Aneityum

v.n. go forth

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v. to weed

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 68

v. drink

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

[arinʤi] adj. very strong (?)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

v. to fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v.n. to go ashore

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 66

v.n. sail from deep water

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

adj. red (color)

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. to burn ground for planting

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 74

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

Speaker: David Nasauman

adj. green, blue

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 77

v. to fish (with a net)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. a tree for food; a fruit tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 85

n. red (color)

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. the name of a poisonous plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 85

n. twig, branch

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[inhat auɪɲet] n. a drawing on stones

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. a bamboo flute

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 86

[inʤa] n. blood

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[inlolan niʧinandan] n. forehead

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. breadfruit

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. sea bird

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. kind of cabbage or leaf

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[inmerahi] n. kind of breadfruit (white)

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. shrub to 2 m tall, flowers yellow. Growing along coast. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4959)

Example: The young leaves are boiled for 15 minutes and coconut milk is added to the warm leaves and this is eaten--the coconut milk it said to make the leaves taste better. New mothers are given this food as it helps them to produce more milk for their babies. As a medicine, take the young shoots, peel the outer skin off of these, macerate a 3’ piece of young stem in a small amount of water, take out the fiber, put the juice in a tablespoon and feed it to a baby that is old enough to swallow water (not a new born) when they have diarrhea. Take once daily for 2-3 days. This remedy is used for babies up to one year of age. For older babies that have diarrhea, peel the young 3’ stems and give them to the child to chew (spit out the fiber) and have them drink a small amount of water after chewing. This treatment is once daily, for 2-3 days until the diarrhea stops. For adults, take 4 young stems about 3’ long and chew these and swallow the juice, twice daily (morning and afternoon) and use until the diarrhea stops. When this plant is in flower, hunters know that the turtle has more fat and can be harvested--a calendar plant.

Scientific name: Melanthera biflora, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. herb, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3221)

Example: This plant is used as a wild cabbage. The leaves are used to cover fish when baking in an earth oven and then these leaves are eaten. This is another "calendar plant" of Aneityum. When this plant flowers it means that turtles are very fat, so it is the indication that it’s time to go fishing for turtles. Also a "message plant." If a person wishes to break an agreement then the person puts the top leaves of this plant on another individual’s doorstep to indicate that the agreement is broken.

Scientific name: Wollastonia biflora, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. creeping and decumbent vine, growing at edge of strand (near airstrip terminal). (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3575)

Scientific name: Stictocardia campanulata, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. Homalium aneityense (RPV #105)

Scientific name: Homalium aneityense, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree to 5 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4924)

Example: Tree is a good source of firewood. Children use the "Y" of a branch to make sling shot for hunting birds and flying fox.

Scientific name: Ochrosia elliptica, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4797)

Scientific name: Coix lacryma-jobi, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 3-4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3570)

Example: This plant grows in coastal areas, and is a good source of firewood. It can be used for house posts. The leaves are used as an unspecified medicine. There is a belief regarding the black and white sea snake, that represents a seawater spirit. Mix this with other unspecified leaves, mash together, squeeze into a bamboo tube and fill it. Give it to a woman to drink to keep the evil snake spirit away. The same preparation can be used to treat toothache, caused by the seawater spirit. "The spirit can trick you into going to fish every day."

Scientific name: Guettarda speciosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3530)

Example: This plant grows in coastal areas, and is a good source of firewood. It can be used for house posts. The leaves are used as an unspecified medicine. There is a belief regarding the black and white sea snake, that represents a seawater spirit. Mix this with other unspecified leaves, mash together, squeeze into a bamboo tube and fill it. Give it to a woman to drink to keep the evil snake spirit away. The same preparation can be used to treat toothache, caused by the seawater spirit. "The spirit can trick you into going to fish every day."

Scientific name: Guettarda speciosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[nahanemek] n. kind of breadfruit, old name for "naho"

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of turtle

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. low-growing, creeping vine growing in grassy area just inland from coastal strand. Flowers purple. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3224)

Example: Long time ago used seeds to make necklaces, don’t last long.

Scientific name: Canavalia rosea, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. shrub; small plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 94

n. flax

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 151

[nakajaŋ a nijman] n. palm of hand

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

[nalak ŋaɣeseɣa] n. kind of plantain ("red like the sun")

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. epiphyte on tree trunks, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4103)

Scientific name: Spiridens sp., Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. twining vine, growing on grassed along roadside in open disturbed area. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3608)

Scientific name: Cardiospermum halicacabum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[nawʊn nɛθoʊn] n. leg

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4764)

Scientific name: Tarenna, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. terrestrial fern, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4099)

Example: 1. The name means "cloud". The plant is usually found on high ridges, in areas where there is often high moisture.

Scientific name: Callistopteris apiifolia, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[narasɛn] n. skin (general)

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. wind-related term; no definition provided

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

[natʔhat] n. wall

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

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. herb, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3280)

Example: A "message plant". In ancient times, this plant was used for communicating. If you go to a person who composes songs and give this to them, they will know to compose a song for you. Name means "flowers on the ground".

