An example search has returned 100 entries
abäng
ahlau se
v.n. go down
bookmarkdaute
n. kind of banana
bookmarkeriseris
v.a. to climb
bookmarkilihilo
adj. soft, as an infant’s foot, or new leaves.
bookmarkincat tal
n. basket of taro
bookmarkinceideuc
n. the white wood of a tree
bookmarkincetevak
n. Pink Squirrelfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinhaij
n. the candle-nut tree; also "inhaig"
bookmarkinhalav imtinjap
n. wind-related term; no definition provided. Possibly referring to "inhalav" ’child’.
bookmarkinhoam̃a
n. shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3441)
Example: Flowers put in hear as an ornament that has power because it is so beautiful. Leaves are burned and added to a bamboo pipe and mix with a foam that forms in fresh water, when people go to a traditional dance, men paint part of their face eyebrows and beard to attract attention, hence the name, pone part of which "am̃a" means "staring", because it will cause people to stare at the one wearing it.
bookmarkinlepei u inpoded
inmadidi
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.
bookmarkinmehei
n. herb to 1. 5 m tall, sterile. Growing in weedy patch behind buildings on edge of trail. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4986)
Example: People use the leaves of this plant to wrap lap-lap for cooking on the earth oven or when boiling foods. The leaves can also be used as serving plates and to cover the stones on the earth oven.
bookmarkinpa u natmas
n. tree. Growing near village. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #13)
Example: 1. To cure toothache when pregnant - Take the inner bark from Intejed and boil it in a pot of seawater (about 1 liter) along with 2 leaves from each of inpoutnatmas, narayag, nahayag, and nelmaha. Boil until juice is visibly leaving the plants. Put this water into your mouth and hold it there for 2-3 minutes. Do this this with one cup in the morning, 1 cup in the afternoon, and 1 cup in the evening. 2. This plant is special and people grew it – use it after burial of a chief – wash hands with these leaves and water to cleanse the people who buried the chief. 3. Name means belongs to the spirit
bookmarkinruwu
n. Humphead wrasse
Example: Photo by Anne Hoggett / Lizard Island Research Station, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkintaig apig
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintaig um has
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintisiancai
n. blossom (open)
bookmark
isgeig pan
adj. adjacent
bookmarkjumasjuma
masoa
n. arrowroot
bookmarknaceijo
n. half tide when rising
bookmarknaerek
n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3492)
Example: 1. Used for firewood. Whole plant used to make a broom for sweeping by tying the small branches together. The very topmost leaves are used when planting kava, as a “superstition” you hold a lead between your big and second toes when tamping the earth down for a kava plant, to give power to earth so kava grows well. 2. This plant is used to make a local broom. Collect a number of branches, let them dry in the sun--the leaves will fall off--then tie the branches together with a piece of Pandanus leaf or any other vine that is handy.
bookmarknafaiava
n. bay (of the sea); creek
bookmarknaherumaig
n. mimosa (plant)
bookmarknahojcei
n. scrambling vine, growing in coastal strand vegetation. Flowers purple. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3436)
bookmarknamji
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3508)
Example: 1. The stems of this plant are sharpened and used to plant swamp taro or dry land taro. 2. Break small branch top put behind ear if you go to an unknown place and keep behind ear and sleep with it. If the place is safe you will sleep if it is not you will not sleep well – only behind ear when you sleep.
bookmarknanedauyan
n. Pacific yellowtail emperor
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknapuke
n. a mound or hillock for yams
bookmarknarahcai
n. a table made of reeds, for drying arrowroot, etc.
bookmarknarasinipjin necsei nupu afrika
natuu
n. withered banana leaves
bookmarknauwau
n. a bulrush; a flag
bookmarknauyerop
n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3505)
Example: 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. Both the green and ripe fruits are edible.
bookmarknecjopdak
n. scrambling vine, growing in coastal strand vegetation. Flowers yellow. 1. Medicine: Smash leaves 1 handful, into cup and add a small amount of water to treat constipation—1 cup for children; 1.5 XX for adults. 2. Stomachache: same treatment, will clear bowel. 3. For leg sores, collect whole plant, put in water – a pool of water for 1 week, then use to dip sore as on leg into it for 10-15 minutes cure the sore. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3437)
bookmarkneipyepei
n. kind of tree
bookmarknejeg tau
nelmai
n. a tree from the inner rind of which fishing lines and nets are made. na elmai or elumai, cloth
bookmarknelnjen natimi
nepahas
n. kind of tree
bookmarknepñatimi
n. epiphyte on syzygium tree, growing in secondary forest along trail above river. old fruits. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3660)
Example: Put several leaves of this species together to wrap food, especially the fresh water eel, and to carry plants of taro, kava, holding the leaves over one’s shoulder to carry these crops.
bookmarknerin
n. a leaf
bookmarknese uinman
n. tree to 3 m tall, 20 cm dbh (collection: Michael J. Balick #4869)
Example: To treat toothaches, take a handful of leaves, boil them in 1 cup of water, take the warm liquid and leaves and wash or rinse the affected area as needed until pain resolves. The wood is used for carving and is yellowish in color. The stems are used to secure the outrigger to a traditional canoe.
bookmarknetit tidai
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknihivaeñ aeyhec
nilpudou
n. herb to 70 cm, florets yellow (collection: Michael J. Balick #4998)
Example: To treat a headache, especially from the flu, boil a handful of leaves in 1 liter of water for a few minutes, let cool and drink 1 cup of liquid per day . Also can treat this type of headache by using the plant in a steam bath, by boiling 4 handfuls of leaves in a pot of water, covering the head with a towel and breathing in the steam from the pot.
bookmarkniperap
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknipjinecei vanteigin
niri atga
nirid u numu
n. terrestrial fern on forest floor, growing in disturbed forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3482)
Example: People who go fishing take this plant along with other unspecified leaves, crush them and rub them on the fishing line that the person is using. This is said to attract more fish to the bait. It is also a "message plant" to be put in a person’s hat when they come back from fishing and then people know that they caught fish. Local name means "fish gill." For performing a weather magic ritual to produce fog, this plant is fermented along with another plant (nap̃at) in a hole in a sacred stone (called "Naemoso") at a secret location on Aneityum.
bookmarknisyeg
n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3574)
Example: 1. The inner bark of this plant is used as a dye or paint to provide a brown color. Boil the inner bark in a pot with a shirt and the color of the shirt will be changed to brown. 2. For toothache, people take the inner bark and mix it with sea water, and then rinse the tooth with this mixture to remove the pain. 3a. People macerate the leaves and the bark and when the tide is low, spread this in a pool of water to poison the sea shells that are edible. When they die, the eyes of this organism comes above the sand, indicating where they are, and people harvest and eat them. 3b. To attract and collect clam – NIPJINUMU – scrape bark in a pool of sea water where the clams are attracted immediately and can be collected, coming up from the sand. 4. Firewood, unspecified medical use.
bookmarknitatel (a nelco)
nitet
n. kind of tree
bookmarknofauhuan
n. kind of banana
bookmarknohos aiyu
n. the sweet banana
bookmarknopan
n. a season
bookmarknouras
nuei
n. vine, growing in open disturbed area. Flowers white. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3589)
Example: To build a cyclone house, take the vine of this species to tie pieces of the house. To prepare the vine for use as rope, collect many feet of it, put it in a fire, roll it in a figure 8, wait until it softens and then use for tying. This vine is hard and needs to be heated to a high temperature in the fire to make it soft; the person preparing this must use gloves to tie it to the posts and rafters while it is still warm. When it cools, it is very strong. Rope made from this vine will last a long time--perhaps 10-15 years. It can also be used to make a regular house.
bookmarknumrauad
n. a halo around the sun or moon
bookmarkpokmi
adv. seaward here
bookmarktatau
n. Yellowtail barracuda
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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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