Yam Symbolism in the Sepik: An Interpretative Account

Abstract

In this essay yam-oriented beliefs and behavior patterns are analyzed in an effort to understand the symbolic complexities surrounding yams in the Sepik area of New Guinea. It is postulated that the yam is symbolically multivalent with regard to "male pride," "body," and "penis." The symbolic equations linking yams to these referents function, respectively, at the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious levels of individual awareness. In formulating this conceptualization attention is paid to certain results of neurophysiological experimentation and to the relevant clinical findings of psychoanalysis. The resulting model of yam multivalence is applied to the analysis of observed instances of yam-oriented behavior, and it is found to enable interpretations of behavior patterns not comprehended in a unidimensional view of yam symbolism. This suggests that the levels of symbolic meaning interact in a mutually reinforcing way and that this dynamism contributes to the persistence of the symbolic complex over time.