wait...This mask is for what?

It's finally the autumn season and here in the United States we are ready to celebrate the holiday's with family, friends, and most importantly food. One of the most beloved dishes we pass around at the table are yams, both sweet and savory, mashed, whole or even in fry form. However, in northern New Guinea yams aren't just for nutrition - they are part of ceremonial life. Each year, following the annual harvest, the men from the Abelam people presents his rival with his largest yams, which in turn determines his social status. The men who consistently present their parter with the longest yams, as opposed to the ones they receive, gain high esteem. The yams are bestowed during a ceremony and lavishly adorned; the longest ones emerge into a human form, dressed like men in their full ceremonial garb and the "head" of the yam is decorated with a mask, only to be worn by that yam and never a human.