Looking them up, it sounds like they’re the same species as American sweet-potato, which is one more bit of evidence for early contact between Polynesians and South America.
I believe they are different. Kumala (in Fijian) is very different than a yam. Yams and uvi are more tubular, and the skin will slip off after cooking and kumala is more bulbous. Google shows different pictures than what I remember, showing kumala closer to taro (dalo in Fijian).
Looking them up, it sounds like they’re the same species as American sweet-potato, which is one more bit of evidence for early contact between Polynesians and South America.
I believe they are different. Kumala (in Fijian) is very different than a yam. Yams and uvi are more tubular, and the skin will slip off after cooking and kumala is more bulbous. Google shows different pictures than what I remember, showing kumala closer to taro (dalo in Fijian).