An example search has returned 100 entries
ateucradi se an namilvai
v.n. get off the reef
bookmarkimtiat
incacas
n. herb to 0. 75 m tall, flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4953)
Example: The young leaves are edible; these should be collected, boiled for ca. 8 minutes and eaten with other foods such as cassava. This is one of the local leaves that is said to taste quite good when cooked and mixed with other foods. Both the ripe (red) and unripe (green) fruits are added to soup and other foods as a spice or eaten fresh. The fruit of this cultivar is very hot. The fruit is also fed to chickens who seem to love to eat it.
bookmarkincat tal
n. basket of taro
bookmarkinceihuri
incesmetaig
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarkincetevak
n. Pink Squirrelfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmark
incowos up̃utap̃
inhamesei
n. the name of a native plant
bookmarkinharisihau
inhau amai
n. moderately branched treelet, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3203)
Example: 1a. This type of hibiscus has young leaves that are reddish in color and it is an edible type. The stems are eaten during April-July. Harvest the stems, beat them and cut off the outer bark. Collect inner bark, slicing it off the stem and wrapping it in a banana type leaf with coconut milk added. Bake all night at least 8 hours, then it is eaten. Said to taste like a root vegetable. Used during the dry season when there are not many crops available. 1b. Take young shoot of the tree then pound the base to separate the base of the bark from the stem but leave it on the stem, say pound 4-5 inches around the base, then come back 3-4 months and the rest of the bark would be thicker. Then cut where it was pounded, cut stem in 1.5-foot pieces, bake on an earth oven, leaves on bottom layer (on top of charcoal) then sticks, then leaves on top, then hot stones, and then more leaves. Bake for 1.5 hours, then remove a stick at a time and use shell to scrape away outer bark, cut into 6 inch pieces, put on log, pound to make softer, put in lap lap leaves leaf wrapping, add coconut milk, put in stone oven, cook for one hour then open lap lap leaves and eat. 2. This variety is for this purpose just like Pohnpei. 3. This variety is not used for grass skirt.
bookmarkinhosumeljag ~ nu inhosumeljag
ink
n. vine, growing in disturbed forest. Fruits green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3470)
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.
bookmarkinmahe
n. the pandanus leaf
bookmarkinmauwad imrig
n. a convolvulus with blue or reddish flowers
bookmarkinmehei ipciv
n. kind of banana
bookmarkinmopoñ
n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3516)
Example: The young stems are used to make fishing spears. These stems are also used to make the poles that connect an outrigger to a traditional canoe, as they are light and strong. The large trees have extensive roots and stumps and are used as a pen for pigs by making a fence from these.
bookmarkinm̃ap̃
n. tree, 12-14 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3611)
Example: 1. The nut of this tree is edible and very good. Boil it with skin on or bake it in the earth oven and then cut it in half and eat. 2. Leaves for top of house ridge. 3. Leaves for fertilizing the water taro in swamps.
bookmarkinpece
n. tree to 15 m, dbh 50 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4918)
Example: The fruits of this tree are collected, mixed with ground coconut, boiled in water and the oil collected. The resulting oil is used medicinally, put on the skin for any condition to promote healing. Apply once a day until the condition resolves. Also can be used to treat head lice. Add the oil mixture to the hair, massage in, keep the hair dry for a day, then wash. Use once daily for 3 days.
bookmarkintaig um has
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintal athunwai
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintisianmop
n. kind of sugarcane
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.
bookmarkinyat
inyecelcoli
n. vine to 1 m, flowers purple. (kudzu plant). (collection: Michael J. Balick #4920)
Example: Roast the tuber of this vine on an open fire for 20-40 minutes, peel off the skin and eat like cassava or taro. Chew it and drink the "juice" while spitting out the fiber. It grows wild, season of harvesting is in May. Very tasty food for people, considered "numba wan" food for this island.
bookmarkisji ariko
v. to gather beans
bookmarklelceije
v.n. to walk abroad
bookmarklelohos
n. a garden of bananas
bookmarkleyei cap
n. kind of taro
bookmarkmasoa
n. arrowroot
bookmarknabudschata
n. Achyranthes aspera L.
