An example search has returned 100 entries
cauwan
n. tendrils; small branches
bookmarkehtele cei nai
n. full moon
bookmarkelwa
v. to blossom or bring forth flowers; "alwa", to bud or bring forth leaves. "Et elwa nieg": the reeds blossom. "Et elwa intisiaicai": the flowers are come out.
bookmarkigcapok
n. seaward
bookmarkincetceianalañ
indroumu
ineañdel
n. this collection is a seedling sprouting from a coconut fruit. the adult palm is growing in an agricultural field. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4950)
Example: The young seedlings are removed from the coconuts and fed to pigs. Children like to eat the apical meristems of the sprouts, peeling off the harder, outer leaves and eating the soft white part. The endosperm of the sprouted coconut is edible. The local name means "young seedling."
bookmarkinewosneiak
n. herb to 1 m, flower bracts yellow. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4921)
Example: Introduced species, used for decoration. Planted near houses and roads. Use the flower for decorating hair.
bookmarkingejei wou
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3647)
Example: 1. The straight poles of this plant are sharpened and used to plant kava, and only for kava. Not used for planting other crops. 2. Special for catching eels in fresh water, poke stick with leaves into hole where eel lives and they don’t like it so they come out and you catch them, by cutting with knife.
bookmarkinje tadwain anholwas
inmadeded
n. kind of tree
bookmarkinmadidi
n. tree to 7 m, dbh 30 com (collection: Michael J. Balick #4870)
Example: This plant is used for spiritual purposes. When fruits are young, the children take the fruit, cut it open and take coconut leaf midribs, impaling the seeds on the midribs and painting themselves with the fruit.
bookmark
inp̃al apogen
inrowod
n. shrub. Found along village pathways and in gardens. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #15)
Example: 2. To cure headaches casued by bad spirit - Take one top from Nelmaha and one from inrowod (white stripe variety) Combine and chew these then spit them out and apply to the sick persons forehead.
bookmarkintaigana
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintal a Samoa
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintowosjei
inwai yah
n. brook
bookmarkiñec
[iŋec] n. Mystery Island
bookmarkjupki
n. the afternoon; also "jupjupki"
bookmarkkulio
n. kind of taro
bookmarknacigaces
nafaiava
n. bay (of the sea); creek
bookmarknahaigjopdak
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknahca
n. a burden of pandanus leaf
bookmarknahod
nahoijcei
n. the name of a species of creeper
bookmarknairek
nairum̃an
name cedo
nanec
n. tree, 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3633)
Example: To cook Alocasia (wild taro), use the dry wood of this plant as firewood. The leaves of this plant are also used to line the earth oven on top of the food and on bottom of the food to insulate it from the high heat of cooking.
bookmarknariko
n. lentils
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necñanpaeñ
nedeij
n. a small gray berry used as beads
bookmarknedelat
negna
n. Bluespot mullet
Example: Photo by Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkneheptal
n. tree to 15 m tall, dbh 25 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4903)
Example: Wood is used to make canoe as it is very light and lasts in salt water. As a styptic to stop bleeding, when a person gets a cut in the bush, scrape off outer bark and use inner bark scrapings to put on cut. Stops bleeding, leave on for one day.
bookmarkneijin nij
n. cliff
bookmarknejeg
n. tree, growing in forest at edge of wide tidal stream (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3535)
Example: 1. The wood is strong and good to make house posts. People use these for this purpose on the coast as salt water does not bother this wood. 2. People eat fruit, split fruit in half, carefully scrape the inner part into a pot of water, keep over night – next day rinse, fry or cook with coconut milk and can add tinned tuna for example, very hard work.
bookmarknelaijo
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknelmai
n. a tree from the inner rind of which fishing lines and nets are made. na elmai or elumai, cloth
bookmarknepihti
n. kind of tree
bookmarknepjenepjen
n. epiphytic vine climbing on trees, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4091)
Example: 1. When a child is between 1 mos. and 1 yr. if the father persists too soon in resuming sexual relations with the mother, the child can become sick. In preparation for the sickness, green leaves are collected. When the sickness occurs, the leaves (now dry) are burned and the baby is washed with the charcoal. 2. After visitors leaves one’s house, one must not hurry to return to their gardens. One waits a few days, then swims with the rachis of this fern tied about their waist. If this practice is not followed, it is believed that the plants in one’s gardens will grow weak.
