Nafe (Kwamera)

kind of yam, produces a tuber with white flesh and is easy to grow

Example: Has a spreading habit in the garden. The tuber is soft and easy to boil

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces tubers with red, hard, sweet flesh

Example: Used for kastom ceremonies as it has a large bundle of tubers

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces tubers with white flesh. It is fast-growing and produces a large bunch of tubers

Example: Very sweet and sticks to the teeth when eaten

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, has a round root, with white, soft, sweet flesh

Example: Only used for making lap-lap

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces a tuber with reddish flesh. The tuber can be up to 2 meters long and very hard inside, taking a long time to boil. It is easy to grow

Example: During boiling, the water is said to turn red in color and then changes to whatever the color is of what it is being cooked with

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, related to kawehae with a large mass of tubers that have red flesh and are sweet. It has the same type of flesh as that variety but the leaves differ in shape

Example: If a person loses some of his yams in the garden to various conditions, such as poor soil or disease, these two varieties will always continue to grow, being very hardy and resilient. This yam was originally from Iankahi but now the village is losing this variety. However, some people in Port Resolution still grow it

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces tubers with white flesh, that are soft and sweet

Example: Only used in soup. The origin of this variety is thought to be Fiji, and the local name means “From Fiji”

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kinds of yam. There are sub-varieties of this that produce tubers with either red or white flesh

Example: Only used for making lap-lap for kastom ceremonies

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, has tubers with two colors in the same root—both white and red and is sweet and soft

Example: Is a special yam for paying dowry

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces a tuber with white flesh and red skin. It can grow long and large in good soil, but is not a sweet yam, more starchy than many others. It is easy to grow

Example: Locally known as a “Chief’s Yam” as it is given to the Chief as a gift because it is one of the original yam varieties grown on Tanna

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces tubers with white flesh that are very sweet. It is easy to grow and very productive with large bundles of tubers

Example: Said to be good for roasting or frying in oil. This hard, sweet yam is said to be the best tasting of all

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces a tuber with a white flesh and red skin. It is easy to grow

Example: Soft when cooked

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces a tuber with white flesh. It is somewhat smaller in size than most yams, and easy to grow

Example: Is used only for making lap-lap

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kinds of yam. There are two types of this variety—with either red or white flesh

Example: When cooked, as with many yams, children love to eat this variety as it is soft and sweet

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, produces a tuber with white flesh and is said to be the original yam from this place on Tanna. It is harder to grow than many yams

Example: There is a story that an evil spirit stole this yam during the time of the ancestors, taking it from this area to the other side of the volcano. Because the spirit took the best part of the yam, leaving the worst part, this one became hard to grow

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, thought to be from Wallis and Futuna, considered a “traveling yam” that has gone to many islands. The flesh is somewhat hard and not sweet

Example: Used to make lap-lap to guests and family to welcome them

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar

kind of yam, has white flesh, soft and sweet, with a very large tuber, and is easy to grow

Example: If it grows in good conditions, the tubers are so large that it takes two people to carry it on a pole

Scientific name: Dioscorea spp., Speaker: Johnson Noar