A mission letter reports twenty Yapese being taken to Palau to quarry stone money.
What happened
The letter came from a Capuchin traveling to Palau on one of David O’Keefe’s ships to explore opening a mission there. O’Keefe’s ships carried Yapese to Palau to quarry stone money (rai), which was released to its owners only after they paid him in copra.
Who’s who
- David O’KeefeIrish-born trader on Yap who shipped Palauan stone money in exchange for copra from the 1870s.