An example search has returned 100 entries
atause
v.n. to go ashore
bookmarkededel
n. spring
bookmarkehla
adj. unripe; also "ehlai"
bookmarketgei
v. to weed
bookmark
incet edwa
incetevak
n. Pink Squirrelfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinmadeded
n. kind of tree
bookmarkinmanpas
n. kind of tree
bookmarkinmoijeuv adpoig
inmowad itouga
n. vine climbing on Geissois denhamii (GMP #3522), growing in open (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3524)
Example: The word itougo means from a different country or place outside of Aneityum. The plant was introduced by the first missionaries who came to Port Patrick. Calendar plant – sea cost people see this flower in the forest and they know it is time to go into garden and harvest taro or make new gardens– see GMP 3263. This is also good firewood.
bookmarkinm̃okom
n. Steephead parrotfish
Example: Photo by charlie20 / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinrigen natmas
n. kind of banana
bookmarkintijgejei
n. Whitespotted surgeonfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkintoutau
n. tree, 7-8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3635)
Example: The wood from this tree is used for house posts. Used to heal bad spirits, headaches, fever, or any other kind of illness that modern medicine cannot fix. Must be taken and performed in the evening before the sun sets. Take four leaves from the top of the intoutau, netethae, nelmaha, inrowod plants. Combine them with 1/4 cup of water and squeeze the juice out of the leaves and pour into a piece of bamboo. Give the mixture to the sick person to drink. The woman must drink half of the mixture and use the other half of the mixture to wash their body with. The woman then has to stay away from other people except for those who helped wash her. Then you must smash the bamboo that contained the mixture where the sun sets.
bookmarkintoutau
n. tree. Growing near village. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #5)
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. For a baby that is not doing well, as with malnourished, take 4-5 leaves, put in warm water and wash baby – 1x day for 3 days. 6. Use to make temporary house.
bookmarkinyihev
n. kind of tree
bookmarkinʧatamain
irai ohatag
n. celestial
bookmarkjupmulmul
n. the cool of the evening
bookmarkkatupinmi
n. kind of taro
bookmarkkava
n. a plant from which an intoxicating drink is prepared
bookmarkkorari
n. herb growing to 2 m tall, flower white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4974)
Example: Put the leaf in seawater for two months, this will rett t he fibers. Then collect the fibrous strings and dry them in the sun, and use them for weaving. In the past this plant fiber was used to make rope but not at present.
bookmarklelen
adj. unripe
bookmarkleyei
n. kind of taro
bookmarklopot lopot
n. Oriental sweetlips
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkmaprum
naceijo
n. half tide when rising
bookmarknaerumãn
nakautefa
n. kind of tree
bookmarknalak u nije
naop yi atmas
n. a small whirlwind
bookmarknapleaig
n. kind of tree
bookmarknarahcai
n. a table made of reeds, for drying arrowroot, etc.
bookmarknarasinipjin necsei nupu afrika
nasanhac
n. the poison of the inhac
bookmarknatoga ahrei
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmark
nau
n. bamboo; a mountain
bookmarknau hos
n. a kind of bamboo (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #25)
Example: 1. To cure the sea snake (nispev) curse that causes missed periods. First the husband must combine 4 young leaves of incispev and 4 young leaves of nafanu and mash and squeeze the juice into a small bamboo (1-1.5 inch diameter) The nafanu is important because it is a plant that connects to the sea. Use wildcane leaves cover the bamboo closed. Go to the sick person and unwrap the snake from her. Start from the top and let the woman drink a small part of the potion then wash her with the mixture, making sure to wash head, elbows, knees, feet, and belly. Then take a leaf of naha and break it over the woman’s belly button to break the snake off. Smash the bamboo vessel to pieces. Leave the woman there until the wash dries on her. This takes one whole day and the ceremony in the evening so she can sleep and she must not eat. This ritual is performed by men. 2. To make house walls cut to length desired break stems into straps and weave ??. 3. Use stem to cook foods. 4. Container for carrying water. 5. Take tips and tie together and make a torch to go fishing on the reef, walk with the torch – this is a current practice in the East side. 6. Can cut a piece about 1’ long and sharpen edge and use to skin a green banana. 7. Traditional medicine – can use a small segment as a sort of container to carry the traditional medicine to the patient – for example when prepare a sea snake for remedy, or any medicine – to carry it. 8. Used as a container to preserve seeds such as corn, cucumber, beans and is covered with coconut fiber and put near (above?) the fire where it is dry, and the smoke from the fire will keep insects from attacking the seeds.
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.
bookmarknedec
[neθeɣ] n. Collared Kingfisher
Example: Photo by JJ Harrison, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
bookmarknejomti
nelaijo
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknetethei
n. shrub. Uncultivated around the village disturbed areas. . (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #27)
Example: The fruits are edible when ripe--eating them turns the tongue purple. 1. To cure headaches - Someone other than the woman must prepare this. Break the top branch of netethae and remove leaves for use. Combine with the top leaves of the top branch of nelmaha. Chew the leaves and drink the juice. Do this when the sun is setting on the horizon. The woman gives the leftover fibers to the person who prepared the medicine and that person goes and throws the fibers in the direction of the setting sun. 2. Ancestors 4 top branches and chew and spit out remaining fiber will destroy the effects of a love potion that is too strong – meaning that the husband or wife will miss the other person too much so that they become mentally ill. 3. Edible fruits: eating them turns tongue black/purple.
bookmarknethokin
n. a poisonous plant used to stupefy fish; also "netokin"
bookmarknihkanwai
n. brook
bookmarknijiga
n. a branch of red coral
bookmarknijisei
n. herb to 1 m, flowers white with red bracts (collection: Michael J. Balick #4912)
Example: To treat high blood pressure. Take a half liter of water, mix a handful of roots in it, boil, drink one cup 3 times daily, warm, for three days. This is to treat high blood pressure when diagnosed in the clinic. The leaf is woven for grass skirts--dry in sun, weave into skirts.
bookmarknijom̃kan
n. shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3484)
Example: Name means smash tooth. 1. This is part of an unspecified mixture that can be used as a spell to give another person a toothache. 2. Toothache – chew leaves on the sore tooth and leave it there for a while and spit it out – it will break the tooth and you can take it out, leave on 20 minutes.
bookmarknilbuthou
nisil
n. the center rib of the coconut leaflet; wire
bookmarknisʧi
nitidae
nohos New Zealand opah
nohwan nefara
n. kind of taro
bookmarknoporo pora
noweitopgat
nuripapa
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknwujvaeñ
n. vine climbing up ficus wassa, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4016)
Example: 1. The vine is use to lash roof rafters to house posts. The vine is collected from the forest and coiled ina figure 8 pattern. It is then heated over a fire before fastening the rafter to the post. 1 minute of heat is sufficient, before one immediately uses the vine.
bookmarkrohalrohal
adj. rough, applied to sugarcane-leaf thatch
bookmarktatau
n. Bigeye barracuda
Example: Photo by Philippe Guillaume, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarktatau
n. Yellowtail barracuda
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkwudwud
n. kind of tree
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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