Yam is spiritually and culturally significant and crucial to the traditional Igbo economy. Yam farming requires considerable effort, and its cultivation often involves a communal effort, with families and villages working together
By Tony Onyima, Ph.D.
In many Igbo communities, this is the season of “Iwa Ji” or “Iri Ji”. In the cosmology of the Igbo people, the yam occupies a central position, symbolising life, sustenance, wealth, and cultural identity. As one of the most significant crops in the agricultural cycle, yam represents the very foundation of existence for the Igbo, being regarded as the “king of crops.” The reverence for yam finds expression in the annual New Yam Festival (Iri Ji), celebrated across Igbo communities between August-October, marking the farming season’s end and the harvest’s beginning.
Yam’s cultural significance stems from its historical role as the staple food that ensured the survival of Igbo communities. Anthropologists like M. A. Onwuejeogwu noted that yam transcends its value as food and is pivotal in rites of passage, community ceremonies, and economic exchanges. In traditional Igbo society, the cultivation and harvest of yam signify a person’s wealth and social standing, particularly for men. Large barns filled with yam were once a measure of a man’s status and prosperity.
As Achebe (1958) eloquently illustrates in his novel ‘Things Fall Apart’, “yam the king of crops, was a man’s crop.” This underscores that yam is not merely an agricultural product but a symbol of masculinity and strength. The success of a man’s yam harvest directly affected his reputation within the community, while a poor harvest could damage his standing.
The Igbo cosmology is deeply intertwined with agriculture, and yam takes on spiritual and religious dimensions. The Igbo people believe in the cyclical nature of life, which is reflected in the annual yam cultivation cycle. The process of planting, nurturing, harvesting, and storing yams mirrors the natural cycles of birth, growth, death, and rebirth that are integral to Igbo beliefs about the universe. The Igbo see yam as a gift from the deities, particularly “Ala or Ani”, the Earth goddess, who blesses the land with fertility. Before harvesting yams, communities offer prayers and sacrifices to Ala/Ani and other deities to ensure a bountiful harvest and protect against famine.
The New Yam Festival itself is steeped in these cosmological beliefs. It is a time for thanksgiving, where offerings of the first harvested yams are made to the gods and ancestors. According to Igbo tradition, eating the new yam without first honouring the deities is considered sacrilegious, a violation that could result in poor harvests in the future.
The New Yam Festival is a celebration of abundance and a ritual renewal of life and community. During the festival, the head of the household or the community chief breaks the first yam, often accompanied by libations and prayers to the gods and ancestors. As scholars like Nwokeji (2001) noted, this ritual symbolises the renewal of the people’s covenant with the earth and the supernatural forces that govern the land’s fertility.
The breaking of the yam and the following communal feast symbolise unity, peace, and prosperity. In Igbo cosmology, yam is not just food; it embodies the earth’s life force, and eating it together reinforces communal bonds. The festival also serves as a time of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace-making, as the community seeks to cleanse itself of past grievances and enter the new season with a sense of harmony and cooperation.
Yam is spiritually and culturally significant and crucial to the traditional Igbo economy. Yam farming requires considerable effort, and its cultivation often involves a communal effort, with families and villages working together. The distribution of yam during festivals and ceremonies reinforces social hierarchies and political alliances. Chiefs and elders with large yam stores demonstrate their power and influence by sharing their wealth with others, strengthening their authority.
In pre-colonial Igbo society, yam was also a form of currency, used in bartering and as bride price in marriage ceremonies. During traditional marriage rites, the bride’s family often requests yams as part of the dowry, further underlining the crop’s importance in the socio-economic life of the Igbo.
Within the context of Igbo cosmology, yam is more than just a crop; it symbolises life, prosperity, and spiritual continuity. The New Yam Festival encapsulates the Igbo’s deep connection to the land, the gods, and one another, celebrating abundance, unity, and the cycles of nature. As the king of crops, yam reflects the essence of Igbo identity, offering a tangible link to their ancestors and a reminder of their communal values. Thus, yam remains central to the Igbo people’s cosmological worldview and cultural heritage through its cultivation, harvest, and celebration.
* Onyima, a culture enthusiast, is a former Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism