Aneityum

adj. tempestuous at sea

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 48

n. white (color)

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. look; look for something; search

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v.n. to cross over or above, as over a fence, or tree in a path, or on stones through a river

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 58

[alk͡pas] adj. big

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

adj. sharp

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

[eroʊ nadimi] phr. two men

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. Oplismenus hirtellus L.

Example: shoot: chewed against cough

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 443

phr. on this side

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 82

[inɣaitisian] n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4033)

Scientific name: Planchonella, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree. Growing in village garden. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #19)

Example: 1. To cure the sea snake (nispev) curse that causes missed periods. First the husband must combine 4 young leaves of incispev and 4 young leaves of nafanu and mash and squeeze the juice into a small bamboo (1-1.5 inch diameter) The nafanu is important because it is a plant that connects to the sea. Use wildcane leaves cover the bamboo closed. Go to the sick person and unwrap the snake from her. Start from the top and let the woman drink a small part of the potion then wash her with the mixture, making sure to wash head, elbows, knees, feet, and belly. Then take a leaf of naha and break it over the woman’s belly button to break the snake off. Smash the bamboo vessel to pieces. Leave the woman there until the wash dries on her. This takes one whole day and the ceremony in the evening so she can sleep and she must not eat. This ritual is performed by men.

Scientific name: Sophora tomentosa, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree to 15 m, dbh 75 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #5006)

Example: The stems of this tree are used to make temporary houses and for firewood. This is one of the leaves that is used in an unspecified mixture to put in a rough sea to calm th ewaters.

Scientific name: Syzygium richii, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. basket handle

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. epiphyte on main trunk (near base) of large tree, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4060)

Scientific name: Phlegmariurus squarrosus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3692)

Scientific name: Acacia spirorbis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

[inmoiʤev ʤupʤupura] n. the evening star, early star

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree to 8 m, dbh 20 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4927)

Example: The wood of this tree is used as firewood. Children collect the dry fruits and use them for decorations and toys, for example playing with a fruit on the beach, driving it as if it were a toy truck or boat (photo).

Scientific name: Heritiera littoralis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. the name of a plant with a white flower; a lily

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 88

n. Spathoglottis petri (RPV #166)

Scientific name: Spathoglottis petri, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. grass to 3 m, flowers brown. Growing in degraded secondary forest along trail. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4969)

Example: The stem of this plant is used to make walls of houses. Collect the stem and remove the leaves, and then take one of the bush vines (any of them) and tie the stems into bundles for making house walls or fences for chicken pens. Children make a whistle from a hollow piece of stem from this plant.

Scientific name: Miscanthus sinensis, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. well branched tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3202)

Example: 1. Young shoots are peeled and made into grass skirts. Scrape the stem and take the green part off, tie strips together and put under stones in the sea for retting, let sit 5 days in sea, but check these on a daily basis. When the fiber becomes soft, that is the time to take it from under the stones, clean off the excess materials, and hang it in the sun to dry for 3 days--this will bleach it and give it a whitish color, at which point it can be woven into a skirt. 2. The fiber can be used to make a small rope that is tied with shells and used for custom dances. 3. When the stems of this tree are older, the wood is very hard and it can be used to make the main frame that is arched for a cyclone house. According to Reuben these houses are not made much anymore on Aneityum Island. 4. To cook the intestines of fish that are eaten, take several leaves and put them in a small pile, making a wrapping, then use a local fiber to tie this together and cook on charcoal for as long as needed to prepare the fish parts. 5. In this area, sometimes knowledge of the plants and flowering are used as a calendar to indicate the time for planting of specific crops. Reuben will provide more details on a future trip. 6a. This species is an important "message plant." If a person is not home and you are visiting from the East--e.g. an Eastern part of the Island--that person can leave a 12 inch piece of stick in front of the door of the house so that the inhabitant knows that an eastern visitor (from Anawonjei district) has come by your home. The reason that person has come to visit is to pass an important message to you--good or bad "luck". The bad luck message might be a death, and is not told directly to the person. The good luck message might be a birth, or conflict that has been resolved. These messages are communicated using sticks--each district has a different species of plant. Reuben’s is the hibiscus. 6b. Message plant for Eastern people. If someone dies, use this plant, clip it in front of hem, in front of home, they ask “who” and you can tell them. In Eastern culture you cannot tell them directly. 7. When a person is too drunk with kava, take a branch of this and brush him with it to help make the effects go away. 8. Traditional plates for food.

