Aneityum

[amai neto] phr. chew sugarcane

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

[amŋinwei] phr. drink water

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. break soft things (like bread, cassava, taro, etc.); cut in half

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. run

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3520)

Example: Children sometimes eat this fruit but it smells bad. Adults do not eat it. An introduced species so there is no local name.

Scientific name: Annona glabra

v. respect

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. to grow

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. to fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[et hal t̚imi ] phr. some people

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. kind of crab

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[inɣaitisian] n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. type of seashell

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

Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. sandalwood

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 85

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

[inʤia] n. chicken

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. belt

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. shrub to 1 m, flower white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4866)

Example: When making a taro patch, and removing soil, add the leaves of this plant to the soil to fertilize the taro, and prevent the bottom part of the taro from rotting. Put a layer of leaves on the bottom of the patch before planting taro and covering with soil.

Scientific name: Codiaeum variegatum, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree, 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4124)

Scientific name: Trichospermum inmac, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. Tabernaemontana padacaqui

Example: leaf used for for wounds; cold maceration taken internally against "skin cancer" (severe wounds?). Stalk, chewed, influences sex of an embryo in favor of a girl.

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 440

n. a convolvulus

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. herb to 1. 5 m tall, sterile. Growing in weedy patch behind buildings on edge of trail. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4986)

Example: People use the leaves of this plant to wrap lap-lap for cooking on the earth oven or when boiling foods. The leaves can also be used as serving plates and to cover the stones on the earth oven.

Scientific name: Heliconia indica, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. planet

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 172

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. a hedge; a shelter

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. rose

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 179

n. shrub to 2 m tall, dbh 2 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4996)

Example: This is an ornamental plant, grown around the home. People crush the leaves to enjoy the fragrance released. When bathing, grate coconut meat and crush the leaves of this plant and rub all over the body, before bathing and afterwards your body will smell very nice. To repel mosquitoes, crush these leaves and put them in the house.

Scientific name: Melicope bonwickii, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. epiphytic orchid, growing in dense rainforest. Fruit green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4110)

Scientific name: Coelogyne lamellata, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. terrestrial orchid, growing along river at edge of dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4120)

Scientific name: indet, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

adj. afar

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 121

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[ŋmoroŋmora] n. ants

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. half tide when rising

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 93

n. terrestrial fern, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4086)

Example: 1. The name describes a sea bird, whose long legs are similar in shape to the stipe of this fern.

Scientific name: Diplazium oblongifolium, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree. Growing on the coast. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #23)

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. Firewood, house post for bush house.

Scientific name: Guettarda speciosa, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. p. taro for the dead

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 94

n. kind of turtle

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. saplings, 3-6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3715)

Example: Small poles from this plant are used to make fishing spears, and larger stems used for house rafters.

Scientific name: Tarenna efatensis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of plantain (strong one)

Speaker: David Nasauman

[naleθmot] n. Australasian Grass Owl

Example: Photo by Geoff Whalan, License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr

Scientific name: Tyto longimembris, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. shrub to 1. 5 m, dbh 4 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #5005)

Example: In areas such as this, where more traditional leaves used to wrap lap-lap are scarce, this leaf can be used as it is quite large.

Scientific name: Cyrtandra, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. herb to 0. 75 m, fruits brown. Growing in cultivated area near village. (collection: Michael J. Balick #5011)

Example: People use this for an uspecified medicine.

Scientific name: Achyranthes aspera, Speaker: Tony Keith

[narasɛn] n. skin

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. a native plant, the leaves of which are used as cabbage

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 96

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4769)

Scientific name: Breynia disticha, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[naʊintin] n. bowels

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. Scalloped hammerhead

Example: Photo by Xvic / Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Sphyrna lewini, Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. small, sparsely branched tree (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3463)

Example: This is considered a sacred plant. People do not use this plant as it is considered "of the devil."

Scientific name: Delarbrea paradoxa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. a chewing of wood, and spitting it on sick people, to cure them; also "naihon"

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 99

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3518)

Example: People plant this tree near the coast, specifically as small fish and shellfish hide in it to breed and people know this.

Scientific name: Rhizophora samoensis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. small tree. Found in the village, but not cultivated. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #17)

Example: 1. Ancestors used this plant to make fish line – cut young branches, remove outer bark and tie together, put in salt water or fresh water for a week, it is now strong, dry in sun, take fibers and twist them together to make a very long fishing line. 2. Leaves are used to feed pigs. 3. Take inner bark, scrape it and put on boils. Attach with any leaf and it takes out the boil. 4. Trunk for temporary bush house.

Scientific name: Pipturus argenteus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree 6 m tall, dbh 15 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4864)

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

[nɛlpon nohop a nelɣo] n. front of a canoe

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

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. scandent shrub, growing in dense rainforest. Fruits purple-red. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4117)

Scientific name: Medinilla cauliflora, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of crab

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. strangler tree, 12 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3694)

Scientific name: Ficus obliqua, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree to 10 m, dbh 75 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4988)

Example: The young aerial roots are cut from the stems of the tree and used as a local rope, to tie things, help construct temporary shelters, as well as to make string for a hunting bow. Flying foxes like to eat this fruit so in the night when the fruit is mature hunters come by this tree to hunt flying foxes as well as hunting birds during the day. Hunters use bows and arrows for birds, and throwing sticks (natou) made from any plant to hunt flying foxes.

