Aneityum

n. stoloniferous herb, 15 cm tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3561)

Example: In the past the ancestors learned to cook the leaves of this species with fish in an earth over and then eat the leaves as well as the fish. Today, fish are wrapped with small leaves and then covered with lap-lap leaf (Polyscias) and cooked in an earth oven.

Scientific name: Wedelia uniflora, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub to 2 m tall, flowers yellow. Growing along coast. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4959)

Example: The young leaves are boiled for 15 minutes and coconut milk is added to the warm leaves and this is eaten--the coconut milk it said to make the leaves taste better. New mothers are given this food as it helps them to produce more milk for their babies. As a medicine, take the young shoots, peel the outer skin off of these, macerate a 3’ piece of young stem in a small amount of water, take out the fiber, put the juice in a tablespoon and feed it to a baby that is old enough to swallow water (not a new born) when they have diarrhea. Take once daily for 2-3 days. This remedy is used for babies up to one year of age. For older babies that have diarrhea, peel the young 3’ stems and give them to the child to chew (spit out the fiber) and have them drink a small amount of water after chewing. This treatment is once daily, for 2-3 days until the diarrhea stops. For adults, take 4 young stems about 3’ long and chew these and swallow the juice, twice daily (morning and afternoon) and use until the diarrhea stops. When this plant is in flower, hunters know that the turtle has more fat and can be harvested--a calendar plant.

Scientific name: Melanthera biflora, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. herb to 50 cm tall, flowers yellow. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4947)

Example: To treat toothache, collect the uppermost young leaves, rub them in your hand, put mass of crushed leaves into the area of toothache to lessen the pain. Do this as needed until the pain goes away. Keep it in your mouth for 10 minutes then spit out, then add a new one, keep going as needed.

Scientific name: Synedrella nodiflora, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4782)

Scientific name: Euodia hortensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 14 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3586)

Example: To make a fire, take a 1-2 cm diameter stick, sharpen it and rub it against a larger piece, ca. 6 cm in diameter. As a person rubs, the stick will start smoking and then start a fire, especially if there are a few small slivers of stem on the stick that can catch fire. People use other types of sticks to rub against the larger piece as well, and this will make a fire.

Scientific name: Aceratium oppositifolium, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree, 7-8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3635)

Example: The wood from this tree is used for house posts. Used to heal bad spirits, headaches, fever, or any other kind of illness that modern medicine cannot fix. Must be taken and performed in the evening before the sun sets. Take four leaves from the top of the intoutau, netethae, nelmaha, inrowod plants. Combine them with 1/4 cup of water and squeeze the juice out of the leaves and pour into a piece of bamboo. Give the mixture to the sick person to drink. The woman must drink half of the mixture and use the other half of the mixture to wash their body with. The woman then has to stay away from other people except for those who helped wash her. Then you must smash the bamboo that contained the mixture where the sun sets.

Scientific name: Aceratium oppositifolium, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3486)

Scientific name: Psychotria

n. tree. Growing near village. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #5)

Example: 1. To cure spirit sickness of the niteitau. Use plants that also end with "au" : niditau, intoutau, naoyerop. Go to the top of the plant to get the soft leaves of the plants niditau, intoutau, naoyerop, also take the bark. The person making the medicine should be holding the these leaves with a piece of nelmaha. Nelmaha means go away. The sick person chews the leaves and bark and swallows the juice spitting out the fiber into the nelmaha the medicine maker is holding. The medicine person then takes the spit out fiber in the nalmaha leaf and throws it into the sea in front of the village. 2. For a baby that is not doing well, as with malnourished, take 4-5 leaves, put in warm water and wash baby – 1x day for 3 days. 6. Use to make temporary house.

Scientific name: Trema cannabina, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. terrestrial orchid, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3708)

Scientific name: Calanthe chrysantha, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. terrestrial orchid, growing in dense rainforest. buds greenish. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4112)

Example: 1. The name means "white hair". It is not known why that is the case.

Scientific name: Calanthe chrysantha, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. epiphytic orchid, growing in dense rainforest. Fruit green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4110)

Scientific name: Coelogyne lamellata, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. terrestrial orchid, growing along river at edge of dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4120)

Scientific name: indet, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[inʧataheɪjn] n. hen

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

[inʧatamaɪjn] n. rooster

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. bush land; also "inteucjip"

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. kind of banana

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of bush

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. the day before yesterday

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. two days ago or two days hence

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 141

n. tree, 3-4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3563)

Example: Children like to eat the fruit of this plant. It is said to taste like pineapple/mango. It must be very ripe to be eaten. Peel and discard the skin. The fruit is most sweet when it is on the ground for a few days. Some children eat the seeds of this fruit but it has a strong oily taste--too many cause vomiting and if a person eats 1-2 seeds it can cause diarrhea.

