Kesa consists of sets of thin-walled cylinders which were once thought to be made from the fossilized shell of the giant clam Tridacna. It is now thought that they are the shell of a sea worm. The natives believe, however, that kesa were not made by men. They feel the kesa were made by a water god residing in the sea. A set of kesa consists of nine cylinders, but the value varies with the size and quality of the pieces. Most kesa appear to be very old, and most appear to have been buried at one time. Managerial wealth consisted of land and kesa. Kesa was obtained from inheritance from your father or a kinsman with you taking over his position and control over the kesa in the descent group. It was also obtained by rearing and selling pigs. Bride price transactions were another a source of kesa. An ordinary girl formerly was worth from three to five kesa as bride price. In the past kesa was highly meaningful, and giving a woman in marriage was one way to get kesa. Because it was a high value money, it was not used for everyday transactions. Bride price and forming alliances for purposes of vengeance were its main uses.