Scientific name: Isachne comata, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. tree, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3487)

Example: 1. To cure spirit sickness of the niteitau. Use plants that also end with "au" : niditau, intoutau, naoyerop. Go to the top of the plant to get the soft leaves of the plants niditau, intoutau, naoyerop, also take the bark. The person making the medicine should be holding the these leaves with a piece of nelmaha. Nelmaha means go away. The sick person chews the leaves and bark and swallows the juice spitting out the fiber into the nelmaha the medicine maker is holding. The medicine person then takes the spit out fiber in the nalmaha leaf and throws it into the sea in front of the village. 2. Edible fruits, when ripe or green, does not taste when green, but sweet when ripe. 3a. Leaves (young) are edible, for example wrap around coconut meat and eat or cook with island cabbage and other leaves, boil and add coconut milk and eat. 3b. 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. 4. During big feast, use this a lot – circumcison or wedding feast, harvest leaves and wrap around meat and bake on earth oven – sometimes we cut down a whole tree to gather leaves. 5. To make men’s custom belt – split stem, peel outer bark off to take inner bark and peel it, tear end to make strap that can be tied. Dry in sun but not direct sunlight. 6. Older large trunks were burned by ancestors to keep fire going – did not need matches (lefre(?) matches) because embers would stay for days and when make a fire add smaller branches to make a flame.

Scientific name: Ficus scabra, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub. Village pathways. ornamental. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #7)

Example: 1. Heat the leaves then place on the sore muscle. 2. Edible plant, cook young leaves until soft and then can eat, as a vegetable or soup, with any food. 3. Same use as AAM 3 to heat and put on body to heal pain. 4. On a reef when it is time to protect the reef to conserve it and bring more fish, you take this plant and put it in the hole in the reef – cut stem and put it in reef in several parts. People will know it is under protection and respect it.

Scientific name: Polyscias multijuga, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. large-leafed orange mangrove (RPV #93)

Scientific name: Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

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. tree to 5 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4901)

Scientific name: Plerandra tannae, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

[nefat̚po] n. November (lit. relax, don’t have to work)

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. stage of coconut

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. cliff

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 135

n. epiphyte on prop roots and main tree trunks, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4044)

Scientific name: Asplenium amboinense, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. fern. Growing in a village back path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #28)

Example: 1. To cure when the anus falls out - Pound together 1 braches worth of inpalcapnesgin leaves and of both inloptiri (2-4 leaves, any age), also take the inner bark of nekeaitimi and nakhe. Put this into your hand, or another leaf and give it to the person to use it. This should be applied to the anus whenever the anus comes out. USed to use a clam shell to extract the bark but not anymore.

Scientific name: Angiopteris evecta, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of bush

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. a tree from the inner rind of which fishing lines and nets are made. na elmai or elumai, cloth

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 99

n. tree to 8 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4863)

Example: Fiber: Collect the stems of this plant, peel off the outer bark, soak (ret) in seawater for 1 week, then put stone on top of it-the fibers are loosened by the retting, peel them off and hang in the sun to dry and bleach. Weave small baskets, grass skirts and other things from this fiber. When sticks are placed in areas of the sea, shells are attracted to these sticks and people can collect the shells used for adornment--the animals in the shells like to eat the material on the sticks. Dried fruits of this plant are eaten by birds.

Scientific name: Pipturus argenteus, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. the castor-oil plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 102

n. tree to 8 m, dbh 20 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4867)

Example: Fruits are sweet and edible when ripe. This plant is an indicator of rich soil, a good place to plant one’s garden. The leaves of this species are mixed in with other leaves for an unspecified local medicine that helps to remove spiritual sickness

Scientific name: Ficus adenosperma, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree to 4 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4936)

Example: The leaves are used to cover earth ovens when cooking big fish or taro.

Scientific name: Cleidion neoebudicum, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. a plant like a banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 101

[nija] n. cup for bait

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. brow of a hill

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 131

[niʧinɛθoʊn] n. knee

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. turtle shell

Speaker: Chris Nevehev

[ɲiroʊn] n. basket

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

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. ray of light in the morning

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 177

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[nohoɪjam] n. fan of woven pandanus leaf

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

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

[nohopɣop] n. Glossy swiftlet

Example: Photo by Lip Kee, License: CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr

Scientific name: Collocalia esculenta, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. corn

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 138

[nomrɪn diʧinan] n. fin (of a fish)

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. the north-north-west wind

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

[nopwañ] n. Far Eastern Curlew

Example: Photo by Graham Winterflood, License: CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr

Scientific name: Numenius madagascariensis, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. shrub to 1 m, flowers green (collection: Michael J. Balick #4895)

Example: To make bush ropes, remove outer bark, use to tie things when other ropes are not available. This plant is sour and toxic if the fruits or leaves are eaten. Animals will not eat this plant. The elders teach us not to eat this plant.

Scientific name: Wikstroemia indica, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. dale

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 140

n. kind of fish (folk name)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3263)

Example: 1. A "calendar plant". When this flowers in the bush, and people are making their gardens in that area, it means the garden is ready to harvest. 2. Firewood, calendar, and message plant – for people who live up in the forest can see this coastal plant and when it flowers it is a good time to go fishing or to move to the coastal area for a few weeks to relax. July-August. Tide is low so everything is exposed so it is a good time to fish for there, 2 months. 3. Flowers have a nice nectar, sweet, kids drink.

Scientific name: Metrosideros collina, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. Macaranga dioca

Example: Inner bark: bathe in cold infusion, wounds. Mix heated over fire and taken out during sunset. Healer clenches the package in his fist, then gently punches the patients left, then right knee, then his forehead and finally squeezes over his head, migraine a

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 441

n. herb to 2 m, flowers white. Growing at edge of secondary forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4967)

Example: Peel the outer stem of this plant and weave two pieces of this together to make and armband to hold fragrant leaves for Kastom ceremony.

Scientific name: Donax canniformis, Speaker: Tony Keith

adv. downwards or westwards

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 108

prep. down

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. three days ago; three days hence

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 141