Scientific name: Hibiscus tiliaceus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. the evening star

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

v. read; count

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. banyan tree (RPV #74)

Scientific name: Ficus glandifera, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4767)

Scientific name: Leucaena leucocephala, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[laknu] n. Vanikoro Flycatcher

Example: Photo by Arthur Chapman, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 via Flickr

Scientific name: Myiagra vanikorensis, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. erect grass (called ’whitegrass’), growing in coastal forest just behind strand vegetation. Inflorescences whitish. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3440)

Scientific name: Imperata cylindrica, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[nafirama] n. a kind of basket

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

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. herb to 1 m, flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #5003)

Example: The leaves are used to wrap fish for cooking in an open fire. If you eat a bad fish and begin to feel the effects of it a few hours later, such as with Ciguatera illness, cut the base of the stem of this plant and let the sap drip into a half coconut shell with coconut water in it, drink the shell and it will make the person vomit out the bad food. It does not taste good but is very effective in making a person vomit as it contains a toxic compound.

Scientific name: Crinum asiaticum, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. pendent epiphyte, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4039)

Scientific name: Ophioderma pendula, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. a plant with white flowers; a lily

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 94

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. low-growing, creeping vine growing in grassy area just inland from coastal strand. Flowers purple. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3224)

Example: Long time ago used seeds to make necklaces, don’t last long.

Scientific name: Canavalia rosea, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. flax

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 151

n. chicken feathers

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. isle, island

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 160

n. a light wind; the beginning of a wind

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 95

n. epiphytic liana, growing in primary forest. Bracts orange-red at base. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4029)

Example: 1. The roots of this plant are used to make "Nopoy"--a traditional trap used to catch fish and lobster. The outer bark of the roots are removed and sun-dried. The roots are then split into several pieces and they are woven in an open fashion similar to a "noporapora"--a type of market basket fashioned from coconut leaflets.

Scientific name: Freycinetia cf. reineckei, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. well branched tree, 12 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4081)

Example: 1. The wood is used to carve a bi-handle bowl from which chiefs would drink kava.

Scientific name: Glochidion ramiflorum, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4752)

Scientific name: Croton insularis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. Pacific yellowtail emperor

Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Lethrinus atkinsoni via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. epiphyte on fallen tree branch with abundant mosses, growing in rain forest on the mountain slope. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3291)

Scientific name: Davallia pusilla, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. well branched, partly fallen tree (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4054)

Example: 1. Branches of these leaves are used to cover and insulate earth ovens.

Scientific name: Polyscias cissodendron, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. Orange-socket surgeonfish

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

Scientific name: Acanthurus auranticavus via FishBase, Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. chaff

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 134

n. shrub to 3 m, flowers yellow with red outer coverings (appearing red when closed) (collection: Michael J. Balick #4957)

Example: This plant is used to fertilize fields, especially by growing it in fields that have been used for other crops for a very long time. The seeds can be cooked when dry and hard, boiled in water, or eaten directly without preparation when green and soft.

Scientific name: Cajanus cajun, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. the juice of the breadfruit tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 96

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree, 3. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3489)

Example: The fruits of this species are edible. Take the ripe fruits, squeeze coconut milk into the ripe fruits and cook in an earth oven. The leaves are used to wrap small fish caught in a net for cooking in an earth oven. For clothing, strips of bark are peeled and the inner bark removed, and this is used as a strap around the waist, and leaves are tucked in front and back. This is traditional clothing when other clothing is not worn.

