Cowrie shells have a long, layered history that stretches far beyond their recent resurgence in home decor. Long before they appeared on coffee tables, wall hangings, or sculptural objects, cowries ...

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, amid the pomp of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stood out from the crowd. Seated among a sea of white conservatives and ...

You may have a vague understanding that cowries were once used as currency in ancient times. You might even associate cowrie shells with the Western culture in Nigeria, particularly among the Yorubas.

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... “Before you do anything else,” curator Chris Meyer said the minute I arrived at the National Museum of Natural History’s Invertebrate Zoology collection, ...

This Diwali 2025, it’s not just about lights and laddoos; it’s about faith in the smallest things. Cowrie shells, known as symbols of Goddess Lakshmi, are believed to attract prosperity when placed in ...

Money cowries (Monetaria moneta) retrieved from the São Bento. Mudzunga Munzhedzi (2019). KwaZulu-Natal Museum In the archaeology storerooms of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg, South ...

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is not just about diyas and sweets - it’s also a time to invite prosperity and divine blessings into your home. One special ritual gaining attention is buying and ...