3 bundles - Bournous - of 20 Kissi pennies 07.01.389
In practice its use was quite extensive. Various sources mention the use of the Kissi money among and between the Bandi, Gbandia, Gola, Kissi, Kpelle, Loma, Mandingo and Mende tribes of this region. Presumably, Kissi money was ‘minted’ as from the 1880s by native blacksmiths who used iron smelted from the rich ore in the region.
If an iron rod would accidentally break, the soul escapes an iit could no longer circulate. Its value could only be restored by the Zoe, the traditional witchdoctor – often the blacksmith – who, for a fee, would rejoin the broken pieces and reincarnate the escaped soul. Therefore, it was said that Kissi money was "money with a soul". The Quinzé had also the function of transporting the sou of the dead person the forest of the dead.
