Aneityum

[aɣes nohos] phr. I eat/bite a banana

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. white (color)

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v.n. go after

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 154

v.n. sail without making headway

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 180

v. shut (something)

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. to weed; to clear land

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 70

v.n. to go on to a reef with a canoe or boat

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 72

n. full moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 75

v.a. to climb

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 78

[eroʊ nadimi] phr. two men

Speaker: David Nasauman

v.n. to fall behind; to come late

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 80

v. to sharpen the point of a reed like a spear

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 80

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.

Scientific name: Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. an old coconut

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 85

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. a runner, the fruit of which is round like a cake

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 86

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. planet

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 172

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. coconut grating bench

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. epiphytic orchid, growing in dense rainforest. Fruit green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4110)

Scientific name: Coelogyne lamellata, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[inwerijweɪ] n. boards (pl)

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4758)

Scientific name: Pyrostegia venusta, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. large tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4051)

Example: 1. When in flower (yellow), taro is said to be ready in the garden.

Scientific name: Metrosideros collina, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

v. to fish (with a net)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. dragon plum (RPV #3)

Scientific name: Dracontomelon vitiense, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[kuretemain] n. dog (male)

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. terrestrial fern, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4086)

Example: 1. The name describes a sea bird, whose long legs are similar in shape to the stipe of this fern.

Scientific name: Diplazium oblongifolium, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. day

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 114

n. the middle of the forenoon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 114

n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3492)

Example: 1. Used for firewood. Whole plant used to make a broom for sweeping by tying the small branches together. The very topmost leaves are used when planting kava, as a “superstition” you hold a lead between your big and second toes when tamping the earth down for a kava plant, to give power to earth so kava grows well. 2. This plant is used to make a local broom. Collect a number of branches, let them dry in the sun--the leaves will fall off--then tie the branches together with a piece of Pandanus leaf or any other vine that is handy.

Scientific name: Leucopogon cymbulae, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. bay (of the sea); creek

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 127, 139

n. pendent epiphyte, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4039)

Scientific name: Ophioderma pendula, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[nakro] v. chief shares a large amount of food with another district

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. terrestrial orchid growing in rain forest on the mountain slope. Flowers white. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3288)

Scientific name: Calanthe chrysantha, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

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.

Scientific name: Glochidion ramiflorum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

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.

Scientific name: Scaevola taccada, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[nanaθ] n. shrub, 2-3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3455)

Example: Fertilizer, take fresh leaves and put in area where plant taro.

Scientific name: Psychotria milnei, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree to 15 m, dbh 30-45 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4938)

Example: The wood is good for making paddles as well as to make canoes.

Scientific name: Adenanthera pavonina, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of crab

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. a calm, a smooth sea

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 114

n. fence-forming shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3206)

Example: 1a. Cultivated in gardens. Cook seeds of this species or eat them raw before they are fully ripened. The green pods can also be cooked in a fire and eaten. 1b. Cultivated plant for its edible seeds, can be prepared in a pot of bamboo. OR could take branches w/ seeds and put directly on the earth oven for cooking. 2. Planting this species adds nitrogen to the soil--grow it on soil that is said to be "tired."

Scientific name: Cajanus cajan, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[narisin nɛpʧinoʊɣsin] n. lips

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. epiphytic orchid, growing in dense rainforest. Flowers orange. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4113)

Example: 1. Children often take the leaves of this plant and blow across the surface of a taut leaf to make a whistle sound. Older folks say this blowing invited rain.

Scientific name: Liparis condylobulbon, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. the north wind

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. high mountain

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 166

n. channel of a stream

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 134

n. wind-related term; no definition provided

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. fern to 30 cm, cones green (collection: Michael J. Balick #4919)

Example: Use this plant to send a message to someone that another person has died. Take 1 dried leaf, to pass message to another village/tribe or people. Hold it in your hand and walk past a person, then they know that someone has died.

Scientific name: Selaginella distans, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. shrub to 2 m, flowers white. Red clay soil (collection: Michael J. Balick #4887)

Example: The stem makes a good digging stick to plant taro. Also branches of this tree are cut to tie the canoe to the outrigger. Used for the small sticks that sit at the base of the larger sticks that hold the outrigger (see photos).