Scientific name: Ximenia americana, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. the evening star

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. food or seed of all sorts; the juice of any plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. seed

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 182

n. water; fresh water

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. the sweet potato

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. brook

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 131

n. sweet potato

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 173

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. Hound needlefish, crocodile long-tom

Example: Photo by Philippe Bourjon / Fishbase, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Tylosurus crocodilus crocodilus via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

Reef needlefish, Reef longtoms

Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Strongylura incisa via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. a creeper, a vine

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. the Milky Way

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

[inwei] n. water

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

[inwerinɣweɪ] n. board (sg)

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

[inwerijweɪ] n. boards (pl)

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. tree to 15 m, 15 cm dbh (collection: Michael J. Balick #4931)

Example: Use the wood of this tree for firewood.

Scientific name: Arytera neoebudensis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. well branched tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4025)

Example: 1. Hardwood is used to make a fishing spear. Wire is fashioned at the point to make a spear head. 2. Young plants are used to fasten coconut leaves to the rafters, in the thatching process.

Scientific name: Arytera brackenridgei, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4758)

Scientific name: Pyrostegia venusta, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. liana climbing on Syzygium, growing along ridge in dense rainforest. Latex white (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4079)

Scientific name: Tylophora aneityensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. liana climbing on large Dillenia tree, growing in primary forest at edge of river. flower white. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3677)

Example: If a person is building a temporary house and has no other way of attaching the poles, collect the vine of this species, roll it a bit to break the fiber, heat it in a figure 8 form and then use for tying poles while warm.

Scientific name: Jasminum didymum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. creeping and decumbent vine, growing at edge of strand (near airstrip terminal). (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3575)

Scientific name: Stictocardia campanulata, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. yellow colored vine to 1 m tall, flower buds white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4879)

Scientific name: Cassytha filiformis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. parasitic vine scrambling over Scaevola taccada, at edge of strand. Fruits green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3545)

Example: 1. Take a handful of vine, pound it and wash hair, like shampoo – makes hair curly and like rasta. 2a. This is a "message plant." If a person is walking through a village that is not his, people know that they come in peace. 2b. Message plant - if a group is discussing something and one person goes out and makes a head les of this vine, it means that there can’t be an agreement. 2.) If you are angry at a person, drop the vine at their door, in the case of a visitor or land dispute and they need to leave.

Scientific name: Cassytha filiformis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. parasitic vine hanging off the side of a cliff, growing along coast. Fruits green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4147)

Scientific name: Cassytha filiformis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. Pacific ironwood, horsetail tree (RPV #26)

Scientific name: Casuarina equisetifolia, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. large tree, 16 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3222)

Example: 1. As a child’s game, some times children put the segments of the needles together to see who can make the largest one. 2. A "calendar plant"--when the needles are brown, it is an indication that people should not work hard, but should rest or they will not feel well. If they try to work they will feel sleepy--an indication of the season of higher heat. 3. Wood is used as firewood. 4. Firewood, inner bark good for ciguatera poisoning, scratch the inner bark and squeeze juice into a cup of water and give to the sick person to drink – very effective. Use the largest most mature part of the stem.

Scientific name: Casuarina equisetifolia, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. vine running many meters long over clay soil and grassy area on hillside where the triangular wooden signs are that used to be a landmark for ships coming to the island. Sterile. (collection: Michael J. Balick #5008)

Example: This plant is the focus of an important legend on Aneityum. When the missionary John Geddie and colleaguse first arrived on the island in July of 1848, the Chiefs welcomed them but some of the people did not like the idea. So these people sent a basket containing a peeled coconut and a fish (nopom) to the Chief in Umej to ask him to support the idea of getting rid of the missionary that the Chief of Analcahuat had welcomed. If the Chief of Umej were to eat the fish and coconut meat, it would mean that he agreed with the opposition. The Chief refused to eat the food in the basket and he told the people a parable involving this plant. A person cannot find the tip of the stem or the end of the root in the ground. So if they were to eliminate the missionary, his activity would continue because of God’s power. As it is with this plant, it will continue to grow and flourish if you cut it or try to dig up the root. So he sent a message about this plant to the people in Analcahuat who objected to the presence of the missionary stating this parable. Those people in Analcauhat held a secret meeting and they chose a powerful and strong person to kill the missionary. During the night the person went to the missionary’s house while he was in the toilet. Returning to the house, the missionary found the person in his doorway, and that person lifted his club to strike the missionary. But at that point the attacker’s hands suddenly had no power and the club fell from his hands, and he fell over. The missionary told him to get up, and not come back. After that experience, the people of Umej realized that God’s power was great and they could not go against it. The Chief took the peeled coconut that was sent him and covered it with the skin of another coconut and planted it instead of eating it. This coconut grew and the missionary’s work continued to grow on the island. So this vine played an important role in communicating the power of God to the people of Aneityum.

