One of the most exotic① kinds of money in the world today is a belt two inches wide and thirty feet long fashioned of glue， fibers， and the red feathers of a tropical forest bird. This primitive currency② is the basis of a complex monetary③ and trading system in the Santa Cruz Islands of the southwest Pacific.
Improbable as it is， the red-feather currency fits the most rigorous definition of the term mone： It serves as a means of accumulating wealth and as a universal medium of exchange in the highly diversified commerce of the islands. It is fully interchangeable， each belt having a precisely negotiable④ value in terms of other belts. Moreover， it has maintained its economic integrity⑤ against the recent invasion of the Australian pound─it is still the only acceptable specie for the purchase of brides， fine pigs， and certain forms of labor.
The use of money is not limited to high civilizations； actually many primitive peoples have devised moneys of their own. Primitive monetary systems require the same balance of supply and demand that confronts the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve System； the value of the money must be carefully regulated⑥. Lacking devices to regulate currency demand artificially， primitive societies must rely on natural or social circumstances. In the red-feather currency system， the supply of new money is regulated by the availability of red feathers and by the output⑦ of the people who traditionally make the money. Old currency goes out of circulation⑧， because it loses value as its color fades.
① exoticadj. 异国情调的；奇特的
② currencyn. 通货，货币
③ monetaryadj. 货币的；币制的
④ negotiableadj. 可转让的
⑤ integrityn. 完整，完全
⑥ regulatev. 管理；控制；为……制订规章
⑦ outputn. 出产；生产；使出；用出
⑧ circulationn. (货币、消息等的)流通，传播
圣克鲁斯群岛的原始货币
今天，世界上最异乎寻常的货币之一，是一种宽2英寸、长30英尺的带子，用胶水、纤维材料和一种热带森林鸟的柔软的红色羽毛做成。这种原始货币是太平洋西南部圣克鲁斯群岛一种复杂金融与贸易制度的基础。
虽然说来未必令人相信，然而这种红羽毛货币却符合货币这一名称的最严格的定义。在这个群岛极为多样化的商业活动中，它是一种积累财富的手段，也是一种普遍的交换手段。它是完全互换性的，在与其他带子兑换时，每根带子都具有严格确定的转让价值。在澳大利亚货币的新近侵入中，它维护了自己完整的经济地位——在购买新娘、良种猪和某些类型的劳动力方面，它依然是唯一能被接受的货币。
货币的使用并不限于高度文明的国家。实际上，许多原始民族都创制了他们自己的货币。原始的货币制度，像美国财政部和联邦储备系统所面临的问题一样，也需要供求平衡，对货币的价值必须进行认真调节。由于缺少人为的调节货币的手段，一些原始社会不得不依赖天然的或社会的因素。在红羽毛货币系统中，新货币的供应取决于红色羽毛的收购情况，以及工人按传统方式制作货币的产量。陈旧的货币退出流通领域，因为随着它的褪色，它也就失去了价值。