Scientific name: Halfordia kendack, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3534)

Example: This tree has very hard wood. 1. Use the small stems to plant dry land or swamp taro, sharpening the end and pushing it into the ground to make a hole. 2. It also is useful for fence, posts for houses. 3. Small stems are also used to make a comb for the hair. 4. Plant pole for taro kava. 5. A branch is shaped and used to husk coconut. 6. The wood is hard and in ancient times people would take a forked piece and put string on one side of it, sharpen the other side and use with the string as a fish hook – need to keep rope tight until it is in the canoe. Do not give it slack – strong use AAM 17.

Scientific name: Halfordia kendack, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4783)

Scientific name: Acalypha grandis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3518)

Example: People plant this tree near the coast, specifically as small fish and shellfish hide in it to breed and people know this.

Scientific name: Rhizophora samoensis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. terrestrial fern, 30 cm tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3716)

Example: The leaves of this plant, along with other leaves, are used to make an unspecified traditional medicine.

Scientific name: Tapeinidium denhamii, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. Group of fish including triggerfish, wrasses, chubs, mullets, jacks, and sweetlips

Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. tree to 8 m, dbh 20 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4916)

Example: Boil inner bark in seawater to treat scabies, a skin condition. Take one handful of bark and put in one liter of water, wash the affected area once daily for a week .

Scientific name: Geissois denhamii, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of bush

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. north-north-west wind

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 100

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. orange (fruit)

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. hard outer shell of crab

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. type of seashell

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.

Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. a leaf

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 100

n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3513)

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.

Scientific name: Gardenia tannaensis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

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.

Scientific name: Carica papaya, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. tree to 3 m tall, 20 cm dbh (collection: Michael J. Balick #4869)

Example: To treat toothaches, take a handful of leaves, boil them in 1 cup of water, take the warm liquid and leaves and wash or rinse the affected area as needed until pain resolves. The wood is used for carving and is yellowish in color. The stems are used to secure the outrigger to a traditional canoe.

Scientific name: Murraya paniculata, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. trees, 3-4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3473)

Example: 1. This species is excellent for firewood as it gives off less smoke than other types of wood. 2. The wood is good for making roof rafters on which to tie thatch. 3. Use this for planting pole, for taro, cane, and kava.

Scientific name: Alstonia vitiensis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. sugarcane

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. grass to 70 cm tall, sterile. Cultivated at the side of a field. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4958)

Example: The leaves and stems are boiled in water to make tea. The base of the leaves (the whitish part) is used to cook foods that have a strong odor, such as goat or shark. The base is sliced and put in the soup and this helps to keep the smell of the goat or shark from infusing through the rest of the food and making it less palatable. In some areas of Aneityum, such as in cassava fields, there is a fungus that kills the crops. This species is interplanted with the crops to kill that fungus and protect the crop plants.

Scientific name: Cymbopogon citratus, Speaker: Tony Keith

[niɣɛn nʊmʊ] n. fish tail

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. frankincense

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 152

n. herb to 70 cm, florets yellow (collection: Michael J. Balick #4998)

Example: To treat a headache, especially from the flu, boil a handful of leaves in 1 liter of water for a few minutes, let cool and drink 1 cup of liquid per day . Also can treat this type of headache by using the plant in a steam bath, by boiling 4 handfuls of leaves in a pot of water, covering the head with a towel and breathing in the steam from the pot.

Scientific name: Bidens pilosa, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

[ninahɛn] n. scales

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n sea snake

n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3574)

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.

Scientific name: Acacia simplex, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. Ficus adenosperma

Example: Stalk: chewed, agaist headache

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 443

[nohor] n. Woodford’s Rail

Example: Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans / Wikimedia Commons, License: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Scientific name: Nesoclopeus woodfordi, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

[nowanɣat] n. pandanus fruit (sg)

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. cliff

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 135

n. the red star, the "hand" in the constellation Orion; also "necye"

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. understory tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4049)

Example: 1. The name means "knife of sandpaper", a type of fish. The leaf base resembles the fin of the fish. 2. In the past, a spear was made from the sapling wood of this plant for tribal warfare. Today, spears are made from this plant for fishing. First, a relatively straight spaling is chosen and then heated over a fire. The pliable portion of wood is straightened and then decorticated. When cool, a portion of wire can be affixed on one end to aid in the spearing of fish.

Scientific name: Tapeinosperma

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.

Scientific name: Sphaeropteris lunulata, Speaker: Tony Keith

prep. down there

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

[ovan] adj. strong

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

conj. conjunction to join sentences together

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

[puarapuanan par lei] phr. he went there and he took it

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. talk

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. first quarter of the moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 109

adv. by land; on land

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 109

v.a. to pare off rind

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 110

prep. down

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi