The Expedition's Food Voucher: How Wire, Cloth and Beads Helped Feed Stanley's Search for Livingstone
How coils of metal turned into meals on the journey to Ujiji
The Core Idea: In 1871, Henry Morton Stanley led over 150 people into the interior of Africa to find Dr. David Livingstone. They couldn't carry all their food. Survival meant trading for it daily. While Stanley used cloth, beads, and wire, this article focuses on why brass and copper wire became a standout currency—especially for buying the food that kept the historic expedition alive.
The Daily Challenge: Feeding a Moving Village
"Stanley's caravan was like a small, moving town — over 150 people, including soldiers, guides, and hundreds of African porters (called pagazis) who carried every bale of cloth, coil of wire, and tool on their heads. Carrying months of food for everyone was impossible. The porters made the impossible possible by hauling the trade goods that bought fresh provisions day by day along the route.
The Expedition's "Gold": Why Wire Was Special
Stanley bought about 350 pounds of specific brass wire (called "Nos. 5 and 6") before his journey. It had clear advantages for high-value trades:
Wire's Advantages for Food Trade:
- Agreed Value: Measured by weight in frasilahs (about 35 lbs), its value was clear to everyone, preventing arguments.
- Lasting & Compact: It didn't rot like cloth or spill like beads. A coil stored a lot of value in a small space.
- Local Use: African metalsmiths and artisans highly valued it for making jewelry, tools, and decoration, so demand was always strong.
From Wire to Supper: What Did It Buy?
Stanley's journals show wire was key for securing bulk provisions and special deals:
- Staple Grains: Rice, maize, and millet for the daily porridge (posho).
- Protein: Goats and chickens for meat.
- Safe Passage & Market Access: Paying a chief with wire (hongo) often meant his people would then bring food to sell to the caravan.
Cloth and beads handled many everyday small trades, but wire often closed the bigger, more important food deals.
4. The Shrinking Coil: A Sign of Rising Hunger
The most telling part of the journey was watching the wire supply shrink. As coils were used up, Stanley wrote with growing worry. Less wire meant less power to bargain for food in the next village. This wasn't just about running out of a trade item—it was the real fear of running out of meals. The wire was a physical measure of their safety from hunger.
Conclusion: The Metal That Bought the Next Meal
The famous meeting at Ujiji was built on a foundation of daily meals, bargained for and paid in trade goods. Brass wire, valued as "gold" in the interior, was a star player in that system. It was durable, valuable, and perfect for high-stakes trades for goats, grain, and safe passage to markets. Understanding this simple metal coil helps us answer the practical question behind the adventure: How did they eat? The answer: with careful strategy and a good supply of wire, cloth, and beads—the original expedition food vouchers.
FAQ: The Shopping List for Finding Dr. Livingstone
Trade Goods & The Food They Bought
Exactly. European or Zanzibari coins were useless in the African interior. The economy ran on barter—trading useful goods for other goods. People wanted things they couldn't make locally. Brass and copper wire was perfect: durable, could be measured by weight, and was in high demand by artisans for jewelry and tools. It was a commodity currency—valuable in itself, not just a piece of metal with a king's face on it.
It was one of the "Big Three" currencies, each with a special role. Stanley himself compared them to precious metals:
Wire was "GOLD"
For high-value deals. Used to pay tribute (hongo) to chiefs and buy bulk protein like goats.
Cloth was "SILVER"
The everyday money. Specific types were key: "Merikani" (American unbleached cotton) and "Kaniki" (dark, patterned cloth) were essentials for buying daily grain rations (posho).
Beads were "COPPER COINS"
For smaller trades. Color was everything. "White-heart" beads were wanted in one village, while "red cornelian" or blue "sungomazzi" beads were the only accepted currency in another. Wrong color = no trade.
Not just any scrap wire. Stanley specifically bought "Nos. 5 and 6 brass wire"—about as thick as telegraph wire. This specific gauge was known and desired in interior trade networks. He bought it in coils measured by the frasilah (about 35 pounds each).
They bought the expedition's daily survival menu:
- Staples: Posho (a thick porridge made from maize, millet, or rice).
- Protein: Goats, chickens, and occasionally beef.
- Extras: Bananas, vegetables, and the crucial mineral salt.
Yes. This was a constant, deep anxiety. Watching the coils of wire and bolts of cloth shrink was like watching their bank account empty. As supplies ran low, their bargaining power vanished, and the threat of real hunger set in. Managing these trade goods was a daily, life-or-death calculation.
It adds a crucial layer of understanding. That famous handshake wasn't just the end of an adventure; it was the successful end of an incredible logistical operation. Keeping over 150 people fed and moving for months, navigating intricate local economies where the wrong bead color could ruin a deal, was a massive challenge. Finding Livingstone proved Stanley wasn't just brave—he was a savvy, if desperate, traveling merchant who understood the real price of a meal.
The Real Cost of Exploration
The story of the "Big Three" trade goods reveals a fundamental truth of 19th-century African exploration: success depended as much on economic savvy as on geographical courage. Before any map could be drawn, a deal had to be struck. The expedition's pantry was not filled from a European store, but from local markets, paid for with coils of wire, bolts of specific cloth, and strings of precisely colored beads. The journey to Ujiji was, in many ways, one of history's most high-stakes shopping trips.
