An example search has returned 100 entries
ahtaredei
v.n. go though, as the land
bookmarkanaclelen
n. forecast
bookmarkanaforofata
arijai
v.n. to go ashore, to go from sea, to arise or overflow, as sea over land.
bookmarkcauwan
n. tendrils; small branches
bookmarkehlili
v. to burn ground for planting
bookmarkelgai
v.n. expand as a leaf
bookmarketcei nohon
n. beat coconut fiber
bookmarkincetevak
n. Bluelined squirrelfish, Tahitian squirrelfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkincri u injanowancei cap
indawoc
inmadedi
n. Tabernaemontana padacaqui
Example: leaf used for for wounds; cold maceration taken internally against "skin cancer" (severe wounds?). Stalk, chewed, influences sex of an embryo in favor of a girl.
bookmark
inmadidi
n. tree to 5 m, dbh 8 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4855)
Example: To treat a flu that has resulted in a thick, runny nose, collect sap of this tree, drink 2-3 drops directly (not in water). This is for treating the type of flu that provokes yellow mucus coming out of the nose. Drinking the sap breaks up the stuffy nose. Use once, it tastes very sour. In 3-4 days the mucus will be expelled. Do not use too much! If a person has a new cut, and the bleeding will not stop, place the sap on the cut and the bleeding will stop. If you have a burn that is bleeding, applying the sap will stop the blood and oozing sore. If a person has a sore on their body, cover it with a layer of the sap from this plant. This will ensure that the sore will not get larger from infection, flies, etc. but stay its original size. This plant is also used for unspecified spiritual practices. To determine if a fish you have caught is poisonous, e.g. with ciguatera, take an 8’ piece of small branch from this tree, peel the bark and put it inside the fish before you cook it on the earth oven. If the stick turns black, then you know that the fish is not good to eat--it has a poison so should be thrown away.
bookmarkinmauwad imrig
n. a convolvulus with blue or reddish flowers
bookmarkinmeripciv
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkintelopse atamaig
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
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.
bookmarkintinan tal
n. a plantation of taro
bookmarkintisiaicai
n. kind of flower or flowers (see def. for "elwa")
bookmarkintit plen
n. herb, growing on roadside in open disturbed area. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3605)
Example: 1a. This is an invasive weed that was brought to Aneityum by aircraft. Name means "aircraft mess". 1b. Means “planes waste” refers to white trails as this has lots of white seeds that fly.
bookmarkintop pa
n. shrub to 2 m tall, dbh 2 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4996)
Example: This is an ornamental plant, grown around the home. People crush the leaves to enjoy the fragrance released. When bathing, grate coconut meat and crush the leaves of this plant and rub all over the body, before bathing and afterwards your body will smell very nice. To repel mosquitoes, crush these leaves and put them in the house.
bookmarkintowosjei
intucjip
n. bush land; also "inteucjip"
bookmarkkaias elauoh
n. kind of taro
bookmarkkava
n. a plant from which an intoxicating drink is prepared
bookmarklaulau
adj. long, applied to time
bookmarkmac
n. cup (mug)
bookmarkmak
adj. smooth, applied to sugarcane-leaf thatch
bookmarknagaihos
nahaigjopdak
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknalvimtinjap
n. a light wind; the beginning of a wind
bookmarknamesei
nanad
n. shrub. Growing near the beach. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #4)
Example: 1. Dried branches from this plant can be used to roast vegetable crops that women eat if they have problems becoming pregnant. 2. Firewood, burns well. 3. Some people will eat the green fruit for protection against black magic. Eat 5 fruits for this. Eat it only once – will last for a year.
bookmarknap̃ojev
n. well branched tree, 14 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3651)
Example: Poles made from this plant are used for house rafters and burned for firewood. To plant taro in a swampy area, collect the leaves of this species and put them in the hole where the taro is to be planted, mix with a bit of soil and then plant the taro on top of that. Leaves are a type of fertilizer. Used when baking with the earth oven. Hot stones cover the food and then the leaves from this plant cover the stones. The leaves stay on the branch.
bookmarknap̃ojev
narijo
narineom
n. hedge
bookmark
nauyerop
n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3505)
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.
bookmarkneaig auyag
n. kind of palm
bookmark
nefitan nedoon nedoon
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarknehno
n. a species of poisonous tree
bookmarkneiang
nejev
nemek
n. yellow leaves for making petticoats
bookmarknepihti
n. kind of tree
bookmarkneroa
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.
bookmarknerophat
n. Yellowspotted trevally, Turrum
Example: Photo by Rick Stuart-Smith / Fishes of Australia, License: CC BY-A 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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.
bookmarknetumtehi
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknidincai
n. balsam; resin
bookmarknihivaeñ p̃ap̃
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3517)
Example: 1. The leaves of the young plant are used to wrap food for cooking on a fire. 2. The wood is used for temporary houses, for making rafters that are said to last a long time. 3. The wood is strong and used to carve paddles for the canoe. 4. It is also grown and used for firewood. 5. Firewood, (6) use as local plate. 7. On west side of island, take old coconut, fill with water, put lead into hole on end, take out and give to baby to drink and it will help the baby talk.
bookmarknilbuthou
nilec
nillum
n. a species of seaweed
bookmarkniperap
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarkniriñ neyaiñ
nispev
n sea snake
bookmark
nocirasjau
large tree, 13 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4052)
Example: 1. Considered to be a relative of textit{Morinda citrifolia}.
bookmarknohoijam
nohwan nefara
n. kind of taro
bookmark
nuae
nuhialeg
n. the morning
bookmarknuhujcei
n. liana, growing at edge of forest. Fruit. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3475)
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.
bookmarknumnava
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknumta
n. shoots of taro for planting
bookmarknumuyehec
nusjau
n. kind of sugarcane
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.
bookmarktatalaha
n. kind of taro
bookmarktatau
n. Bigeye barracuda
Example: Photo by Philippe Guillaume, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarktedtedwaleg
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarkwakas
n. herb. Found along intra village path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #34)
Example: 1. To make baby grow strong - Take 16 tops of the plant, no flowers, and squeeze them into baby’s bath water. Bath baby in the water and let it dry on the baby. Don’t towel dry. 2. Medicine – take a large leaf, crush and rub it but don’t break it – just soften it and open it and cover the fresh cut with it – leave it there to heal the wound. Keep changing it until the wound gets healed. 3. For headache and fever – flu – take branches with no flowers or seeds, boil it 15 minutes to extract brownish juice, drink 1 cup hot 2, per day – morning and evening for 5 days. 4. The fruits – 7 – chew and swallow for stomachache. 5. Tie stems for broom.
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.
Supported by
