 | Ed Hendricks (California) | Received the Primitives on 23 Oct 03. They weren't real happy about arriving in California in the middle of the monster fires. Said they had seen enough of that stuff in Australia. As a result, over the next week or so, we decided to do some things close to the ocean and the safety of water. So off to the beach we went. First we went to the San Luis Obispo harbor where the coins got to visit with some sea gulls who where hanging around hoping to be fed. Then we went to Avila Beach to see the spot where the teacher was killed by a great white shark a couple of months ago http://www.theksbwchannel.com/news/2419541/detail.html . She was swimming near the pier with a group of seals when the great white apparently mistook her for an injured or sick seal and attacked. Then we visited a monument to fishermen lost at sea off California's Central Coast. The coins liked the dolphins spouting water better than the shark place. But we did stop back by Avila Pier on the way home. After returning home, we all rested up for a few days while I recuperated from a case of the stomach flu. Then the pair got to visit with some other primitives. They visited with a "Kissie Penny" Formerly used in Sierra Leone, Liberia and French Guinea. It is also known as "Kilindi", "Gitzi", "Ghisi", "Gizzie Iron" and "coin with a soul". According to legend, if broken, it's "soul" escapes and it becomes valueless. Legend requires immediate repair by a Witch Doctor in order to replace the soul in the coin and regain its value. These stylized iron hoes were used primarily in the 18th and 19th centuries as a form of trade equal to a penny. They were bundled together to make higher denominations and were good for food, livestock, slaves and among other things, a new wife. They also visited with a West African Manilla (Pogo Type). Also known as "slave bracelet money". Made of bronze, it was used in Nigeria and other West African countries in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. And finally they got to see a good example of "Canoe Money" or "Lat Hoi" from the Mekong valley of Siam. In addition to being used during the 18th and 19th centuries as money, this bronze canoe-shaped artifact was also used as a symbolic offering to spirits. It was then time to leave California and head on up the coast to spend some time with Jason in Oregon. |
| 6/7/2003
Stu Miller
(Illinois) | The Primitive was a surprising new issue and took me a little by surprise. It took a while to ready her up and get the pages on the website. After that, I decided that I wanted to be the first host for this one.
One of the first things we did was to go outside and enjoy a beautiful day. I showed her the large tree in my backyard. I had not counted on the primitive being so adventurous. The first thing she wanted was to do some climbing. I was hesitant at first but gave in. :)
After that, it was time to do a little yard work. It seems I did most of the work, though and she just went along for the ride.
We decided later on that night to relax with a friendly game of darts. She was a little nervous at first but eventually got the hang of it. We may have had a few too many beers, though, because the bottles started to look a little funny.
The next day was the Memorial day parade that goes by my house. The police put out no parking signs and I found out the primitive is a bit of a scofflaw. Later that day, I did find out that she very much likes animals.
The next week, she got to go to work with me on several occasions. On one day, we were in a field training exercise and she learned how to disassemble an M16 and she was able to put on the full chemical ground crew ensemble including the mask. She thought it was a little warm.
So, after leaving my mark, it was time to say goodbye. All in all, we had a nice time but she was excited to get on to her next host. |
