An example search has returned 100 entries
ared numta
v. to plant taro
bookmarkimehei
n. pandanus leaf
bookmarkincai upunupun
n. bramble
bookmarkincat
n. flax
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inhamese an neaig
n. an old coconut
bookmarkinhujac
inlepei u inpoded
n. epiphyte, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4104)
Example: 1. This plant is considered bad luck when hunting or fishing. When doing these activities, do not decorate your hair with them. 2. This plant is used to weave the sheath portion of "nambas". First the stems are retted, then the inner portion of the plant removed. Once removed, the sheath is woven with the blanched fiber. 3. This is considered the male version of this plant. See GMP #4105, Phlegmarius sp. for the female version.
bookmarkinlop̃otjap
inmadeded
n. kind of tree
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inm̃aka
n. well branched tree, 12 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4022)
Example: 1. A durable hardwood that is used for house posts. 2. The wood is used to fashion cross members that affix outriggers to the body of the canoe. 3. 4-5 inch diameter saplings are used to create a track in the forest that larger logs can roll down.
bookmarkintakedou
n. Redface Squirrrelfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkintal has
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintate a nelgo waj
intijgancedo
n. prostrate herb growing on ground in open or partly shaded area next to banana tree. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3207)
Example: 1. The plant is named after a "rat"s ear.’ Eat 4 fresh leaves every morning to clear the brain and help remember things. 2. This plant is an indicator of rich soil--a good place for growing vegetables. 3. Very useful plant, food and medicine. Name means rat ear. Take 5 leaves, wrap in INROWOD (Cordyline fruticosa) and cook for 15 minutes, remove it hot (be sure you do not burn it) squeeze out 1 tablespoon and give to baby to drink to treat a flu. 1x morning for 5 days.
bookmarkintoutau
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.
bookmarkinwai
n. water; fresh water
bookmarkinwaimeteuc
n. sweet potato
bookmarkinyehpok
n. mouth of a river
bookmarkkoliavan
n. kind of taro
bookmarkmac
n. cup (mug)
bookmarkna elmai
n. cloth (related to nelmai)
bookmarknabudwä
nabuthwä
nahoai
n. a plant from which twine is made
bookmarknahoij
n. kind of tree
bookmarknakautefa
n. kind of tree
bookmarknakhe
n. fern. Growing in a village back path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #29)
Example: 1. To cure when the anus falls out - Pound together 1 braches worth of inpalcapnesgin leaves and of both inloptiri (2-4 leaves, any age), also take the inner bark of nekeaitimi and nakhe. Put this into your hand, or another leaf and give it to the person to use it. This should be applied to the anus whenever the anus comes out. USed to use a clam shell to extract the bark but not anymore.
bookmarknalvimtinjap
n. a light wind; the beginning of a wind
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nap̃udve
n. epiphytic fern, fallen to ground (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3494)
Example: When a dog is poisoned by cuguatera from eating a fish, the root of this species is collected, cleaned and a handful is boiled in 1-2 cups of water and given to the dog to drink. This treatment should be done 3x daily, in the morning, around noon and during the evening meal for as long as the dog is sick.
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narutu matua
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknasancai
n. a tree full of sap
bookmarknatapin
n. hedge
bookmarknauanieg
n. reed
bookmarknauyan
n. dawn of day
bookmarknauyerop̃
n. tree, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3487)
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. Edible fruits, when ripe or green, does not taste when green, but sweet when ripe. 3a. Leaves (young) are edible, for example wrap around coconut meat and eat or cook with island cabbage and other leaves, boil and add coconut milk and eat. 3b. The young leaves are edible, after boiling for 5 minutes. A piece of coconut and a pinch of salt is wrapped in the leaves and eaten. The mature leaves are used to wrap food such as pig or cow meat and cooked in an earth oven. Tie this bundle with a piece of Pandanus fiber to secure it before putting in the earth oven. 4. During big feast, use this a lot – circumcison or wedding feast, harvest leaves and wrap around meat and bake on earth oven – sometimes we cut down a whole tree to gather leaves. 5. To make men’s custom belt – split stem, peel outer bark off to take inner bark and peel it, tear end to make strap that can be tied. Dry in sun but not direct sunlight. 6. Older large trunks were burned by ancestors to keep fire going – did not need matches (lefre(?) matches) because embers would stay for days and when make a fire add smaller branches to make a flame.
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neduon
n. low mountain
bookmarknehpan neaig
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarkneijis ieg
n. a bundle of reeds for a torch; a torch
bookmarknejeg tau
nepig u wara
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknerop
n. kind of banana
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nigie
n. shrub, 1-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3555)
Example: This plant is an aphrodisiac. Eat with coconut meat to make the body strong. Take 1/2 handful of leaves and mix with coconut leaves, use as needed. Mostly men eat this combination. It is best to eat with dry coconut that has no water in it. Eat it any time you wish.
bookmarknilec
n. epiphyte. Growing on tree in village area. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #1)
Example: Makes period normal again. Take three young leaves from the very tops of the plant and pound and squeeze out the juice from the leaves. Mix with small amount of water to help juice come out. Drink this 3 times a day for 3 days. Pig food – feed the leaves to the pigs. Leaves used to wrap around Cyrtosperma merkusii to cook for several days—this taro needs a lot of cooking. So this leaf is particularly used for that purpose because it is very watery. Will keep the taro from becoming too burned or dry – it will cook soft after a few days – keep tasting it until the calcium oxalate sensation is gone. Check it 3 times – cook, open, taste and it should be good. Wrap fish and put directly on charcoal fire. – also cover top rocks in earth oven.
bookmarknimtahuged
n. the holes in a coconut
bookmarknipjinamesei
n. Honeycomb grouper
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkniri
nohoaig wai
n. the duck (constellation), the Southern Cross
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nohos yau
nop̃ou
n. large epiphyte on dead tree, growing in open forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3478)
Example: The wood of this plant is very hard and can be used for house posts. Because the wood is somewhat heavy, younger stems can be sharpened at one end and the pole can be used to plant dryland taro, to make holes for the tubers. For planting swamp taro, the leaves can be used to line the pit that the taro is planted in; it is a local fertilizer for the taro, and as it rots the soil becomes soft while the taro is growing. The flowers are placed behind one’s ear to enjoy the fragrance or can also be used to make a floral necklace (Intañ).
bookmarknoragidi
nuarin adalamak
n. plain
bookmarknugnas iran
n. a bunch of taro
bookmarknuhujcei
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.
bookmarknuhujcei
n. liana, growing at edge of forest. Fruit. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3475)
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.
bookmarkpahai
adj. inland
bookmarkpehpahai
v.n. sail inside of reef
bookmarkpejadi
v.n. get off the reef
bookmarktatalaha
n. kind of taro
bookmarktatau
n. Pickhandle barracuda
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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upasin
n. first shoots of old roots
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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