Silent trade

Japanese: 沈黙交易 - ちんもくこうえき（英語表記）silent trade

A form of trade that is carried out without the use of words. Between groups, one person places an item in a customarily determined place, sends a certain signal (such as a sound made by a musical instrument) and disappears. A member of the other group who receives the signal comes to the same place, places an item that is considered to be of equal value, and then retreats. The former person reappears and, if satisfied, takes back the item that the latter person placed, but if not, leaves and waits until an item that they consider appropriate is added. The transaction is completed when the former person takes away the item that the latter person placed. Herodotus records that the Carthaginians used this method in gold trading with Africans in ancient times. It is widely seen in societies in North Asia, Lapland, West Africa, Sumatra, New Guinea, and the Amazon of South America.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

言葉を一切用いることなく行われる交易の一形態。集団間で，一方の者が慣習的に定められた場所に物品を置き，一定の合図 (たとえば楽器などによる音声) を送って姿を消すと，合図を受けた他方の集団の者はその場所へ来て等価と考えられる物品を置いて引下がる。前者が再び現れて，満足すれば後者の置いた物品を持帰るが，満足しなければそのまま帰り，適当と考える物品が付加されるまで待つ。取引は，前者が後者の置いた物品を持去ることによって完了する。古くはカルタゴ人が，アフリカ人との黄金の取引に用いたというヘロドトスの記録がある。北アジア，ラップランド，西アフリカ，スマトラ，ニューギニア，南アメリカのアマゾンなどの社会に広くみられる。

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