Tidbit Tuesday Continued: Yamituals

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

(source)

Soooo yesterday we talked about yam mythology. Today let’s talk about the rituals that surround those myths.

Dancer in the New Yam Festival in Nigeria.

(source)

Read Full Post »

Tidbit Tuesday: Yamology

It’s Tidbit Tuesday. Rejoice!

Tiny tubers on Tidbit Tuesday. BOOM.

(source)

It’s nearing Thanksgiving so today we’re going to talk about yams. Not all about yams because, frankly, it would take several posts. The history of the yam is complicated and lengthy and, while I think it would be mega interesting, I want to keep it simple.

So I’m going to tell you a bit about yam mythology. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about yam rituals.

An Abelam yam mask. The Abelam people put these masks on their yams to transform them into the yam god.

(source)

The yam is a staple in many cultures. There are tons of species all over the world and for the most part they aren’t that different from each other. People use the word “yam” to talk about other root crops, like sweet potatoes, taro, and oca, but they aren’t the same root. The confusion comes from the origin of the word “yam.”

Story time!

Read Full Post »