An example search has returned 100 entries
alwa
v. to bud; to put forth leaves
bookmarkeucupupu (nieg)
v. to swell, as reeds when near blossoming
bookmarkimehei
n. pandanus leaf
bookmarkincetevak
n. Bluelined squirrelfish, Tahitian squirrelfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinhatmapig
n. kind of taro
bookmarkinhau am̃a
n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3560)
Example: In ancient times this plant was used as a fiber to make skirts and rope. Take the stems, remove the leaves, rett the stems in sea water for a few weeks, sun dry the stems and then weave into rope or skirts. This plant is not much used for this purpose at the present time. This plant is used to make a medicine with an unspecified use.
bookmarkinhosumeljag ~ nu inhosumeljag
inhulec ~ iɣleɣ
[inhuleɣ] n. Yellow-throated White-eye
Example: Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans / Wikimedia Commons, License: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
bookmarkinhuterau
n. a rainbow
bookmarkinmadidi
n. tree to 7 m, dbh 30 com (collection: Michael J. Balick #4870)
Example: This plant is used for spiritual purposes. When fruits are young, the children take the fruit, cut it open and take coconut leaf midribs, impaling the seeds on the midribs and painting themselves with the fruit.
bookmarkinrosi
n. a clearing of bush or reeds
bookmarkintate a nelgo waj
intelopse
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarkinyacelcou
n. vine running many meters long over clay soil and grassy area on hillside where the triangular wooden signs are that used to be a landmark for ships coming to the island. Sterile. (collection: Michael J. Balick #5008)
Example: This plant is the focus of an important legend on Aneityum. When the missionary John Geddie and colleaguse first arrived on the island in July of 1848, the Chiefs welcomed them but some of the people did not like the idea. So these people sent a basket containing a peeled coconut and a fish (nopom) to the Chief in Umej to ask him to support the idea of getting rid of the missionary that the Chief of Analcahuat had welcomed. If the Chief of Umej were to eat the fish and coconut meat, it would mean that he agreed with the opposition. The Chief refused to eat the food in the basket and he told the people a parable involving this plant. A person cannot find the tip of the stem or the end of the root in the ground. So if they were to eliminate the missionary, his activity would continue because of God’s power. As it is with this plant, it will continue to grow and flourish if you cut it or try to dig up the root. So he sent a message about this plant to the people in Analcahuat who objected to the presence of the missionary stating this parable. Those people in Analcauhat held a secret meeting and they chose a powerful and strong person to kill the missionary. During the night the person went to the missionary’s house while he was in the toilet. Returning to the house, the missionary found the person in his doorway, and that person lifted his club to strike the missionary. But at that point the attacker’s hands suddenly had no power and the club fell from his hands, and he fell over. The missionary told him to get up, and not come back. After that experience, the people of Umej realized that God’s power was great and they could not go against it. The Chief took the peeled coconut that was sent him and covered it with the skin of another coconut and planted it instead of eating it. This coconut grew and the missionary’s work continued to grow on the island. So this vine played an important role in communicating the power of God to the people of Aneityum.
bookmarkkapou
n. gun
bookmarkmako amyiñ
n. tree to 5 m, fdby 35 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4979)
Example: The fruits are edible and ripen during November-December. The leaves can be boiled as a medicine. If a person has a hoarse voice, boil 4 or or a few more leaves in 1 liter of water. Cool the mixture and drink once daily until the voice returns to normal. The trunk of this tree is good for timber, as it is a very hard wood. But a productive tree is not cut for timber--only the wild mangos that have flowers and small fruits that do not ripen; these trees are cut for timber. This particular tree, "Mango Amgie" bears fruit with a great deal of fiber, so the name refers to the "mango that you drink." Amgie means "drink" in the Aneityum language. There is another variety of mango, "Mango Cig" that means the mango that you eat. It has a little fiber but good fleshy fruits. This species is introduced from outside of Aneityum.
bookmarkmetagi asori
n. kind of taro
bookmarkmeto
adj. ripe; also "metto"
bookmarknaheñ
nairo
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.
bookmarkname cedo
namlau
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.
bookmarknaposjilcau
n. kind of tree
bookmarknapun nitai caig
n. the skin or rind of food
bookmarknaridjai o un
n. east
bookmarknariramteh
n. kind of banana
bookmarknarutu matua
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknatisiyeg
n. Squaretail mullet
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknauanavig
n. quicksands
bookmarknaupitcat
nauyerop̃
n. sparsely branched small tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3209)
Example: The fruit is edible when ripe and when it is younger can be eaten with salt. The young leaves are eaten raw, after being rubbed with coconut meat and salt. Cover pork to be cooked in the oven with the leaves of this plant, tie them on with a rope made from Pandanus leaf and put taro on the fire as well. The oily part of the pig will mix with the taro and enhance its flavor.
bookmarknawa
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.
bookmarkneduon
n. a bone, a foot
bookmarkneka
nekrou
n. Two-spot red snapper, twinspot snapper, red bass
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknelmaha
n. tree. Growing near village. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #6)
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. To cure headaches casued by bad spirit - Take one top from Nelmaha and one from inrowod (white stripe variety) Combine and chew these then spit them out and apply to the sick persons forehead. 3. 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. 4. To cure toothache when pregnant - Take the inner bark from Intejed and boil it in a pot of seawater (about 1 liter) along with 2 leaves from each of inpounatmas, narayag, nahayag, and nelmaha. Boil until juice is visibly leaving the plants. Put this water into your mouth and hold it there for 2-3 minutes. Do this this with one cup in the morning, 1 cup in the afternoon, and 1 cup in the evening. 5. Used to fight against black magic in an unspecified way. 6. Roll leaf and put in pocket for protection when walk in a new area. 7. Message plant if a land dispute – if a person puts this stem or leaf in another’s garden whom they are angry with it means go away!! 8. To treat sick people, especially who fall ill from black magic to save their life. Symptoms vary, for example a person with small boils over body,* a person chews the leaf and spits it on the sick person, 1x and then puts the branch with leaves near the sick person when they sleep – 3x (1x day) branch is ca. 25cm long. (*headache, severe)
bookmarknelnjen
nelpon nohop a nelco
nerin nujipsotan
n. blade, as of corn or grass
bookmarknetcetas
n. well branched tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4084)
Example: 1. The name means "explosion". Further information about the plant withheld.
bookmarknetjeñ
neusjai
n. a fern tree
bookmarknicvan neaig
n. kind of taro
bookmarknijeuc nijeuc
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknijmese
n. green foliage
bookmarknilbuthou
nilec
n. epiphyte. Growing on tree in village area. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #1)
Example: Makes period normal again. Take three young leaves from the very tops of the plant and pound and squeeze out the juice from the leaves. Mix with small amount of water to help juice come out. Drink this 3 times a day for 3 days. Pig food – feed the leaves to the pigs. Leaves used to wrap around Cyrtosperma merkusii to cook for several days—this taro needs a lot of cooking. So this leaf is particularly used for that purpose because it is very watery. Will keep the taro from becoming too burned or dry – it will cook soft after a few days – keep tasting it until the calcium oxalate sensation is gone. Check it 3 times – cook, open, taste and it should be good. Wrap fish and put directly on charcoal fire. – also cover top rocks in earth oven.
bookmarknilidie
n. leaves to put food on
bookmarknipjid aiyu
n. orange
bookmarknisiug
n. a tree, the leaves of which have no center rib
bookmarknisʧi
nourasjohou
nuei
n. vine climbing into the canopy on Sarcomelicope, growing in primary rainforest. Fruits green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3620)
Example: This plant is used for local rope. Coil it in a figure 8, heat on a fire, when it is soft, use it for tying poles on a house. It is very strong when cool and dry.
bookmarknuei
n. vine, growing up trees in primary forest at edge of river. flower white. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3675)
Example: This vine is collected, rolled in a figure 8 and put on a fire to soften it and used to tie posts. It is tied when warm, because when it cools it is very strong, "like wire." It does not burn on the fire, only become soft. It is said to be excellent for the construction of cyclone houses, it shrinks after heating to make a very strong rope.
bookmarknuhujcei
n. liana, climbing on fallen tree (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3500)
Example: 1. When the stems of this plant are older, and it is a vine, is used to tie thatch on roof rafters as it bends well. 2. Burned leaves and rubbed on fishing line and spear to increase catch – used with other unspecified leaves, that are forageable. When you are fishing and if you set a basket or mat it means danger and you have to return to shore – the spirit is telling you that it is enough fishing.
bookmarknupyihet
n. new moon
bookmarknädoiatmas
nämdokai
se
adv. downward
bookmarksepagko
adv. down yonder
bookmarkworago
n. Lined surgeonfish
Example: Photo by Erik Schlogl / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmark


