An example search has returned 100 entries
ahtowan
v. to weed
bookmarkalwa
v. to bud; to put forth leaves
bookmarkehlili
v. to burn ground for planting
bookmarkelwa
v. to blossom or bring forth flowers; "alwa", to bud or bring forth leaves. "Et elwa nieg": the reeds blossom. "Et elwa intisiaicai": the flowers are come out.
bookmarketgei
v. to weed
bookmarkfetofeto
inceihuri
injupjupura
n. night; quite dark
bookmarkinjupki upni
inlopotjap
n. shrub to 2 m in height, flowers white. In agricultural field. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4951)
Example: The young leaves are used to protect food as it is being cooked on an earth oven. To prepare the oven, pile hot stones, then put a layer of leaves on the stones, and then place hot stones on top of the leaves. To make a hot oven, the stones are lined in a pit, a fire lit, more stones placed on firewood and the top layer of stones gets very hot. Then, remove the stones from the top of the wood, and cook food o the bottom layer of stones, add a layer of leaves, place the food on top of this, then cover with a layer of leaves and then pile the rest of the hot stones on top of the leaves.
bookmark
inmaan
n. old coconut leaves
bookmarkinmadidi
inmapoded
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmauwad imrig
n. a convolvulus with blue or reddish flowers
bookmarkinmeri
n. a stringy bark tree
bookmarkinta
intakedou
n. Redface Squirrrelfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkintopasyejitohou
n. herb to 50 cm tall, flowers yellow. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4947)
Example: To treat toothache, collect the uppermost young leaves, rub them in your hand, put mass of crushed leaves into the area of toothache to lessen the pain. Do this as needed until the pain goes away. Keep it in your mouth for 10 minutes then spit out, then add a new one, keep going as needed.
bookmarkinwaj
n. Hound needlefish, crocodile long-tom
Example: Photo by Philippe Bourjon / Fishbase, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinwow ityuwun
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.
bookmarkinyipei
n. the flour, as of arrowroot
bookmarkitac acen
adj. afar
bookmarkjupmulmul
n. the cool of the evening
bookmarkkidie ~ kithi
n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3205)
Example: 1. Plant this tree at each of the four corners of a fence to keep your pigs in and protect against a type of bad luck. If a man sleeps with his wife who is having her period, and then the man goes to see the pig, the pig will suffer and not grow strong and not have many piglets. So the presence of this plant controls against bad luck that others can bring to your pig farm. 2. This is an ornamental plant grown around the home. Sticks of this plant are planted around the outside of the garden and grow to create a fence, to protect the crops and keep them healthy, as well as protect the crops from people that are not cleansed in the ritual way. 3. This species is also planted around the house to add color and is very decorative in general. 4. For fertilizer in taro holes for water taro. For baly(?) taro and water taro, lay these flat on the surface of the charcoal, then lay the food – taro, cassava – on this and cover with another layer, add hot stones and cook. 4. Pig food, goat food.
bookmark
nadiat
n. day
bookmarknafan
n. the name of a species of seaweed
bookmarknakli pece
n. isle, island
bookmarknalak cai
n. kind of plantain
bookmarkname cedo
nanedauyan
n. Pacific yellowtail emperor
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknapile
n. kind of taro
bookmarknap̃at
n. terrestrial fern, growing in dwarf cloud-forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3268)
Example: For performing a weather magic ritual to produce fog, this plant is fermented along with another plant (nirid u numu) in a hole in a sacred stone (called "Naemoso") at a secret location on Aneityum.
bookmarknarasincai
n. bark
bookmark
nasahas
n. a small water-plant
bookmarknasanma
n. the juice of the breadfruit tree
bookmarknasjiñao
natimihas
n. terrestrial fern, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4095)
Example: 1. The name means "cranky person". If someone fastens this plant around his head as a deocrative lei, it means that this person is not happy. He does not want to talk or communicate with anybody. The use is no longer common, and now many people do not know the signficance.
bookmarknehep
n. tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3590)
Example: 1. Used as a medicine to help stop bleeding. Take the inner bark, mash it, and dip in water. Then apply the poultice to the bleeding wound to help stop the bleeding. This treatment will also promote healing of the wound. When the poultice dries it becomes hard and sticks to the wound. At that point leave it on the wound until the pain goes away and then it can be peeled off of the wound. 2. Wood good for making canoe.
bookmarknekrei
n. a large bat; the flying fox
bookmarknemla
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4127)
Example: 1. This wood can be used to start a fire, where there are no matches. Two dried pieces of wood are rubbed vigorously together to create tinder. The tinder is then added to dried material in order to start a fire. 2. The wood of this plant is used as rafters in traditional houses.
bookmarknemtokei
n. tree to 7 m tall, dbh 8 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4861)
Example: When a person does heavy work and their body feels tired, they should take 1 handful of leaves, squeeze them into a cup of water and drink--this will make the person feel better. People can drink this from time to time to give the body energy even before you are tired. To treat constipation, take 4- 8’ pieces of stem from a 2 cm dbh section of the tree, peel the outside bark off, collect the inner bark and mash with a stone or hammer, put in a colander to strain out the wood, add 1.5 l water, the liquid becomes green or whitish with sticky liquid. Drink this one time, it tastes cold and then after about 30 minutes it feels like the bowel is working and then normal function returns--this does not induce diarrhea but rather returns the bowel to normal function.
bookmarknerid u uncat
n. the tow of flax
bookmarknerumut
n. a hollow place in taro
bookmarknetethae
n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3604)
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.
bookmarkniau
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknicvan neaig
n. kind of taro
bookmarknidei
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknihivaeñ aeyhec
nijhinga
n. shrub, 1-1. 25 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3591)
Example: The fruits of this species are edible when ripe (black) and are very sweet. It grows in the white grass area in the open. It is "numba one" fruit. If a person eats a lot of these it turns their tongue reddish-purple.
bookmarknijwou
n. vine climbing up a macaranga tree, growing in open disturbed area. Fruits green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3588)
Example: 1. To build a cyclone house, take the vine of this species to tie pieces of the house. To prepare the vine for use as rope, collect many feet of it, put it in a fire, roll it in a figure 8, wait until it softens and then use for tying. This vine is hard and needs to be heated to a high temperature in the fire to make it soft; the person preparing this must use gloves to tie it to the posts and rafters while it is still warm. When it cools, it is very strong. Rope made from this vine will last a long time--perhaps 10-15 years. It can also be used to make a regular house. However, it is not as strong as GMP #3589. 2. For men who want rasta in hair, take a few leaves and dry them, burn with some other plants to rub on the rasta and keeps it healthy, keep from splitting.
bookmarknilcasau
n. the castor-oil plant
bookmark
niyeg
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.
bookmarknobohtan aiyu
n. meadow
bookmarknofar
n. a native pudding made with yam and coconut
bookmarknop̃ou
n. large epiphyte on dead tree, growing in open forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3478)
Example: The wood of this plant is very hard and can be used for house posts. Because the wood is somewhat heavy, younger stems can be sharpened at one end and the pole can be used to plant dryland taro, to make holes for the tubers. For planting swamp taro, the leaves can be used to line the pit that the taro is planted in; it is a local fertilizer for the taro, and as it rots the soil becomes soft while the taro is growing. The flowers are placed behind one’s ear to enjoy the fragrance or can also be used to make a floral necklace (Intañ).
bookmark
nunyepec
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.
bookmarknupsinhodaeñ
nuput, noho’ich
n. cultivated anthropogenic landscape (lawn and planted trees). (collection: Keith E. Clancy #6655)
bookmarknuputreiki
n. kind of tree
bookmarknusjau
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknyihivac
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.
bookmarknässäi
There 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
