An example search has returned 100 entries
aiyu
adj. sweet; shady
bookmarkalgaunyi
v.n. to cross over or above, as over a fence, or tree in a path, or on stones through a river
bookmarkehmehma
adj. healed, applied to wounds; ripe; yellow
bookmarkEt elwa intisiaicai
phr. the flowers are come out.
bookmarkham
v.n. to come
bookmarkidi
adj. stringy, watery, as taro; also "ede"
bookmarkigcahi
n. landward
bookmarkigcase
n. a place down, or westward
bookmarkincei imtaig
n. the heart wood of a tree
bookmarkincet edwa
inhetelga
n. a runner, the fruit of which is round like a cake
bookmarkinholai mobo
n. Brown Chub, Grey Sea Chub, Grey Drummer
Example: Photo by John Turnbull, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinhurei
n. kind of tree
bookmarkink
n. vine, growing in coastal forest. Fruits purple. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3556)
Example: A man named Johnnie (Reuben’s grandfather) brought this vine to Aneityum to use it as a rope to tie objects. The ripe fruits are used to paint the face and hands and children make drawings from this dye.
bookmarkinlepei u inpoded
inmoijeuv adpoig
inmoijeuv ahcil
n. false star
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
bookmarkinp̃al cap̃ nesgin
n. shrub. Found in the village, Unames. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #31)
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.
bookmarkintal athunwai
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintiklan cai
n. tops of branches
bookmarkintinan mese
n. dry land planted
bookmarkinyecelcoli
n. vine to 1 m, flowers purple. (kudzu plant). (collection: Michael J. Balick #4920)
Example: Roast the tuber of this vine on an open fire for 20-40 minutes, peel off the skin and eat like cassava or taro. Chew it and drink the "juice" while spitting out the fiber. It grows wild, season of harvesting is in May. Very tasty food for people, considered "numba wan" food for this island.
bookmarkkoliavan
n. kind of taro
bookmarkmaputu-ligighap
n. the stem of a coconut leaf used for a butt
bookmarknagdenayi
n. kind of taro
bookmarknahleuco yag
n. kind of taro
bookmarkname cedo
namniañia
nanad
n. shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3553)
Example: 1. A stimulant plant. If a person is going to their garden early in the morning before the sun come up, break 2 top young leaves and chew and swallow the liquid, spitting out the fiber. This makes the person able to work harder and not feel tired while in the fields. It was noted that "a person can do the work of many people if they chew this." 2. The leaves are used for fertilizer for taro--put a bunch of leaves in a hole were taro is to be planted as a compost/antibiotic. This practice is said to kill all of the bad organisms such as bacttively impact the health of the taro plant. 3. This one collected from coastal area, ?? one collected in forest area. People take 4 leaves, chew leaves, swallow juice, gives energy to work hard the entire day. For fishing, take lots of ripe fruits and put in pocket, you will be able to catch a lot of fish. It brings good fortune when fishing. Roots – take one root, wash where a woman is giving birth to a newborn baby, give a drop of the juice from the root to clear the mucus in the throat.
bookmarknaporkos
n. kind of taro
bookmarknaraki
n. a calm, a smooth sea
bookmarknareuc henau
n. a species of grass
bookmarknasjiralcau
nathut u nadiat
n. dawn of day
bookmarknatoga u inmeijcop
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknaupitju
n. treelet, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3622)
Example: People use the leaf of this plant to tie over grated banana, taro or other foods for cooking in an earth oven or boiling in a pot. The root of this species is edible. Cook it for 2-3 nights in an earth oven and then chew and squeeze the juice into your mouth, spitting out the fiber. It is a survival food.
bookmarknauwainapit
n. lightning
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.
bookmarknawod
n. tree, 12 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3641)
Example: 1. The wood of this tree is used to make temporary houses, for example, when making a garden by the river. 2. The wood can be sawn into timber. 3. People collect red leaf and put under tongue when want to talk about conflicted issues such as a dispute to make their argument stronger.
