The praying yam of Struan

 

It was a cool November afternoon and 81-year-old Gervin Henry had just returned to his home in Struan, Manchester after an early-morning trip to Kingston.

He decided to walk down to his farm located just behind his house where he grows potatoes, bananas and yam. It's the place the sprightly golden-ager spends most of his time and he was eager to reap some bananas he had deemed ready the night before.

"So while I was down there now, I just decide to go and dig piece of yam for my niece," said Maas Gervin as he and I stood on his farm last week.

"I dig out one piece and then I move to another side to dig another. I tell you, I get the shock of my life!" he said.

Out of the ground, Maas Gervin pulled a roughly four-pound piece of yam like no other piece of yam he had ever seen before.

"Never in my life! Never see anything like that in my life!" Maas Gervin exclaimed.

The yam had a long split halfway up the middle and a bump at the very top. To the seasoned farmer, it looked like a man wearing a tam, on his knees, praying.

"It clear, man. Is a Rastaman kneel down and praying. I couldn't believe it. Still can't believe it," he said.

Maas Gervin spent only a moment alone on the farm examining the tuber before rushing up to the house to show his niece.

"She frighten so till she nearly fall down. I hang it up on a pole outside the house and she just stand up there staring at it," said Maas Gervin.

"She say she don't want that piece. She say I must dig another piece for her," Maas Gervin laughed.

The talk of hilly Struan

Since that fateful November afternoon, the man-like piece of yam has been the talk of hilly Struan. Not one for all the attention, Mass Gervin gave the yam to his friend Jerky, the 78-year-old operator of a shop not far from the main road. It was at Jerky's shop that I got my first glimpse of the famous yam.

"Oh, you come to see it for yourself," Jerky said. "Alright, just hold on one second."

The white-haired retired farmer opened a case behind the counter of the shop, pulled out a bag and from it, retrieved the yam. He put it down on the counter.

"I have to put it up, yuh see. Too much crowd come here about it and everybody want to touch it," he said.

At first glance, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I mean, it had a strange shape, but I couldn't make out the praying man. I mentioned this to Jerky who regarded me with intense curiosity and more than a little bit of sympathy.

"It is right there, meck me show yuh," he said.

That's when the man turned the yam over.

"This is the head and the person is wearing a tam. See the hands here where the man is praying and these are the feet," he said.

I actually saw it. I'm not sure if it was the power of suggestion, but I saw it.

"Yes man. I tell yuh," said Jerky, apparently witnessing the moment of realisation I had just experienced.

"It is a sign yuh know," he said.

"Sign?" I asked.

"A sign that the coming of the Lord is near!" Jerky said, his eyes wide.

"The Bible tell us that in the last days there will be signs and wonders. Well, so said, so done," Jerky said, stroking the yam.

"All these people doing all sort of things and don't get themselves ready for the last days. Dem shall get a rude awakening!" Jerky said.

I felt a trickle of sweat running down my forehead.

"Den is what happen to yuh?" Jerky asked.

I waved away his concern and asked what other persons in the community had said of the praying yam.

Pastor preach about it

"When it did just happen, people come from all over to look at it. Is a big ting man! We carry it to church and pastor preach about it," said Jerky.

"Yuh have a evil woman who look at it and say how is not no sign. She say is dig di yam dig bad. Well, I want to know how di yam could dig so to look like mankind!"

Jerky said he believes the end of times is nigh. The yam, he said, was a sign from God that it's time to pray and get our houses in order.

"That day is coming! It nearer than people realise."

I asked Jerky how long he planned to keep the yam.

"Well I put it outside to get some night dew yuh know. And I get some of the embalming fluid and rub on it," he said.

"I want it to keep until Denbigh so I can carry it. It is time to spread that message, yuh see. This yam is here to spread that message."

Where should Robert go next? Let him know at robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com

The following are some of the feedback letters received to last week's edition of Roving with Lalah.

Dear Robert,

Always so narrative and nostalgic.

- KArmic Seeds

Dear Robert,

From the photo, the tunnel does look very small. I can't imagine how any train could have passed through it. Is there any way that you could find out exactly what it was used for? This is too peculiar to pass up. Thanks for the ongoing articles.

- Anna Williams

Dear Robert,

Mmm... Nice, nice.

- Glenn Smith

Dear Robert,

Ah nuh everything yuh hear yuh fi believe!

Love ya!

- Jacanprincess21

Dear Robert,

That's a good one!

- veejay

Dear Robert,

Hilarious, that comment about the gas price and driving so far to look at a tunnel!

- Cpr43