Scientific name: Ficus kajewskii, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree, 6-7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3527)

Example: 1. The flower is used to make a necklace and the wood used as poles for a house roof. The flower is very fragrant and people put it behind their ear to enjoy the aroma. The leaf is used to bake taro in the earth oven. Use a fire to heat stones, then when the fire burns down and the stones are hot, pile these leaves on top of the hot stones and then place the food being cooked--taro, fish, pig, cassava, banana or other foods--on top of the leaves. Then pile more of these leaves on top of the food and then place additional hot stones on top of that pile of leaves. While the food is cooking--each type of food takes a different amount of time--the leaves give off a very nice smell and help flavor the food. 2. Firewood, flower smells good, put in coconut oil to give it aroma. Grate coconut, add small amount of water, put in bowl, heat until water is evaporated, the oil is on top, take all the coconut cream on bottom save oil in another pot. Drop 2-3 flowers into coconut oil and boil, or more flowers. Try not to burn the oil. Take out flowers and use pure oil. Also used for final covering of large earth oven during feast along with GMP 3503 – esp. wedding feast. Planting pole and hard and heavy wood – sharp end. 3. This is a "calendar plant." When it flowers, people know that the taro is ready to harvest.

Scientific name: Gardenia tannaensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

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.

Scientific name: Melastoma malabathricum, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. grass to 70 cm tall, sterile. Cultivated at the side of a field. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4958)

Example: The leaves and stems are boiled in water to make tea. The base of the leaves (the whitish part) is used to cook foods that have a strong odor, such as goat or shark. The base is sliced and put in the soup and this helps to keep the smell of the goat or shark from infusing through the rest of the food and making it less palatable. In some areas of Aneityum, such as in cassava fields, there is a fungus that kills the crops. This species is interplanted with the crops to kill that fungus and protect the crop plants.

Scientific name: Cymbopogon citratus, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. the castor-oil plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 102

n. shrub, 1-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3555)

Example: This plant is an aphrodisiac. Eat with coconut meat to make the body strong. Take 1/2 handful of leaves and mix with coconut leaves, use as needed. Mostly men eat this combination. It is best to eat with dry coconut that has no water in it. Eat it any time you wish.

Scientific name: Pemphis acidula, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

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.

Scientific name: Vaccinium macgillivrayi, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. fallen tree, growing in canopy gap in primary forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3465)

Example: When the flowers of this plant are green, it is an indication that the cool season is approaching; when the flowers are brown, the dry season is coming. The wood is used to make rafters for the roof of houses, on which to tie thatch.

Scientific name: Commersonia bartramia, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3491)

Example: Name means smash tooth. 1. This is part of an unspecified mixture that can be used as a spell to give another person a toothache. 2. Toothache – chew leaves on the sore tooth and leave it there for a while and spit it out – it will break the tooth and you can take it out, leave on 20 minutes.

Scientific name: Phyllanthus myrianthus, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[ninɛhɛn nʊmʊ] n. fish scales

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

[nepjeŋ] n. fish bait

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. type of seashell

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

Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. kind of seashell

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[niriθ] n. gills

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. terrestrial fern, growing along ridge in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4121)

Example: 1. The name means "fish gill". When one acquires a culture-bound illness, caused by possesion of the sea devil, this plant is used to prepare a remedy. Further information about the illness and remedy withheld.

Scientific name: Schizaea dichotoma, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. laplap leaf (RPV #154)

Scientific name: Heliconia indica var. austrocaledonica, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n sea snake

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.

Scientific name: Acacia simplex, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. Cordyline fruticosa L.

Example: Leaf: chew (leprosy in mouth). Whole plant: planted for several Kastom purposes; many important Kastom-bound uses as magical or ornamental plant throughout Melanesia.

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 442

[niʧep] n. mat for sitting

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

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[nohos upene] n. kind of banana (lit. "good banana")

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. tree, 8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3703)

Scientific name: Syzygium nomoa, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[nopɲa] n. Red-Bellied Fruit Dove

Example: Sub-adult Red-bellied Fruit Dove. Photo by Papier K / Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Scientific name: Ptilinopus greyii, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. seed (general term)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[nuhu] n. floating rock from the volcano

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. tree to 20 m, dbh 30 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4907)

Scientific name: Syzygium aneityense, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. new moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 105

n. vine climbing on Myristica fatua, growing in primary rainforest. Fruits green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3615)

Example: This vine is used to make rope. Collect the stem, roll it in a figure 8, heat it on a fire and tie it on a house while the vine is still hot. Weave a ?? net to catch fish.

Scientific name: Smilax vitiensis, 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

conj. conjunction to join sentences together

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

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

adj. leafless; fading

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 107

n. tree to 8 m, dbh 60 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4984)

Example: Peel the shell of the fruit and eat the inner part, or make jam from this part. Spit out the seeds. The branches of this tree are used for firewood.

Scientific name: Ceratonia siliqua, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. Sawtooth barracuda

Example: Photo by Stephanie W. Batzer, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Sphyraena putnamae via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

[toŋ] n. tongue

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119