more systematically realized. The designs on the Amerindian coins never existed as such but the figures, signs, symbols and all their elements are derived from original Amerindian motifs. They are all in the spirit of Amerindian art and yet they are not part of any concrete culture. The joint use of two metals - which appears persuasively authentic - is in fact a favourite device of the art of coins and medals of own day.
· Cultic proto-money, means of exchange prior to the coins of herdsmen and agriculturists, always had some ritual significance. Magic rituals and sacrificial offerings evolved from an ancient attitude to nature. Magic designed to prefigure and ensure the success of a hunt, rituals appeasing the spirits of the dead and fertility rites are just some examples pointing to the role certain objects played in those times. Rituals rooted in mysticism were elicited by the struggle with the forces of nature. It explains the role of magic, and the supernatural. Therefore, the elements in these works of art not only represented value - originally - but also had a ritual character, or, more precisely, some of them were valued on account of their magic power. This is how the two functions were linked.
· Some of this proto-money can be viewed through the spectacles of our own days. The ritualist function of the constituent elements is