Aneityum

affix yonder; away from

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 91

v.n. go past

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 154

v.n. go down

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 154

[apuat pam] n. just dark now, black

Speaker: David Nasauman

[arinʤi] adj. very strong (?)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

v. apply (as in oil to skin); paint

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

[deseiʧ nadimi] phr. three men (there are)

Speaker: David Nasauman

adj. a second growth as of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 72

[elajnej] n. after sundown, when the insects start to chirp

Speaker: David Nasauman

v.n. to rise up; to overflow as sea on land; to get ashore

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 78

phr. the reeds blossom.

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 77

v. show

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

adj. bad, wicked; eheshas, very bad

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 81

adj. soft, over-ripe, as breadfruit.

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 82

n. Pink Squirrelfish

Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Sargocentron tiereoides via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. herb, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3676)

Scientific name: Hedychium coronarium, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. sandalwood

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 85

n. Macaranga megacarpa (RPV #41)

Scientific name: Macaranga megacarpa, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. breadfruit

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. vine to 40 cm, flowers blue (collection: Michael J. Balick #4949)

Example: To heal cuts, select a piece of the larger part of the stem (woody) cut a 6 inch piece and blow on one end; the sap comes o ut on the other end and this can be used to cover the wound. As a pig feed, people collect the stems and leaves and feed these to the pigs.

Scientific name: Ipomoea, Speaker: Tony Keith

[inpuah] n. type of fish

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. good luck plant (RPV #14)

Scientific name: Cordyline fruticosa, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. seat on canoe

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. a bed, a foundation, a plantation

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. rose

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 179

n. well branched tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3202)

Example: 1. Young shoots are peeled and made into grass skirts. Scrape the stem and take the green part off, tie strips together and put under stones in the sea for retting, let sit 5 days in sea, but check these on a daily basis. When the fiber becomes soft, that is the time to take it from under the stones, clean off the excess materials, and hang it in the sun to dry for 3 days--this will bleach it and give it a whitish color, at which point it can be woven into a skirt. 2. The fiber can be used to make a small rope that is tied with shells and used for custom dances. 3. When the stems of this tree are older, the wood is very hard and it can be used to make the main frame that is arched for a cyclone house. According to Reuben these houses are not made much anymore on Aneityum Island. 4. To cook the intestines of fish that are eaten, take several leaves and put them in a small pile, making a wrapping, then use a local fiber to tie this together and cook on charcoal for as long as needed to prepare the fish parts. 5. In this area, sometimes knowledge of the plants and flowering are used as a calendar to indicate the time for planting of specific crops. Reuben will provide more details on a future trip. 6a. This species is an important "message plant." If a person is not home and you are visiting from the East--e.g. an Eastern part of the Island--that person can leave a 12 inch piece of stick in front of the door of the house so that the inhabitant knows that an eastern visitor (from Anawonjei district) has come by your home. The reason that person has come to visit is to pass an important message to you--good or bad "luck". The bad luck message might be a death, and is not told directly to the person. The good luck message might be a birth, or conflict that has been resolved. These messages are communicated using sticks--each district has a different species of plant. Reuben’s is the hibiscus. 6b. Message plant for Eastern people. If someone dies, use this plant, clip it in front of hem, in front of home, they ask “who” and you can tell them. In Eastern culture you cannot tell them directly. 7. When a person is too drunk with kava, take a branch of this and brush him with it to help make the effects go away. 8. Traditional plates for food.

Scientific name: Hibiscus tiliaceus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. yellow colored vine to 1 m tall, flower buds white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4879)

Scientific name: Cassytha filiformis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. whale

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. the flour, as of arrowroot

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

v. to gather beans

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

n. Elattostachys falcata (RPV #112)

Scientific name: Elattostachys falcata, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[ʧiŋkum] n. chewing gum

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. herb to 0. 75 m, fruits brown. Growing in cultivated area near village. (collection: Michael J. Balick #5012)

Example: Children use this fruit as a rattle. When parents go to the gardens or fields with their children, they collect the pods for the children to use as a rattle and amuse themselves. Unspecified medicinal use.

Scientific name: Senna occidentalis, Speaker: Tony Keith

[kurimataʊ] n. cow (lit. dog’s older brother)

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. coconut crab

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. Yellowmargin triggerfish

Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Pseudobalistes flavimarginatus via FishBase, Speaker: Chris Nevehev

[nadimi ditij] phr. one man (there is)

Speaker: David Nasauman

[nadimi itij] phr. one man

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. sparsely to moderately branched tree, 6-8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3220)

Example: 1. Wood is used for carving as it is a nice black wood. 2. Also used for house posts. 3. Use sapwood – cut a piece of wood, long one 1-2 m. Put it in front of the house or take a smaller piece on top of the entrance door – protects against bad spirits.

Scientific name: Thespesia populnea, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. canarium nut (RPV #25)

Scientific name: Canarium indicum, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. turtle

Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. sapling, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4106)

Example: 1. Sapling wood is used to make fishing spears. A straight sapling is first heated in the fire to render it pliable. The sapling is further straightened and then decorticated. Once cooled, wire can be added a prong to the end of the spear.