Speaker: Tony Keith

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. yellow (color)

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3645)

Example: The ripe fruits of this plant are edible and said to be delicious as well as smell very good. When the fruits turn brown and soft you can open it and there will be a shell like an upsidedown turtle shell. You can eat the fruit out. As the fruit smells good, people put a basket of ripe fruits in their homes to give it a good smell. The unripe fruits can be eaten, but only when cooked in an earth oven so it is not sticky. The tree can be used for sawn timber. Can be used for building house, specifically the house posts. Number one timber.

Scientific name: Burckella obovata, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4082)

Example: 1. The trunk is used to produce timber.

Scientific name: Burckella obovata, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4032)

Scientific name: Endiandra aneityensis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. whale

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. Bluespine unicornfish

Example: Photo by Ross D. Robertson / Shorefishes of the Neotropics, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Naso unicornis via FishBase, Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. vine to 1 m, flowers purple. (kudzu plant). (collection: Michael J. Balick #4920)

Example: Roast the tuber of this vine on an open fire for 20-40 minutes, peel off the skin and eat like cassava or taro. Chew it and drink the "juice" while spitting out the fiber. It grows wild, season of harvesting is in May. Very tasty food for people, considered "numba wan" food for this island.

Scientific name: Pueraria lobata, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. mandrake

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 164

n. Malay rose apple (RPV #82)

Scientific name: Syzygium malaccense, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree to 7 m, dbh 20 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4968)

Example: The fruits are edible when they are red. If a person has been drinking kava and the next morning feels hung over, they can take a handful of the leaves of this plant, crush them in cool water, and wash their face with this. This treatment will help the kava feeling to disappear. At the same time, if a person eats the fruit of this tree a few hours in advance of planning to drink kava, they cannot drink kava as it will reduce the effects of the kava. The trunk of this tree can be used to build temporary houses and also it is good for firewood. When the plant is in flower, flying foxes and birds come to drink the nectar and hunters know this so they hunt near this tree.

Scientific name: Syzygium, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. mouth of a river

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 167

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree, 9 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4053)

Example: 1. Timber is often harvested and sold from this tree. 2. Flying foxes enjoy the fruits of this tree. Hunters gather nearby this species when the flying foxes are hunted.

Scientific name: Sideroxylon aneityense, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4143)

Scientific name: Syzygium richii, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. the center rib of the coconut leaf

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3683)

Example: Ornamental. Some have red flowers. Red birds drink the juice. Normally flowers July, August, September.

Scientific name: Metrosideros collina, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. large tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4051)

Example: 1. When in flower (yellow), taro is said to be ready in the garden.

Scientific name: Metrosideros collina, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. the flour, as of arrowroot

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. herb, growing along the river at the edge of secondary forest. Stems pale green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3642)

Example: As a local toothbrush, take two pieces of stems, bend them and use to brush teeth with water. This plant acts like sandpaper to clean the teeth. Can also be used to brush pots.

Scientific name: Equisetum debile, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. tree to 15 m, dbh 20 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4914)

Example: Use the leaves to make compost to be placed at the bottom of the hole where taro is to be planted, cover with soil and grow the taro in that hole. Serves as a fertilizer.

Scientific name: Pittosporum campbellii, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree to 10 m tall, dbh 50 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4908)

Example: Wood used for timber.

Scientific name: Burckella, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. the name of a plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

n. celestial

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 134

adj. adjacent

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 121

v. to gather beans

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

v. to chip off small branches

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

v. to fish (with a net)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v. read; count

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

adj. behind

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. back of canoe

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

adj. afar

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 121

adj. inland

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

n. Synedrella nodiflora

Example: leaf rubbed in hands for toothache

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 440

adv. a long time ago

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 91

n. kind of crab

Speaker: Romario Yaufati