bookmarknerop
n. kind of banana
bookmark
nete
n. kind of tree
bookmarknetemu
neuled
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknidin
n. sap
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nijiga
n. a branch of red coral
bookmarknijmese
n. green foliage
bookmarknilec
nipjid
n. the orange tree (117); an orange, a lime, a lemon (102)
bookmarkniri
n. grass to 1 m tall, florets brown (collection: Michael J. Balick #4973)
Example: This grass is used to thatch the roof of a traditional house. Tie bunches of the grass on a stick ca. 2 m long, using string from Pandanus or other vines. Lay these on the roof and tie these sticks with grass on crossbars to secure them. The flowers of this grass are harvested and put in bags to make pillows. The flowers are soft and easy to gather and make a nice pillow.
bookmarknisjau
n. kind of tree
bookmarknithwunitei
tree fern, trunk 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4102)
Example: 1. There are kinds of this plant. This is considered the white one. See GMP # 4100, textit{Cyathea sp}, which is considered the black one.
bookmarkniyeg
n. grass. Found in disturbed area behind the village. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #12)
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. 2. Main plant to thatch roof of local houses. 3. Collect the dry stems, tie together, use as a torch at night for walking or walking along the reef when fishing. 4. Take 1 cane and tie the leaves together and tie on a tree to indicate tabu – e.g. a citrus tree that will be ripe soon to tell people not to pick it. 5. To catch crabs just before sunset, burn the torch and shake the ashes on the rocks; come back an hour or so later and the crabs are attracted by the ashes and you can collect them. 6. Can also use to weave walls of house. 7. Women clean the leaves of the stem and use the hard part of the stem to strip pandanus leaf before weaving a basket. 8. Cut wild cane in half and sharpen the end, use this to cut the dried pandanus leaves into small strips. 9. Tie leaves into a knot and stick the knot on the kava stem; t is means that this kava goes “express” so the carrier goes to one border of a village and passes it to another person who knows it cannot stop in this village but goes to the next border and is passed on 10. This plant is a “message plant” to say “don’t stop,” referring to something being delivered.
bookmarknuhujcei
n. vine to 5 m, flower yellow (collection: Michael J. Balick #4937)
Example: In the old days, the hooks of this plant were used as a kind of small fishing hook. Heat the hook over a fire to make it strong, tie a rope to it and use it to catch fish. Take inner bark--1 handful and boil in a full pot of water and wash the body 1x daily to treat scabies. Can work in as soon as 2 days. It cures the sores very fast.
bookmarknumarak kamwea
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknuwuneto
tatau
n. Great barracuda
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarktatau
n. Yellowtail barracuda
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkugnis
v.a. to take off sprouts of taro
bookmarkThere are currently 2431 entries, 1543 audio files, and 860 images.
All content copyright © Aneityum community. (2015)
Talking Dictionary produced by K. David Harrison, Gregory D. S. Anderson and Jeremy Fahringer. Botanical consultants: Michael J. Balick, Gregory M. Plunkett and Sean Thackurdeen. (2015-2018)
Aneityum language contributors include Kirk Keitadi, Tony Keith, Titiya Lalep, David Nasauman, Osiani Nerian, Ruben Nerian, Chris Nevehev, Romario Yaufati and others as credited within the dictionary entries. Based in part on materials from Inglis, John (1882) A Dictionary of the Aneityumese Language: In Two Parts. I. Aneityumese and English. II. English.
The Aneityum-English Talking Dictionary was made possible by award no. 1555675 from National Science Foundation for “Collaborative Research: Plant, Fungal and Linguistic Diversity of Tafea Province, Vanuatu.” This support is gratefully acknowledged.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
All rights reserved. Do not distribute or reproduce without permission.
how to cite:
K. David Harrison. 2015.
Aneityum Talking Dictionary.
Swarthmore College.
http://www.talkingdictionary.org/aneityum
Interface and database design under the direction of Jeremy Fahringer and Swarthmore College ITS.
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