The Embodied Yam: Reframing the Trobriand Botanical Metaphor

The importance of yams in the Trobriand Islands has been a topic of interest to anthropologists for over 75 years. The recursive nature of the Trobriand botanical metaphor connecting the physical characteristics and life cycle of the yam to Trobriand conceptualizations of life and death has been thoroughly and convincingly detailed through the years. This paper will seek to reframe the botanical metaphor around the centrality of the lived experience shifting the focus away from the yam and onto the body. By redirecting this focus toward the physical experience of the human body as the basis for interpretation, new light may be shed on Trobriand ceremony, reproduction, and botanical propagation among other topics. The implications of this shift for interpreting Trobriand culture and the broader context of Austronesian society will be discussed.