An example search has returned 100 entries
apnyin
n. time; weather; day; morning
bookmarkapuhod pan nathut an nadiat
n. near morning
bookmarkared numta
v. to plant taro
bookmarkatcatcaiyu
v. to emit sound from a bottle or coconut
bookmarkeceliek
adj. a second growth as of taro
bookmarketti
v. to split leaves
bookmarketuko, cai
v. to split wood
bookmarkham
v.n. to come
bookmarkincai er hegaig
n. a tree for food; a fruit tree
bookmarkincei u nasuantan
n. subshrub, 0. 5 to 0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3212)
Example: The common name of this plant means "the plant that belongs to Nasuantan" that being the person who introduced it to Aneityum. He was a person taken from the island as a blackbirder and came back with this plant. It is used for medicine. When a person gets a fresh cut, squeeze the juice from the leaf and put the liquid on the cut to help it heal.
bookmarkinhujum
n. kind of taro
bookmarkinja
n. Moorish idol
Example: Photo by Ian Shaw / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinja
ink
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
inmac
inmehei ipciv
n. kind of banana
bookmarkinmeranauunse
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmesese
n. the cold season; winter
bookmarkinmoijeuv ahcil
n. false star
bookmarkinmoijeuv amen ehcid
n. planet
bookmarkinmoijeuv an nofomot
inmop
n. a horse-chestnut tree
bookmarkinmunuka
n. thunder
bookmarkinpan
n. kind of banana
bookmarkinruwu
n. Humphead wrasse
Example: Photo by Anne Hoggett / Lizard Island Research Station, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkintaetled
intaig apig
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintidin
n. a crop, but not the first ripe
bookmark
inʧatamain
kalispeuv
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarknaceijo
n. half tide when rising
bookmarknaha
n. Crinum asiaticum L.
Example: subterranean part used as mouthwash for toothache (Crinum asiaticum)
bookmarknaheñ
naipomyiv ~ naipomñiv
nalak cai
n. kind of plantain
bookmarknalak mariaga
n. kind of plantain
bookmarknalgaij
n. kind of sugarcane; also "inhelegaij"
bookmarknaligaj
n. herb to 10 cm, sterile (collection: Michael J. Balick #4985)
Example: This plant is a very important food during a famine. People dig up the roots and roast these on the embers of a fire for 25 minutes, then check the root to get out the starchy material, and spit out the fiber. There is said to be little taste; this is a bland food that a person eats to survive. People on Aneityum have harvested it for a very long time so there is not as much of a supply left as in the past.
bookmarknalmupeñ
namaka
n. herb to 1 m,flowers yellow. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4893)
Example: To make rope, cut the stems, tie together in a bundle and place in the sea. Cover the bundle with rocks for about a week, then take it out, wash it, dry in the sun until the fibers bleach white and use to make grass skirts. This is the process of retting. When the cyclone season is finished, the plant has flowers and fruits--in May through July--this means no danger of cyclones.
bookmarknamakapasi
nam̃am̃a
napojev
n. sparsely branched tree, growing in open (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3477)
Example: The leaves of this plant are used in cooking, particuarly with 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.
bookmarknaposjilcau
n. kind of tree
bookmarknapujatha
narecheno
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknared
n. current in the sea
bookmarknarutu matua
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknarutu umlai
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknasahas
n. a small water-plant
bookmarknasau
n. a crop; fruit which grows spontaneously
bookmarknasjiñaho
natereuc
n. kind of banana
bookmarknauanieg
n. reed
bookmark
nednaiñ lelcei
neipyepei
n. kind of tree
bookmarknejev
n. tree, 8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3214)
Example: This tree makes good wood for canoes as well as timbers that are cut for building houses. A decoration that is placed around the head, known as salu-salu is made from these leaves. If you wear it, people know you are from Aneityum. In the early 1950’s-1960’s, Aneityum was the main place for logging this species. Now it is rare and in need of replanting. A project from New Zealand planted pine trees in its place and they have thrived here. In the same way, the sandalwood tree was overharvested and is rare now. Timber, very resinous so good to start fire – branches good for fire. They are the ones that have the sap, if a person in in the bush and finds young tree – sapling – they will make headdress from the leaves to show they came from the bush. Also, this is a Kastom name.
bookmarknemlowoc
nese
n. shrub to 2 m, flowers white. forest near house. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4871)
Example: A handful of flower buds are collected and put into water with 1-2 pieces of papaya roots. Heat the water and drink it hot for the treatment of hypertension or vein problems, or to promote circulation in overweight people. Do this treatment 1x a month. The white sap is collected and used to soften octopus flesh for eating. Put sap, fruits and chopped leaves in a bowl and add the octopus, allowing it to remain in the bowl for 1 hour--this will soften the flesh of the animal. The sap can be used to wash the skin of tough beef or wild pig--it helps to "burn" off (remove) the skin. When cooking tough meat, take young fruits of this tree and cut them up and put them in the pot with the meat, boil it to soften the meat which can then be cooked.
bookmarknesei
n. forest
bookmarknesgin
n. the pith
bookmarknetumtehi
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknicvan neaig
n. kind of taro
bookmarknidid
n. Ambon emperor
Example: Photo by FAO / Fishbase, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknidintaueuc
n. new coconut leaves
bookmarknidman tal
n. a top of taro
bookmark
nilbuthou
nimhag
n. branch (large)
bookmark
nisyeg
n. tree, 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3521)
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.
bookmarknisʧi
nopoi
n. species of vine runner; a basket net
bookmarknoporo pora
nopropra (~ noporopora ?)
noyeiwow
n. vine to 4 m, cultivated (collection: Michael J. Balick #5013)
Example: This is a cultivated, edible tuber. If a cyclone comes and blows the vines, the tuber will still be intact. The vines of this type of Dioscorea are very strong. Normal yam vine tears in high winds and the tuber will not grow for food but will die; this one will not. It is very good for places with strong winds and storms.
bookmarknugnyimtau noho
n. kind of palm
bookmarknuhujcei
n. liana, climbing on fallen tree (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3500)
Example: 1. When the stems of this plant are older, and it is a vine, is used to tie thatch on roof rafters as it bends well. 2. Burned leaves and rubbed on fishing line and spear to increase catch – used with other unspecified leaves, that are forageable. When you are fishing and if you set a basket or mat it means danger and you have to return to shore – the spirit is telling you that it is enough fishing.
bookmarknuwuneto
ucsalad tiklai cai
v.a. to lop off small branches
bookmarkyah
n. a creeping plant
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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