Hi Selma. I am very familiar with the term "manila" through my many years of work with MOA-UBC.
Although English sources translate them as shackles, they are actually a kind of thick bangle or more precisely "bracelet" that was usually made of copper or bronze and were exported for the slave trade among other trades. They served as a currency throughout the coast of Western Africa from at least the sixteenth century. There were specific exchange rates for these against cloth, iron bars, livestock, cowrie shells and people. In 19th Zanzibar it was fashionable for rich Swahili and Arab ladies as well as some South Asians to wear chunkier and more elaborate versions of manilas made of silver. No doubt this jewelry also served as a show of wealth. Literally wearing the chequebook. I have seen archive images of Zanzibari ladies wearing the ornate silver (hollow) versions of the manilas. This is what the reference is to. Cliff ________________________________ From: 'Carvalho' via Goa-Research-Net <[email protected]> Sent: January 17, 2024 9:24 PM To: Goa-Research-Net <[email protected]> Subject: [GRN] manilhas de oiro Hello members, Please tell me what this 19th century piece of jewellery is. It translates as gold shackles, but surely Goan women were not wearing shackles even if it was 1800 Zanzibar :-) Take care, selma -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/304873394.1445918.1705497875269%40mail.yahoo.com<https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/304873394.1445918.1705497875269%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/OSZP286MB1064A1E1E74BF4D3E1D08E6CBB712%40OSZP286MB1064.JPNP286.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.
