HANDA project

Handa (Croisette du Katanga) A currency that was widely used in Katanga but even more widely in all of Equatorial Africa as far as Angola. It was therefore used by many ethnic groups. But they were produced in Katanga where a secret society ("bangwa") called "copper eaters" extracted it in wells that could reach 35 meters.

The primary purpose of the braces was exchange and payment, they had a symbolic function of power and wealth. Around the 18th century they were used to pay the tribute demanded by the Lunda kingdom. It was at this time that Katanga crosses became common currency and were used in daily life.

Indeed, the marriage of a woman meant a loss of labor for the bride's family, which is why crosses were offered as compensation. A woman was worth, for example, a large cross, but a small cross could be added if she had remarkable qualities! And in the 20th century, they were used as medicine and as a badge of dignity.