An example search has returned 100 entries
araparap
n. sunset
bookmarkcauwan
n. tendrils; small branches
bookmarkcustard apple
n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3520)
Example: Children sometimes eat this fruit but it smells bad. Adults do not eat it. An introduced species so there is no local name.
bookmarkehmehma
adj. healed, applied to wounds; ripe; yellow
bookmarkfara
n. pineapple
bookmarkhui heldei
v.n. to sail
bookmarkijmau
n. without branches
bookmarkimtiat
incauinja
incispev
n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3547)
Example: This plant is for medicine to treat a spiritual condition related to the coral snake that is the seawater spirit. When a woman is pregnant, some times she gets sick, so use this leaf with 2-3 other unspecified leaves and mash them together, squeeze the juice into a small cup (bamboo), wave around the woman’s body, and then put a few drops onto her head and body, then she drinks the rest. This will help heal her sickness. This treatment can be used for men who have a toothache from eating too much fish--the seawater spirit of the coral snake makes the tooth hurt. It is used in the same way as for a pregnant woman. If the pain from the toothache is really from the seawater spirit, then this will cure it; if not, it will not help.
bookmarkineañdel
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."
bookmarkingidyinyat
n. sandalwood
bookmarkinhubej
n. calabash
bookmarkinmereijcil
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinpa
n. shrub, 1. 25 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3525)
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. This plant is used in kastom ceremonies. For a peace ceremony, if there is an argument, then this leaf is used to make peace between the parties. For many ceremonies, put on top of taro, kava or food pile, . For peace ceremony, when a person has food in an offering, give a branch of this plant to the other party to symbolize that the conflict is over. It is a "message plant" that conveys a meaning that people do not have to say out loud. When a stranger walks through a village with this plant in his or her hand, people know there is no threat or problem. When a young man first shaves, people give him a necklace of this plant. In the old days, hair was pulled out of young men, now people use razor blades.
bookmarkinpak
n. species of banyan
bookmarkinpece lelicai
n. kind of tree
bookmarkintal i Santo
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintapin
n. a hedge; a shelter
bookmarkinwah
n. food or seed of all sorts; the juice of any plant
bookmarkitu acen
adv. a long time ago
bookmarkkidie ~ kithi
n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3205)
Example: 1. Plant this tree at each of the four corners of a fence to keep your pigs in and protect against a type of bad luck. If a man sleeps with his wife who is having her period, and then the man goes to see the pig, the pig will suffer and not grow strong and not have many piglets. So the presence of this plant controls against bad luck that others can bring to your pig farm. 2. This is an ornamental plant grown around the home. Sticks of this plant are planted around the outside of the garden and grow to create a fence, to protect the crops and keep them healthy, as well as protect the crops from people that are not cleansed in the ritual way. 3. This species is also planted around the house to add color and is very decorative in general. 4. For fertilizer in taro holes for water taro. For baly(?) taro and water taro, lay these flat on the surface of the charcoal, then lay the food – taro, cassava – on this and cover with another layer, add hot stones and cook. 4. Pig food, goat food.
bookmarkmaprum
naha
n. Crinum asiaticum; variation asiaticum L.
Example: from leaves taken internally as a laxative to treat ciguatera and against asthma
bookmarknaha
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.
bookmarknahtancai upunupun
n. thorn
bookmarknahtau
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknaiji elcau
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmark
namumuatamag
n. epiphyte on fallen tree, growing in disturbed forest. Fruit. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3474)
Example: When children feel weak, this is a good medicine for them. Squeeze the leaves and give the child (3-5 years of age) one tea spoon of the juice and it is said to make them strong again.
bookmark
nara
n. kind of tree
bookmark
naualha
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknauyerop
n. tree. Village home garden. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #9)
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 – this was during the time when people did not have matches and did not need them as the embers of this tree would stay hot for days and when it was time to make a stronger fire, people would add smaller branches to make a flame appear.
bookmarkneaig ahi
n. a white coconut
bookmarkneau
n. a small water-plant
bookmarknecjop̃dak
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.
bookmark
nejeg tau
nekro
netcetec
n. trees, 3-4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3473)
Example: 1. This species is excellent for firewood as it gives off less smoke than other types of wood. 2. The wood is good for making roof rafters on which to tie thatch. 3. Use this for planting pole, for taro, cane, and kava.
bookmarknetvo
n. a species of fruit
bookmarknidwunitei
nidwunitei
n. 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, Cyathea sp., which is considered the black one.
bookmarknijman
nilam
n. seaweed
bookmarknilamese
n. a species of orchid (there are three on the island)
bookmarknimit
n. sparsely branched tree, 12 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3208)
Example: The flying fox eats the fruit of this tree. When the fruits are ripe, the seeds are edible and children cut off the outside of the fruit and eat the nut. Wrap fish with this leaf and cook it on top of a fire--it tastes good. House posts are made from the trunk of the tree. It grows in the coastal area.
bookmarknipʧinite
nisʧi
nohwai vaine mese
n. raisin
bookmarknouhap̃
n. shrub, 2. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3511)
Example: 1. Use the leaves to put in a hole where taro is being planted, as a sort of fertilizer--it rots easily and adds value to the soil. To protect a person from spirits if you are going to an unfamiliar place, take the young inflorescence and put behind your ear. This plant is a sort of "spiritual kava." 2. Flowers are put behind one ear, any side, to allow a person to pass through sacred places. For protection of the spirits especially if you are familiar with this place. On EAST SIDE, put one leaf under pillow before sleeping so that the lady spirit will not disturb the person. Only for men – spirit likes men, and wants to have sleep with them. If she gets pregnant, you must follow her to look after the kids in the spirit world so you leave this one (you die). 3. The small, straight stems of this plant are used as rafters to weave thatch. 4. Children make bows and arrows from the stems as well as spears for fishing.
bookmarknouraju
n. shrub to 1 m, flowers green (collection: Michael J. Balick #4895)
Example: To make bush ropes, remove outer bark, use to tie things when other ropes are not available. This plant is sour and toxic if the fruits or leaves are eaten. Animals will not eat this plant. The elders teach us not to eat this plant.
bookmark
nuarin marara
n. dale
bookmarknuei
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.
bookmarknugnas iran
n. a bunch of taro
bookmarknugyaubod
n. kind of tree
bookmarknupsin
n. seed
bookmarkpakine
n. maize
bookmarktatau
n. Pickhandle barracuda
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkyasua
n. kind 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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