Culture and Money: Solomon Islands

One of my research interests is how culture impacts financial decision making. Culture has a strong influence on how money is used and valued. A recent Wall Street Journal article (4/30/08, pg. A1) detailed how Solomon Islanders are returning to a traditional currency, the teeth of the spinner dolphin. The price for 1 dolphin tooth has gone up 300% and is now worth about $.26 U.S. It takes about 1000 teeth to be able to afford a bride which as a feminist I think is a nice turn on the dowery families in other cultures have to pay to have their daughters marry but I'm not quite sure if I'm 100% on it.