coins in context: Local economy, value and practice on the East African Swahili coast."
[2].