Scientific name: Ficus granatum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. grass; little bushes

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 97

n. break of day

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 141

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. low-growing, creeping vine growing in grassy area just inland from coastal strand. Flowers yellow. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3223)

Example: The leaves of this plant are used to treat stomach ache. Take a handful of leaves and mix with 1/2 liter of water, crush the leaves in the water and drink the entire amount when your stomach hurts. Alternatively, this can also be consumed 1x a week as a tonic drink for the stomach and system.

Scientific name: Vigna marina, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. yellow star

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4783)

Scientific name: Acalypha grandis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[neθeɣ] n. Collared Kingfisher

Example: Photo by JJ Harrison, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Scientific name: Todiramphus chloris, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. tree, 18 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3667)

Example: Children suck the nectar from the young flowers just as they open. Wood from this plant is used for poles for rafters as well as for firewood. Flying foxes drink juice from the flowers.

Scientific name: Geissois denhamii, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. orange (fruit)

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree to 5 m, dbh 12 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4917)

Example: Flowers are used to decorate the house and other areas as they are very fragrant. The leaves are used to cover taro cooked in an earth oven.

Scientific name: Gardenia tannaensis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. the takoma or tekma, a tree with white flowers

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 100

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[niaŋa ra ʊpsiʤman] n. fingernails (many)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. tree, 3-4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3510)

Example: The leaves of the young plant are used to wrap food for cooking on a fire. The wood is used for temporary houses, for making rafters that are said to last a long time.

Scientific name: Macaranga dioica, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[niʧɛn jaoʊ] n. butt

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

[niʧinin] n. head

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. bank (of a river)

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 127

n. kind of banana

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. small basket

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. dry coconut

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. dale

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 140

n. liana, climbing on fallen tree (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3500)

Example: 1. When the stems of this plant are older, and it is a vine, is used to tie thatch on roof rafters as it bends well. 2. Burned leaves and rubbed on fishing line and spear to increase catch – used with other unspecified leaves, that are forageable. When you are fishing and if you set a basket or mat it means danger and you have to return to shore – the spirit is telling you that it is enough fishing.

Scientific name: Durandea pentagyna, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. fish; life

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. fern to 0. 75 m, sori brown. Growing in pine forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4983)

Example: Join two of the inrolled fronds together at the part where the frond is opening (the tip that is curled) such that the leaves are held together by their unfolding growing tips. Place this along the path that is frequented by a wild pig (they travel along paths) and when the pig passes these two leaves, and is chased by a hunter’s dogs, these leaves in this formation are said to sap some of the pig’s energy and thus allow the dogs to catch up with it. This was explained to Tony by another person who mentioned it as a sort of magical power possessed by this type of fern.

Scientific name: Blechnopsis orientalis, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. kind of fish (folk name)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. seed

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 105

n. tree fern to 5 m tall, fronds 2. 5 m long (collection: Michael J. Balick #5014)

Example: Trunk of this plant is used to make food. Cut the stem in 2-3 foot pieces, peel the outer stem, put the peeled stems in an earth oven to cook for the afternoon through the night--about 12 hours. It will be ready the next day. Peel off any remaining fibrous tissue, slice the stems and eat. They are said to taste like sweet potato. The young fronds are boiled for 5 minutes and coconut milk is added, this mixture is then eaten. It is important to collect only the inrolled fronds that have not yet fully opened. The fronds are used to make temporary houses when camping in the bush. They are used to make a roof. To make a cassava grater, take 2-3 pieces of the frond stype, connect them together by piercing them on the sides with a piece of bamboo or any stick such that they are held together in parallel fashion, and use this to grate uncooked cassava to make lap-lap and to grate banana or any food that needs to be processed in this way. The thorny part of the stipe grates the food.

Scientific name: Sphaeropteris lunulata, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. kind of breadfruit (biggest one)

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. first quarter of the moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 109

n. full moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 109

adj. rotten, applied to fruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 111

n. a creeping plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 112