bookmarkneduwudu
adj. full of seeds, as the pawpaw apple
bookmarknefilitikgan
n. kind of taro
bookmarknekeiatimi
n. terrestrial fern, growing on rocky area in secondary forest above the river. Leaves c. 3 m long. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3654)
Example: The leaf is wrapped around the head as an adornment by both men and women. If a person gets burned by a fire, scrape the petiole of this plant and squeeze juice on the wound to cool and heal it. Use as long as needed. The ancestors are said to have cooked the stump of this plant in an earth oven, over 2-3 nights, and then ate it. It is said to have no taste but was more of a famine food during periods of drought.
bookmarknelaijo
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmark
neroa
n. tree, 6-7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3527)
Example: 1. The flower is used to make a necklace and the wood used as poles for a house roof. The flower is very fragrant and people put it behind their ear to enjoy the aroma. The leaf is used to bake taro in the earth oven. Use a fire to heat stones, then when the fire burns down and the stones are hot, pile these leaves on top of the hot stones and then place the food being cooked--taro, fish, pig, cassava, banana or other foods--on top of the leaves. Then pile more of these leaves on top of the food and then place additional hot stones on top of that pile of leaves. While the food is cooking--each type of food takes a different amount of time--the leaves give off a very nice smell and help flavor the food. 2. Firewood, flower smells good, put in coconut oil to give it aroma. Grate coconut, add small amount of water, put in bowl, heat until water is evaporated, the oil is on top, take all the coconut cream on bottom save oil in another pot. Drop 2-3 flowers into coconut oil and boil, or more flowers. Try not to burn the oil. Take out flowers and use pure oil. Also used for final covering of large earth oven during feast along with GMP 3503 – esp. wedding feast. Planting pole and hard and heavy wood – sharp end. 3. This is a "calendar plant." When it flowers, people know that the taro is ready to harvest.
bookmarknerop
n. Black jack
Example: Photo by John Turnbull, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknese
n. herb to 4 m tall, male flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4977)
Example: The fruits are edible and eaten when ripe. To soften beef or octopus, or other meat that is tough, chop green fruit and put in a bowl with meat/fish and then add some water. Allow to sit for 30 minutes or if the food needs to be softer, then leave it in longer. The leaves are used to feed lobsters that are being kept in cages underwater, following their harvest. The leaves are used to cover stones on the earth oven. To treat a person with Ciguatera illness, wash many very gren fruits of papaya, the smallest ones that form at the top, and eat these to help relieve symptoms.
bookmarknetjeñ
neudan tauoc neaig
n. the center sprout of a coconut tree
bookmarknevak
n. prepared pandanus leaf
bookmarknidiape
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknidid
n. Ambon emperor
Example: Photo by FAO / Fishbase, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknidincai
n. balsam; resin
bookmarkniditau
n. tree to 8 m, dbh 20 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4867)
Example: Fruits are sweet and edible when ripe. This plant is an indicator of rich soil, a good place to plant one’s garden. The leaves of this species are mixed in with other leaves for an unspecified local medicine that helps to remove spiritual sickness
bookmark
nipʧin niri
nirak
niri
nobohtan aiyu
n. meadow
bookmarknobom
n. Bigeye scad
Example: Photo by J.E. Randall / Fishbase, License: CC BY-A-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknomoj
n. cycad to 3 m tall, 25 cm dbh (collection: Michael J. Balick #5010)
Example: In the past there were no toys for the children, so people made toys from the seed of this plant. They peeled the fruit, took the seed, removed the inside, punched one hole on each side, put a string through each of the holes and twisted the string to spin the seed such that it would make a whistling sound as the fruit spun faster and faster. On Palm Sunday, people use this leaf in Church. People plant this cycad around their homes and use it as an ornamental. Some people believe that having this plant around their homes will keep the bad spirits away.
bookmarknomotan
n. Spangled emperor
Example: Photo by Richard Ling, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknomotmot tucjup
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknugnyin jap
n. the ebbing tide
bookmarknumnyac
n. a kind of bulbous root
bookmarknumta
n. shoots of taro for planting
bookmarkrap̃ad
[rak͡pad] n. black hawk
bookmarktar ~ [introduced tamprem]
uriicai
adj. made of branches
bookmarkwidinahau
n. kind of banana
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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