Money cowries (Monetaria moneta) retrieved from the São Bento. Mudzunga Munzhedzi (2019). KwaZulu-Natal Museum September 1, 2021 Small seashells tell a big story of slavery and transoceanic trade 500 years ago Justine Wintjes, KwaZulu-Natal Museum Money cowries were used for thousands of years as currency across the Indo-Pacific world but introduced into Atlantic commercial networks relatively late.