[Oe List ...] {Spam?} Re: {Spam?} Katanga crosses

[PSchrijnen at aol.com]

Thank you David, 
 
Wonderful to find out more about this cross. I came across one of these at  a 
market outside of Luanda in Angola last year, but alas, wasn't able to buy  
one. They were quit expensive, about $100. Who know the story of how, when and  
why  we picked this symbol for the OE. Where is Fred?
 

_Katanga crosses_ (http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/objectmo/ob-9802.htm)  were 
used as currency in the copper  mining region of what used to be Zaire, in 
Africa. They are made of copper and  range from about a half-pound to 2.5 popunds. 
They are also associated with  ritual, as they were buried with the dead. The 
crosses predate Christianity in  the area, but missionaries adapted the 
symbolism of the cross for their own  purposes. _Katanga_ 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katanga)  was an independent nation for a brief period,  from 1960-1963, 
during which time they issued new national coins, francs, with a  picture of 
the Katanga cross on them! 
 (http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/objectmo/ob-9802.htm) 


   
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