Scientific name: Dacrycarpus imbricatus, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. isle, island

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 160

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. small treelet, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3682)

Example: Can be used to stop pain from toothache. Break of the top growth of a branch and remove all leaves. Chew on the green stem at the site where there is a toothache. Keep the juice from chewing in your mouth for 2-5 minutes then spit the juice out. Leave the stem fibers in your mouth at the site of pain for about 20 minutes then remove. Then repeat 2 more times. This makes the tooth thinner so it breaks more easily.

Scientific name: Cyrtandra aneiteensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. epiphytic liana, growing in primary forest. Bracts orange-red at base. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4029)

Example: 1. The roots of this plant are used to make "Nopoy"--a traditional trap used to catch fish and lobster. The outer bark of the roots are removed and sun-dried. The roots are then split into several pieces and they are woven in an open fashion similar to a "noporapora"--a type of market basket fashioned from coconut leaflets.

Scientific name: Freycinetia cf. reineckei, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. liana climbing on Syzygium, growing along ridge in dense rainforest. Bracts pale to deep red. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4078)

Scientific name: Freycinetia tannaensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. well branched tree, 12 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4081)

Example: 1. The wood is used to carve a bi-handle bowl from which chiefs would drink kava.

Scientific name: Glochidion ramiflorum, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[napat apeiŋ] n. black cloud

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. tree to 5 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4889)

Example: The leaves are used to cover meat when baking it in a stone oven (inmawum). This will soften the meat and keep it moist. Used when other species of this genus are not available, for example if you are in the bush.

Scientific name: Polyscias cissodendron, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. skin, peel (of fruit)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. bean

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 127

n. native cabbage

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 132

n. a bamboo flute

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 151

n. stone wall for beach

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 195

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3444)

Scientific name: Ficus scabra, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. species of sycamore (117); a sycamore fig (97)

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 97, 117

[nawuraniŋ upni] phr. thank you very much

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. a spotted coconut

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. a mat of coconut leaf

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 99

n. small tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4059)

Scientific name: Leukosyke australis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

[nɛʝɲan natimi] n. footprints (human)

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

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. kind of palm

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

[nenes] n. fiber for kava

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. the name of a poisonous plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 99

n. leaves; grass

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 100

n. green pandanus leaf

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 170

n. tree fern, trunk 2-2. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3693)

Scientific name: Cyathea vieillardii, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. a species of orchid (there are three on the island)

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 102

[niprij ~ nipriʧ] n. Buff-banded Rail

Example: Photo by David Cook, License: CC BY-NC 2.0 via Flickr

Scientific name: Gallirallus philippensis, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. kind of fish (folk name)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4760)

Scientific name: Polyalthia nitidissima, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. shoots of plants of bananas

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 103

n. ripe bananas

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. vine to 2 m, aerial tubers and lobed leaves. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4946)

Example: This is a root crop. It is harvested in April-June. The leaves turn yellow and indicate that the crop is ready to harvest. If planted in the old days the root would get much larger. It is a good cyclone disaster food. Grows wild now. Boil the tuber in fresh water, when it is cooked add a bit of sea water to give it a salty taste. Chew the starchy root and spit out the fiber. Another variety is like sweet potato and a person can eat the entire root without spitting out the fiber. Can mix with coconut milk as well to eat.

Scientific name: Dioscorea pentaphylla, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

[nopɲa] n. Red-Bellied Fruit Dove

Example: Sub-adult Red-bellied Fruit Dove. Photo by Papier K / Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Scientific name: Ptilinopus greyii, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. kind of fish (folk name)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. small tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3452)

Example: 1a. The stem of this plant is used to make a spear, as it is always straight and very strong. It is a small growing plant, just right for length of a spear. 1b. Make a spear for fishing, peel bark, heat stem, affix points to end. 2. Name is the name of a fish. 3. Rafters for roof.

Scientific name: Podocarpus neriifolius, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[nʊmrɪn diʧiŋan] n. gills (of a fish)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. terrestrial fern, 0. 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3577)

Example: Join two of the inrolled fronds together at the part where the frond is opening (the tip that is curled) such that the leaves are held together by their unfolding growing tips. Place this along the path that is frequented by a wild pig (they travel along paths) and when the pig passes these two leaves, and is chased by a hunter’s dogs, these leaves in this formation are said to sap some of the pig’s energy and thus allow the dogs to catch up with it. This was explained to Tony by another person who mentioned it as a sort of magical power possessed by this type of fern.

Scientific name: Blechnopsis orientalis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[nʊpsiʤman] n. finger (gen.)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

adv. down hither

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 108

n. Blackfin barracuda

Example: Photo by Jan Messersmith, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Sphyraena qenie via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. Sawtooth barracuda

Example: Photo by Stephanie W. Batzer, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Sphyraena putnamae via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

adj. rich; good, as applied to fruits

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 110

n. a kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 111

adj. done; cooked

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi