An example search has returned 100 entries
anaforofata
ehtele cei nai
n. full moon
bookmarkelumai
n. cloth (related to nelmai)
bookmarkham
v.n. to come
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.
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inmauwad imrig
n. a convolvulus with blue or reddish flowers
bookmarkinmeraducai
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmohtan nohos
n. kind of taro
bookmarkinmowad
n. vine to 40 cm, flowers blue (collection: Michael J. Balick #4949)
Example: To heal cuts, select a piece of the larger part of the stem (woody) cut a 6 inch piece and blow on one end; the sap comes o ut on the other end and this can be used to cover the wound. As a pig feed, people collect the stems and leaves and feed these to the pigs.
bookmarkintal milmat
n. kind of taro
bookmarkinteijid
n. species of pine
bookmarkintesyaniau
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.
bookmarkintijgarae
n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3519)
Example: The stem of this plant is used for fence posts that lead to the sea, and it is resistant to salt water and lasts a long time. The wood is strong and good to make house posts. People use this wood on the coast as salt water does not bother this wood.
bookmarkintiklan cai
n. tops of branches
bookmarkintisian
n. a flower
bookmarkintop̃asiej ura
n. stoloniferous herb, 15 cm tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3561)
Example: In the past the ancestors learned to cook the leaves of this species with fish in an earth over and then eat the leaves as well as the fish. Today, fish are wrapped with small leaves and then covered with lap-lap leaf (Polyscias) and cooked in an earth oven.
bookmarkisjid
v. to chip off small branches
bookmarkkaias elauoh
n. kind of taro
bookmarkkidibop
medipmedip
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarknaerumãn
nafakeka
n. coconut spathes
bookmarknagdenayi
n. kind of taro
bookmarknagig
n. kind of taro
bookmarknaha
n. Crinum asiaticum; variation asiaticum L.
Example: from leaves taken internally as a laxative to treat ciguatera and against asthma
bookmarknahas alaig imi yin
n. p. taro for the dead
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nakwai
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknamlau
n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3485)
Example: 1. The larger stems of this plant can be used to build houses, for rafters. 2. It is also a good source of firewood. 3. Ancestors, before go to chief’s canal and want to talk about a complicated issue – a person would cut a branch and bring it to the sea and tap the water surface and would say what he wants, ask that he would want that issue to be solved and that others would follow his ideas and then go back to the meeting place and take stick, keep wind at his back, moving stick in all directions and then he will convince the people of his ideas. This is done by the chief’s spokesman. Helps convince the opposition. Helps keep power in hands of parent(??) chief rather than subchiefs who might have other ideas.
bookmarknaop yi atmas
n. a small whirlwind
bookmarknapupwi a darumea
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknaraki
n. a calm, a smooth sea
bookmarknaran
n. Orange-socket surgeonfish
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknauhoig yi amud
n. break of day
bookmarknausakrai
n. thorn
bookmarkneaig ahi
n. a white coconut
bookmarkneduon
n. a bone, a foot
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neheptal
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.
bookmarknekinkin
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknekro
nelmai
n. a tree from the inner rind of which fishing lines and nets are made. na elmai or elumai, cloth
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nepig upni
nerid u uncat
n. the tow of flax
bookmarknerin cat
n. green pandanus leaf
bookmarknijcel
n. tree, 8-9 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3655)
Example: If the preferred banana leaves are not available to wrap food for cooking, then use young leaves of this species and tie taro and fish for cooking. Take 4-5 leaves and wrap the food with the leaves. Tie a rope around the food and tie them all together using any strong vine. They can then be cooked over an open fire.
bookmarknijinga
n. shrub to 2 m, flowers blue-purple. Red clay soil (collection: Michael J. Balick #4878)
Example: A stem of this shrub is sharpened and used to dig a hole for planting kava. When a person plants kava in a hole made from this stick, there is the belief that it will make kava root stems strong and large. The fruits are edible when ripe and said to be sweet.
bookmarknimra an napau
n. the Magellanic Clouds
bookmarknisil
n. the center rib of the coconut leaflet; wire
bookmarknitetan
n. a fern
bookmarknohos esjig inwai
n. a banana
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numnava
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknusjau
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.
bookmarkohod
n. bundle of leaves, as of nasiaij
bookmarktarucai
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
bookmarktite
adj. ripe early in the season
bookmarkucsalad tiklai cai
v.a. to lop off small branches
bookmarkupreupre
n. tough; a kind of coral
bookmarkwudwud
n. kind of tree
bookmarkwukau
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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