bc726

our new home?


CK: Hello John -- Based on new information --- it seems that
I should alter my query somewhat, to read:

?? Where in your opinion are particular communities, around
the world, which meet pretty well the search criteria
mentioned in my last message -- and which IN ADDITION might
be auspicious choices of a lifetime effort on my part to
help slowly BUILD a successful local currency experiment
there ???

JCT: The only search criteria is people with insufficient
money to trade their time. And that's everywhere.

CK: NOTE: I am interested in combining a local "currency"
system with a vast expansion of the local "library" system,
beyond books, to include ALL types of community-owned as
well as privately-owned goods and services, for sharing in
all conceivable manners (renting, leasing, loaning,
exchanging, etc.).

JCT: So the bigger, the better. And yet, now that you can
simply start up your own Personal Internet LETS bank
account, you can trade with the whole world anyway. But
still, the larger the original network of goods and
services, the more you can pay with time and the less you
have to pay with federal cash.

CK: This would require a pre-existing unusual cultural
attitude, unlike anything that I have found present in the
USA (a country which is tragically [in my opinion] devoted
to dual/contradictory brainwashing of its young --- both
towards the values recited "on Sunday morning", and towards
the exact opposite for the rest of the week --- with
"success" in BOTH as "measurements", of the innate value of
an individual. Both sets of values are, in my opinion --
off the mark --- certainly in interpretation as "measuring
tools".)

JCT: Getting out of Gulag Amerika isn't such a bad idea.
Though I'm sure Gulag Earth isn't far behind in the
planning.

CK: I am looking for a local culture therefore which is not
mass schizophrenic --- in which the systems described above
might fit like a glove --- and ENABLE a behavior which is
already deeply rooted in spirit.

JCT: I think the biggest LETS is in Australia with several
thousand members. But I think the country with the greatest
LETS effect may be Argentina. They have several dozen
different valid currencies so I'd bet things are improving
there fast. Which would account for no new about riots and
also no news about why.

Thanks for your last minute help if you can give it -- Patty
and I have only a couple of more days in which to book a
flight to some good choice somewhere. We will choose
Vancouver Island unless otherwise directed (not knowing any
better), and would appreciate suggested "contact people"
there (or ANYWHERE) to confer with, about my interests.

JCT: Salt Spring Island probably has the best West Coast set
up for a local currency system though they've built in a
self-destruct mechanism by giving their currency an expiry
date which should hurt them pretty bad real soon.

CD: Best to you, and in thanks for all of your diligent
thought and work (as described on the web -- my only source
of information.) Chris Kenny USA 212/ 740-1131

JCT: It's too bad that the US Timedollar systems remain 1-
velocity machines. Until they go high-tech and use paper
tokens, they'll always, unfortunately, be small, backward
and struggling. Of course, I can't tell them this as my
posts are censored at their yahoogroup. Of course, most
members don't know that their reading is censored of
important material so they can't be blamed. But as I keep
pointing out, moles seem to rise to the top of all
organisations to defeat the purpose of those organisations.
My urging them to switch to high-velocity currency never got
through. That's why there's no powerful Timedollar system in
the States and why you may have to leave. Sad, eh?

Finally, your best bet in America might just be moving to an
Indian reserve:


Wampum, ke`kwuk, squau-tho-won; all are Algonquian words for
shell beads or string of shell beads. Wampumpeage is a
Narragansett word for "white beads strung". Throughout
northeastern America, wampum was used for jewelry, gifts,
communication, historical record of important events,
religious ceremonies, and trade. It was the earliest form of
currency known in North America. Its value was derived from
the difficulty involved in producing the cylindrical bead
from both Quahog and Whelk, and the scarcity of suitable
shells. White beads were made from Whelk, purple-blackish
from Quahog.

The beads were produced from the inner spiral of the shells.
The spiral or columna must be thick enough to withstand
grinding, shaping and drilling. The shells were collected
along the coastal shores during the summer, and worked in
the winter months. The inner spirals were cut into cylinders
measuring 1/4 inch long by 1/8 inch diameter. Each bead was
then smoothed through grinding, polished, drilled, and
finally strung on hemp fibers or sinew. It was difficult,
tedious, and time consuming work. The proportionate scarcity
of the Quahog beads doubled their value to that of white
wampum.

