Much like our very own culture, the Trobrianders have a complex political system, a tangible currency, and a thriving economy. The Trobriander’s existence is dependent on the commingling of these aspects of life much like our own, although ours is connected in much less of a literal since. All of the political and economic power in the Trobriander culture is held by the persons that have an abundance of one thing. The Trobrianders do not cast their eyes towards gold or silver to assist them in their quest for political prowess. With the right political mindset, the only thing a man needs in the Trobriand culture to succeed is Yams.
The yam is the very object that can give a man political and economic power, however it is the one thing he can not grow for himself. This fact is the basis for the way the Trobriander culture functions. To understand the importance of the yam in the Trobriander culture, one must understand who grows and distributes the yams. It all starts with the preparation of the land. Due to the poor soil in the area, the Trobrianders use “‘slash and burn’ or ‘swidden’ cultivation” to enrich the soil with minerals. Although married couples work together to prepare the yam fields, growing yams is primarily the man’s job. The man uses young people to help him in his yam garden. He will later pay them with yams he receives. They may use this to buy things from the trading store or to buy secrets about the land and how it came into possession by the owners. Although it is the man that labors rigorously to grow the yams, they are never really his to use. The yams are grown for a single woman, usually his sister; therefore the garden is named after her. Although the yams are grown for a mans sister, it is her husband that will use the yams for political maneuvering. The yams, after staying on display at the gardens for about a month, are taken directly to the woman’s husband’s yam house. The only one that can use the yams while they are still at the garden is the gardens namesake, and this is only under a dire emergency such as a death in the family. The amount of yams a man gives to his sister is a direct, and publicly viewed, reflection of the relationship between the woman’s husband and the grower.
An abundance of yams can be given if the grower sees his brother-in-law as a hard worker, or good provider for his sister. This exchange is beneficial to the man giving the yams to a hard working man because he has repayment of woman’s wealth coming back to him. Because a man gives his sister yams, she must give banana leaf bundles, nununiga, to his wife’s family in the event of death. This creates a strong relationship between a man, his sister, and her husband. The grower may also give an abundance of yams to a woman whose husband is seen as a political force to be allied with. It is the obligation of the receiver of the yams to return the generosity for the gift of yams by giving him cooked yams, taro, and pieces of pork if available. The distribution of the yams is designed to encourage good social relationships between neighbors and family. It is also highly dependent on hard work. No one will wish to give yams to a man that has nothing to give back in return because he is lazy.
Having a yam house is a good indication of someone with political prowess. A man can not build his own yam house. The yam house can only be built by a man’s in-laws, and this will only happen after the man proves his worthiness through years of hard work. A yam house is like a summer house in that it is possessed only by well established men. A man is bound to his wife’s family because he depends on them to give him yams and also to build his yam house when he is ready for it. Weinder writes, “A man can develop political power only if he has strong support from his wife’s relatives, and this support is primarily demonstrated through yam production” (92).The woman’s family is also reliant on her husband for yams in the event of death in the family. Therefore, there is a working relationship that requires an equal effort on both sides to be productive.
Yams should be viewed more as a currency with symbolic value that can be used as a food. The main purpose of the yam is to establish the wealth and power of society members, not for food. The bulk of consumed food is actually grown in the general garden by the wife. The yams given to a man by his in-laws not only show the political backing given by these people, it also provides the man with a currency to buy many needed items. Many items can be bought with money or yams such as “ armshells; red Chama-shell necklaces and earrings; betel nuts; pigs; chickens; and other locally produced goods such as wooden bowls, combs, armbands, floor mats, and lime pots” (86). The use of money and yams overlap in some aspects of Trobriander culture but some things must be bought with yams. The distribution of yams after a death can not be replaced with money and yams can not be replaced when used for a wedding gift for a woman by her husband’s family. (86)

If a man’s yam house is full and he knows he will have enough for food and other obligatory purchases and social demands, he can use his wealth to influence people in the village. A man can give a gift of yams to the wife of a man in power to gain a favor from the man, or to gain his friendship. If a gift of yams is given, the receiver owes the giver something in return. When a gift of yams is given to a chief’s wife the yams will be painted. If a man is high enough in social stature he can hold events such as feasts. Although this is usually done by chiefs, an event like this could also be held by a hamlet leader. Hamlets are usually comprised of six to twenty households. The hamlet leader is a single man that is in charge of all the matrilineal land and other property established by his lineage (103).
A man can also display his disagreement with an action or behavior of someone by lessoning the amount of yams he gives them. This compels the receiver of the yams to change his actions because of social implications and because it literally lessens his wealth. This is a way to affect your sister’s brother or even help sway a chief’s decision in a mater. It is imperative to a mans social standing that his allies, such as his wife’s brother, have a good growing season and a good harvest because there is so much implied by the amount of yams given to an individual. If a small amount of yams is given to an important political ally because of a bad growing season, the lack of yams could be seen as an insult and that could have serious consequences.
The thing that sets a chief apart from everyone else except for his lineage is his being able to have a plurality of wives. A chief will have his guards pick his wives. The woman may be picked because her family has had a relationship with the chief’s lineage or matrilineage and they wish to continue a chiefly relationship, or they may be starting a new relationship that could benefit the chief’s political standing. Unlike women in monogamous marriages, the wives of chiefs have their own yam houses separate from their husbands. The yams from a chief’s in-laws will only be placed in his yam house after his wife’s yam house is full. Chiefs can distribute large amounts of yams to people as rewards for their hard work in growing yams and their services of building things like houses and canoes. Chiefs also take baskets of yams to their sisters. After a Chief has filled all of his obligations he can use large events such as feasts, harvest dances, and Cricket games to win over the friendship of other chiefs and to gain popularity in his own village (105).
Although the Trobriander culture has primitive technology and economic structuring in comparison to other cultures’, the Trobrianders have maintained their traditions to good end. The Trobrianders are instilled with the need to work hard and maintain good social standards to not only excel politically but to simply survive. This need or desire keeps the actions of these peoples in check, and is causal of a functioning society with productive members. Since the wealth of a Trobriander can not be stored long-term, it has to be restored every year. Although this seems like an inconvenient way of doing business, it is the very circumstance that keeps the Trobrianders from displaying the undesirable qualities designated by society.

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