An example search has returned 100 entries
acesare
adj. sun just down
bookmarkelum
v. to begin to form, as fruit
bookmarkeucenwaig nieg
v. to sharpen the point of a reed like a spear
bookmarkinhau
n. kind of tree
bookmarkinhetelga
n. a runner, the fruit of which is round like a cake
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inja
n. Moorish idol
Example: Photo by Ian Shaw / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkink
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.
bookmarkinlop̃ot
inma
n. a breadfruit tree
bookmarkinmayinepad
n. Squaretail coralgrouper
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinmeranauunse
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmohoc onubidou
inmouwat
inpak
n. species of banyan
bookmarkinpan
n. kind of banana
bookmarkinpecelelcei paralelcei
n. tree, 18-20 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3584)
Example: The young stems of this tree are very light, and used to make spears for fishing--they float. The stems are used to make the poles that connect the outrigger to the canoe. Good to make a fishing spear with as with others, timber. Leaves used with other plants to heal a sick woman who is sick from a male spirit – PARALELCEI – This lead with other leaves unspecified, tie together pound juice out of it and put juice in bamboo, cover top w/ wild cane leaf and take to sick woman before sunset, give to her to drink, before wave bamboo around her, open it and pour a bit on her head and drink a bit and wash her face, then break bamboo and discard it before sunset. Then tell spirit to go away. Symptoms such as a miscarriage or continued period, or dream and see the male spirit, or dream of snakes from the forest.
bookmarkinta
intapin
n. a hedge; a shelter
bookmarkintesyan numarei
n. Longspine emperor
Example: Photo by Museum of New Zealand / Te Papa Tongarewa, License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinweriwei
inyipei
n. the flour, as of arrowroot
bookmarklelen
adj. unripe
bookmarkmasoa
n. herb to 1 m, fruits green (collection: Michael J. Balick #4915)
Example: This plant was said to have been brought in by the early missionaries, used to starch their clothes and grown as a crop for export to England. Used as a food crop as well, the root is mashed, dried in the sun and kept until needed. To process, put the roots in a bowl, add water and soak for 1 day and night, pour off the water and keep the starch. Prepare this food like lap-lap that is cooked on a fire in a pan.
bookmarknadeni
n. the name of a prickly shrub
bookmarknadoni
n. prickly shrub
bookmarknaerek
n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3492)
Example: 1. Used for firewood. Whole plant used to make a broom for sweeping by tying the small branches together. The very topmost leaves are used when planting kava, as a “superstition” you hold a lead between your big and second toes when tamping the earth down for a kava plant, to give power to earth so kava grows well. 2. This plant is used to make a local broom. Collect a number of branches, let them dry in the sun--the leaves will fall off--then tie the branches together with a piece of Pandanus leaf or any other vine that is handy.
bookmarknaero
n. sapling directly under large tree of same species (20-25 m tall), growing in primary forest. Sterile. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3451)
Example: 1. Wood used for timber boards. 2. Timber tree, sawn timber young stems for spear fishing, clean bark, heat it, affix tips on the end.
bookmarknahrarin nepig
n. early morning; around 3 o’clock
bookmarknakwei
n. large palm, 20 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4080)
Example: 1. Children eat the nut of the ripe fruits. 2. The leaf bases can be used, when tied together, two at a time, to create a bowl from which to drink. 3. In the past, the trunks were used to fashion a hunting spear used in tribal warfare. Further context withheld.
bookmarknala
n. shrub to 2 m, coastal vegetation (collection: Michael J. Balick #4961)
Example: The stem of this plant is used for firewood. If a person has been drinking kava and the next morning feels hung over, they can take a handful of the leaves of this plant, crush them in cool water, and wash their face with this. This treatment will help the kava feeling to disappear.
bookmarknalak mideuc
n. kind of plantain
bookmarknamarere
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknaraki
n. a calm, a smooth sea
bookmarknareram
n. kind of banana
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natereuc
n. kind of banana
bookmarknatuun
n. kind of banana
bookmarknau hos
n. a kind of bamboo (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #25)
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. To make house walls cut to length desired break stems into straps and weave ??. 3. Use stem to cook foods. 4. Container for carrying water. 5. Take tips and tie together and make a torch to go fishing on the reef, walk with the torch – this is a current practice in the East side. 6. Can cut a piece about 1’ long and sharpen edge and use to skin a green banana. 7. Traditional medicine – can use a small segment as a sort of container to carry the traditional medicine to the patient – for example when prepare a sea snake for remedy, or any medicine – to carry it. 8. Used as a container to preserve seeds such as corn, cucumber, beans and is covered with coconut fiber and put near (above?) the fire where it is dry, and the smoke from the fire will keep insects from attacking the seeds.
bookmarknaualha
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknauhwa
n. kind of tree
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.
bookmarkneaig milmat
n. a green coconut
bookmarknecemas
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.
bookmarknecemas moso
n. terrestrial plant on forest floor, growing in disturbed forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3483)
Example: 1. This is a "message plant" that signifies that there has been a death. The person holds it or puts it on their head, goes to another person’s house and hands it to the person they wish to convey the message to, without saying anything and that person knows that someone has died. It can also be handed to that person. The person receiving the message then asks "who" and is told the deceased person’s name. 2. Use it to produce more fog on top of mountain – use w/ another plant, nap̃at (GMP 3268) – put these in a hole on the sacred stone to ferment as it fills with water. After it rots there will be a lot of fog. Name of stone = NAEMOSO. So the fog helps keep the plants moist and growing well.
bookmarknedjap
n. kind of tree
bookmarknehlan
n. a shrub, a plant, a sucker
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nelnjen natimi
nemeg
n. Anchor tuskfish, Orange-dotted tuskfish
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein, iNaturalist: CC BY-A-NC-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknepig sepahai
nepya
n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3541)
Example: 1. The young leaves are placed under a pig being cooked in the earth oven, on top of stones, the fat drips on the leaves and then people eat the leaves with pig fat on it--said to be delicious. The branches are used to make pig pen fences. 2. Collect top branches, chop leaves boil and eat like island cabbage – or cook on charcoal and wrap fish w/ this leaf.
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.
bookmarknerid u uncat
n. the tow of flax
bookmarkneudan tauoc nohos
n. the center sprout of the banana plant
bookmarknidel
n. a meteor; also "nidil"
bookmarknidupau
n. kind of tree
bookmarknidwunitei
nigired
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3623)
Example: People use the leaf of this plant to layer on the bottom of the earth oven, and then pile food such as manioc or taro on it, then pile leaves of this species on top of that. This will help insulate the food from the high heat of the earth oven and allow it to cook better. Used especailly in feasts like weddings. Women usually collect this leaf and is used to cover very large earth ovens.
bookmarknimtinjap par alau
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknipji nelaneayñ
niri
n. grass to 1 m tall, florets brown (collection: Michael J. Balick #4973)
Example: This grass is used to thatch the roof of a traditional house. Tie bunches of the grass on a stick ca. 2 m long, using string from Pandanus or other vines. Lay these on the roof and tie these sticks with grass on crossbars to secure them. The flowers of this grass are harvested and put in bags to make pillows. The flowers are soft and easy to gather and make a nice pillow.
bookmarkniseuc
n. kind of taro
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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.
bookmarknohosma
nononhat
n. Blue-lined large-eye bream
Example: Photo by Jean-Lou Justine / Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknässäi
ohod
n. bundle of leaves, as of nasiaij
bookmark
wud yi encreucaig
v.a. beat so as to shake a tree
bookmarkäminäkäi
n. Marattia smithii
Example: Frond: bathe in infusion, neurodermatitis and infantile eczema
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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