Though wampum is most often associated with the Iroquois,
and there are claims that the Iroquois were the first
producers of wampum beads, it is more likely that the
Iroquois were introduced to wampum by trade. The Iroquois
lived in the interior, whereas sea shells could be found
only in the coastal regions. The Narragansetts were most
probably the first producers of wampum, with other coastal
Algonquians, including the Delaware, following shortly
thereafter.

Wampum was a firmly established base of currency by the time
of increased European colonial settlements in the 17th
century. Though it did have a monetary value, its sole
purpose for the colonials, it was by no means limited to an
economic role. As stated above, wampum was used for a
multitude of purposes, not least of which was the binding


great solemnity to messages, speeches, and agreements. A
message delivered via a wampum belt is said to have been
greater than a thousand words, and it was accepted as truth.
It was the seal, the proof of covenants made. The oldest
extant wampum belt is the Huron belt given to the Jesuits to
commemorate the first mission house built in Huronia.
Offered and accepted in 1638, the Huron belt is currently
housed in the Vatican.

With the influx of more Europeans in the 17th century,
notably the Dutch and English, metal tools became widely
available to Indians in the east. Among these tools were
slender metal drills which greatly facilitated the
production of wampum. These new tools enabled the Indians to
produce uniform beads more quickly and with greater ease.
Applying basic economic principles to wampum as a
commodity/currency in the 17th century, it might be assumed
that wampum decreased in value as its production was sped
up. On the contrary, its value remained stable. Again
applying the basic economic rule of supply and demand,
though the Europeans brought tools that helped to increase
wampum production, they also balanced their contribution
with an increased demand for the shell beads.

Wampum remained the standard legal tender of both Indians
and New England colonists until nearly the end of the 17th
century. It was, in the words of New England economic
historian William Weeden, "the magnet which drew the beaver
out of the interior forests." Though the New Englanders
prized it solely for its economic value, the Algonquians and
Iroquois continued to utilize wampum for ornamentation,
communication, ceremonial use, and as a reminder of the
solemnity of agreements.

For communication purposes, wampum remained the "bead" of
choice. Runners carried wampum belts from one village to
another bringing news. The recipients of these messages knew
as the runner approached whether or not he brought tidings
of great joy, or that he was the bearer of bad news. A belt
primarily worked in white beads was a good sign. A belt with
a predominance of purple was cause for fear and
apprehension. It may mean war, disaster, or a death
announcement.

Ornamentation uses of wampum included bracelets, anklets,
necklaces, belts, straps, and headbands. Decorative items of
wampum were signs of wealth. One who wore several adorning
items of wampum was a well off, or respected person. Sachems
would have need of much wampum, as they had need of many
other valuable possessions. An expectation of a New England
sachem was that he be a generous gift giver. A gift of any
of these was much appreciated, deserving of a fine return
(the term "Indian giver" arose from the Indian custom to
expect a gift in return for a gift). A woman would often
have wampum earrings, perhaps a sash, and anklets. Delaware
women frequently wore belts and headbands of woven strands
of wampum, while the Iroquois and Mohicans, men and women,
favored several single strand wampum necklaces.

As the New England colonists adopted wampum as their
standard currency, incidents of fraud (wampum counterfeit)
increased. Both Indian and Englishman were known to pass off
inferior or fraudulent wampum to unsuspecting colonials. In
time, regulation and a standardized measure of wampum
strands was implemented. A fathom (6 feet) was the most
usual measurement and instantly denoted a specific monetary
value measured against English shillings, pence, pounds, and
so forth. The fact that legislation was introduced,
regulations regarding wampum manufacture were set down,
penalties for counterfeit or inferior quality wampum trading
were harsh, and in some colonies the rejection of dark
wampum for only white (though its value was greater, it was
easier to counterfeit by way of dye), all illustrate how
dependent the colonists and Indians were on these shell
beads.

There was some fluctuation in wampum's value, as is always
the case with currency, but by and large, it remained
uniformly acceptable and desirable to nearly the end of the
17th century in the colonies and into the 18th century along
the frontiers. Its worth, however, was tenable. Wampum was
only good as long as the Indians prized it. If or when that
was no longer the case, an economic crash could occur
throughout the English colonies that would have had serious
consequences in New England, and subsequently, in the mother
country as well. It was this realization, along with the
declining demand for fur, that moved the New Englanders to
gradually phase out wampum as a currency standard. With
silver from the West Indies beginning to circulate in North
America, wampum was slowly being replaced by that
universally valued commodity, metal coinage.

The Mohicans and Mohawk both operated as brokers in the
wampum exchange throughout the 17th century. It was a
lucrative venture to all involved, a point that is
highlighted by Mohawk frustration at their inability to
access the wampum producing coastal tribes during the
Mohican/Dutch alliance. It was important enough to be the
object of diplomacy and compromise during the treaty
discussions in which the Dutch mediated. (The Dutch even
tried their hand at producing wampum beads, but the Indians
would not accept it, thereby making it useless.) The
resulting agreement upheld the Mohicans possession of their
Hudson Valley lands and rights to the fur trade, while the
Mohawk were to be permitted to cross these lands to access
the wampum makers. Both tribes traded wampum to others in
the west and north, and were major suppliers to the Seneca.

By the mid 18th century, during the French and Indian War,
the use of wampum as currency had declined so much that the
Indians themselves were rejecting it as payment. They too
wanted silver in exchange for their furs and services, and
would often turn to the Dutch settlements, rather than the
English, for their trading ventures.

Wampum remained long in use for ornamentation purposes,
though even in this area it began to decline. More and more
trade items were being adapted to suit the styles and
traditions of Indian people in the east. Wampum belts,
however, as proof of good will and binding agreements,
continued. Some Indian people still possess the belts their
ancestors wove to record and commemorate events and
covenants of earlier days. With great respect, these belts
are kept by the people. Wampum belts that serve as solemn
reminders of past agreements are still extant. The most
famous of these is the Iroquois Covenant belt, given in 1794
to the Iroquois Confederacy by the United States government
to mark the great covenant between the two nations.

It is interesting, if not ironic, to note that wampum
remains valuable even today. A single wampum bead made from
Quahog or Whelk, manufactured in New England coastal areas
can cost up to $10! Overseas wampum is less expensive, but
still demands a good price. Wampum, the first currency of
the new world, has survived as a desired item long enough to
be considered a classic.

Next in the History Series Pages: THE DELICATE ART OF
SCALPING Looking for related books? Visit our MOHICAN PRESS
BOOK SHOPPE
For a glimpse into frontier life: 1750's TRADE GOODS
Take a look at our QUAHOG WAMPUM JEWELRY.

JCT: All you have to do is go somewhere and start a paper
TimeWampum system and all the weaknesses built into the US
Timedollar system will disappear.

I have come to the conclusion that many people who have
gravitated to the top of many LETS systems are there to make
sure they go nowhere. I've seen the US Timedollar system
remain backwards and low-velocity for almost 20 years.
Consider that my posts urging them to go with high-tech
paper have been systematically censored for years and it's
hard not to think that those in charge have a malevolent
intent. Why they never gravitate to the stronger high-
velocity system can't be accidental and when the people
keeping the US Timedollar system backwards also censor
information on how to soup up their engine, you have to
consider the word "sabotage."

There's the chance that the UK Timedollar systems may
eventually overcome whatever bad influence the US people
have on them because of the many LETS in the UK which
continue to generate discussion about them joining up. This
should help LETS get on the Time Standard of Money and the
Timedollars get high-velocity currency at some point. I
hope.

So I can't really advise you to move anywhere. But I would
advise you to make a list of all your friends and businesses
who might be interested in joining your own home-town
timecurrency system. Keep in mind that they have their lists
too. You might be surprised what kind of a list of goods and
services a dozen people in a room might add to the list.

There's really nowhere to run to. Either Earth gets a
UNILETS to pay to save itself or it suffers extinction. To
rise up again as a sentient life form and see if it can
develop into a civilization that can beat its usurious
chains.

--
Abolitionist Slave Leader John C."The Banking Systems Engineer" Turmel
for UNILETS interest-free time-based currency in U.N. resolution C6
to Governments in the http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration.htm
http://www.cyberclass.net/turmel 613-562-0669 USENET: can.politics