In Babitonga Bay, southern Brazil, records of yam consumption exist among shellmound builders from at least 4000 years ago. Shellmounds (sambaquis) are anthropogenic structures in the form of mounds with layers of shells associated with other faunal remains, as well as with charcoal, artefacts and burial. Larger sambaquis are considered to be funerary monuments. The indigenous Jê and Guarani people also lived in the region before the European invasion and cultivated yams. Currently, exotic and domesticated yams are cultivated in the region by farmers. Our aim is to describe the long-term history between the people and Dioscorea in the Babitonga Bay region based on its consumption and occurrence in shellmounds and swiddens. Surveys of Dioscorea spp. and host were carried out in the vegetation of shellmounds and in the surrounding area using visual detection through intensive searches in transects using the walking method. The survey of Dioscorea species used and cultivated in the precolonial, colonial and current periods was carried out based on the literature. In the present study, only Dioscorea trifida cultivations were recorded. Dioscorea cayennensis, Dioscorea chondrocarpa, Dioscorea dodecaneura, Dioscorea laxiflora, Dioscorea olfersiana, and Dioscorea scabra, all recorded in associated vegetation of shellmounds, in different combinations of the species. In swiddens, D. trifida is most common, followed by Dioscorea alata and, to a lesser extent, Dioscorea bulbifera and D. cayennensis. Records of food use prevail, but they are used as medicinal plants. Yams are integrated on anthropogenic soils of shellmounds and in swiddens in monoculture systems or in intercropping with Zea mays or Colocasia esculenta. The presence of exotic food trees and D. cayennensis in some shellmounds indicates the influence of colonizers on the composition of the vegetation. In sambaquis, there are overlapping processes of construction of cultural niches by different human groups at different times. The sambaquis and the associated vegetation and swiddens form part of a domesticated landscape. The native species of Dioscorea recorded in shellmounds and surrounding vegetation do not depend on human action to perpetuate themselves in the environment. However, this does not rule out human influence in the past, but it does not indicate horticulture among the Sambaquianos. Greater investment in genetic, archaeobotanical and ethnobotanical research can contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between people and yams over thousands of years.

中文翻译：

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贝丘和 swiddens 中的山药 (Dioscorea spp.)：巴西南部圣卡塔琳娜州巴比汤加湾的古代历史

在巴西南部的巴比通加湾，贝丘建造者中至少有 4000 年前就有食用山药的记录。贝丘 (sambaquis) 是一种人类结构，呈土丘形式，带有多层贝壳，与其他动物遗骸、木炭、文物和墓葬有关。较大的桑巴基被认为是丧葬纪念碑。在欧洲入侵之前，土著杰和瓜拉尼人也居住在该地区并种植山药。目前，该地区的农民正在种植外来和驯化的山药。我们的目的是根据薯蓣在贝丘和沼泽中的消费和出现情况，描述巴比通加湾地区人们与薯蓣之间的长期历史。薯蓣属植物的调查通过步行法对横断面进行密集搜索，利用目视检测在贝丘的植被和周边地区进行了宿主和寄主调查。根据文献资料，对前殖民时期、殖民时期和现时期使用和栽培的薯蓣属物种进行了调查。在本研究中，仅记录了三裂薯蓣的种植情况。薯蓣 (Dioscorea cayennensis)、薯蓣 (Dioscorea chondrocarpa)、薯蓣 (Dioscorea dodecaneura)、薯蓣 (Dioscorea laxiflora)、薯蓣 (Dioscorea olfersiana) 和盾叶薯蓣 (Dioscorea scabra)，均以不同的物种组合记录在贝丘的相关植被中。在 swiddens 中，D. trifida 最常见，其次是 Dioscorea alata，其次是黄薯和 D. cayennensis。食物使用的记录盛行，但它们被用作药用植物。山药被种植在贝丘的人工土壤上，并在单一栽培系统中种植或与玉米或芋头间作。一些贝丘中存在外来食用树和 D. cayennensis，这表明殖民者对植被组成的影响。在桑巴基斯中，不同人类群体在不同时期构建文化生态位的过程是重叠的。桑巴奎斯以及相关的植被和湿地构成了驯化景观的一部分。贝丘和周围植被中记录的薯蓣本土物种并不依赖人类活动在环境中生存。不过，这并不排除过去人类的影响，但并不表明桑巴奎亚诺人中有园艺。对遗传、考古植物学和民族植物学研究的更多投资有助于更好地了解数千年来人类与山药之间的关系。