Example: juice squeezed from leaves; taken internally against asthma and put into boils
bookmarknadi adiat upni
nahad
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknahoj
nakwai
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknakweiwei
n. treelet to 1 m, sterile. In transition zone from pine forest to scrub forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4981)
Example: The wood is used to make a fishing spear. Cut the straight stems, heat it in fire, straighten it as much as needed, cool the stem, peel the bark off of the stem and let it cure for 1 month. In the past, the end of the spear was carved into a sharp point and used for fishing. Now steel rods are placed on the tip to catch the fish. This is used in shallow water (fresh water or sea water) as the wood is heavy and can sink. People making these spears go to older forests that are higher up to collect the wood.
bookmarknamarai
n. preserved breadfruit
bookmarknap̃at
naran
n. Orange-socket surgeonfish
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknarpomyiv
nasanma
n. the juice of the breadfruit tree
bookmarknatuun
n. kind of banana
bookmarkneipyepei
n. kind of tree
bookmarknepñatimi
n. epiphyte on syzygium tree, growing in secondary forest along trail above river. old fruits. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3660)
Example: Put several leaves of this species together to wrap food, especially the fresh water eel, and to carry plants of taro, kava, holding the leaves over one’s shoulder to carry these crops.
bookmarknesgin
n. the pith
bookmarknidincai
n. balsam; resin
bookmarknidintaueuc
n. new coconut leaves
bookmarknigiti
nijom hubou
nilec
nisiug
n. a tree, the leaves of which have no center rib
bookmarknisvahaijom
n. tree from which petticoats or skirts are made
bookmarknisyeg
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.
bookmarkniyeg
n. grass, 2. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4071)
Example: 1. Dried leaves are used to make the thatch roofs of traditional houses. The same leaves are woven to make the walls of traditional houses. 2. When a large torch is required, many dried stems are bundled to form a flambeau. 3. The leaves of this plant are used to demarcate tabu areas. Further information about the practice withheld.
bookmarkniyeg
n. grass. Found in disturbed area behind the village. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #12)
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. Main plant to thatch roof of local houses. 3. Collect the dry stems, tie together, use as a torch at night for walking or walking along the reef when fishing. 4. Take 1 cane and tie the leaves together and tie on a tree to indicate tabu – e.g. a citrus tree that will be ripe soon to tell people not to pick it. 5. To catch crabs just before sunset, burn the torch and shake the ashes on the rocks; come back an hour or so later and the crabs are attracted by the ashes and you can collect them. 6. Can also use to weave walls of house. 7. Women clean the leaves of the stem and use the hard part of the stem to strip pandanus leaf before weaving a basket. 8. Cut wild cane in half and sharpen the end, use this to cut the dried pandanus leaves into small strips. 9. Tie leaves into a knot and stick the knot on the kava stem; t is means that this kava goes “express” so the carrier goes to one border of a village and passes it to another person who knows it cannot stop in this village but goes to the next border and is passed on 10. This plant is a “message plant” to say “don’t stop,” referring to something being delivered.
bookmarknodieg
n. a bundle of reeds; also "nohudieg"
bookmarknohwan nuputu
n. kind of taro
bookmarknosjacai
n. Two-striped sweetlips, giant sweetlips
Example: Photo by Ross D. Robertson / Shorefishes of the Neotropics, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknowanlas
n. Orangespot surgeonfish
Example: Photo by Ian Shaw / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknowat
n. Convict surgeonfish, convict tang
Example: Photo by Philippe Bourjon / Fishbase, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknowyeyang
n. shrub to 2 m tall, flowers pink (collection: Michael J. Balick #4955)
Example: The tubers of this variety are sweet, not bitter and are eaten after cooking. The young leaves are eaten after boiling in water until they are soft, either plain or cooked in soup. It is important to only harvest and prepare the young leaves in this way, as the older leaves will not get soft even after cooking. The young leaves are used to cover the top layer of the earth oven, on top of the stones that comprise the upper layer of the earth oven.
bookmarksepam
adv. down here
bookmarksepamki
adv. down here
bookmarktehtehen
n. blossom (open)
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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