Aneityum

v. go down

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v.a. reach summit; also "eliaujai"

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[ahi] adj. white (color)

Speaker: David Nasauman

v. drink

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v.n. go over, as a hill

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v. passed by on the other side

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 79

v. burn

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

inter. where

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. full moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 75

conj. conjunction to join sentences together (used with "par")

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. show

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. cut nut (RPV #58)

Scientific name: Barringtonia procera, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4033)

Scientific name: Planchonella, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3547)

Example: This plant is for medicine to treat a spiritual condition related to the coral snake that is the seawater spirit. When a woman is pregnant, some times she gets sick, so use this leaf with 2-3 other unspecified leaves and mash them together, squeeze the juice into a small cup (bamboo), wave around the woman’s body, and then put a few drops onto her head and body, then she drinks the rest. This will help heal her sickness. This treatment can be used for men who have a toothache from eating too much fish--the seawater spirit of the coral snake makes the tooth hurt. It is used in the same way as for a pregnant woman. If the pain from the toothache is really from the seawater spirit, then this will cure it; if not, it will not help.

Scientific name: Sophora tomentosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. a plantation

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 86

n. epiphyte on main trunk (near base) of large tree, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4060)

Scientific name: Phlegmariurus squarrosus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. kind of breadfruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. a convolvulus

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. Tahitian chestnut (RPV #47)

Scientific name: Inocarpus fagifer, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[inpak] n. clouds that divide like a banyan tree

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. species of banyan

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. grass to 3 m, flowers brown. Growing in degraded secondary forest along trail. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4969)

Example: The stem of this plant is used to make walls of houses. Collect the stem and remove the leaves, and then take one of the bush vines (any of them) and tie the stems into bundles for making house walls or fences for chicken pens. Children make a whistle from a hollow piece of stem from this plant.

Scientific name: Miscanthus sinensis, Speaker: Tony Keith

[indi] n. excrement (gen.)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. shrub, 0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3562)

Example: In the past the ancestors learned to cook the leaves of this species with fish in an earth over and then eat the leaves as well as the fish. Today, fish are wrapped with small leaves and then covered with lap-lap leaf (Polyscias) and cooked in an earth oven. This plant is also a "calendar plant." When you see this plant flower you know that sea turtles are getting fat and ready to harvest. As a "message plant", if a person puts this flower behind their ear or in their hat, and looks at another person, it is an invitation to that person to go with you to the nakamal for kava

Scientific name: Wollastonia biflora, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

[inwerinɣweɪ] n. board (sg)

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. tree, 9 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4053)

Example: 1. Timber is often harvested and sold from this tree. 2. Flying foxes enjoy the fruits of this tree. Hunters gather nearby this species when the flying foxes are hunted.

Scientific name: Sideroxylon aneityense, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. the afternoon; also "jupjupki"

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 91

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 #5012)

Example: Children use this fruit as a rattle. When parents go to the gardens or fields with their children, they collect the pods for the children to use as a rattle and amuse themselves. Unspecified medicinal use.

Scientific name: Senna occidentalis, Speaker: Tony Keith

adj. smooth, applied to sugarcane-leaf thatch

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 107

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[naɣiŋaɣas] n. Mystery Island (eastern part) (lit. chiefly basket for fish or fish will always want to get your bait)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. herb to 1 m tall, flowers red (collection: Michael J. Balick #4952)

Example: The tubers are edible when peeled and boiled in water for 1 hour. Alternatively, they can be peeled, soaked in water for 30 minutes, and then ground to make lap-lap.

Scientific name: Canna indica, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4771)

Scientific name: Dianella ensifolia, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

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.

Scientific name: Dendrolobium umbellatum, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. chicken feathers

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[naleθpeɲ] n. Barn Owl

Example: Photo by Matt Knoth, License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr

Scientific name: Tyto alba, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. preserved breadfruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 95

n. epiphytic liana climbing up several canopy trees, growing on slope in primary forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4023)

Example: 1. The roots of this plant are used to make "Nopoy"--a traditional trap used to catch fish and lobster. The outer bark of the roots are removed and sun-dried. The roots are then split into several pieces and they are woven in an open fashion similar to a "noporapora"--a type of market basket fashioned from coconut leaflets.

Scientific name: Freycinetia impavida, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. shrub to 2 m, flowers white. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4926)

Example: Use the leaves to make compost to be placed at the bottom of the hole where taro is to be planted, cover with soil and grow the taro in that hole. Serves as a fertilizer.

Scientific name: Scaevola taccada, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

[nawʊn nɛθoʊn] n. leg

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

[narasɛn] n. skin

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. a species of grass

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 96

n. east

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 146

n. shrub, 0. 8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3603)

Example: This plant has an unspecified use that is considered secret.

Scientific name: Breynia disticha, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. dawn of day

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 141

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. herb, growing in partially drained marsh. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3593)

Scientific name: Schoenoplectus validus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of crab

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. shrub, 1. 75 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3643)

Example: Can be used to make a love potion. Is bad for married people.

Scientific name: Desmodium ormocarpoides, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4791)

Scientific name: Acalypha wilkesiana, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. partly fallen tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4055)

Example: 1. The wood of this tree is used to make rafters of traditional homes.

Scientific name: Melicope bonwickii, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3531)

Example: 1. For a child around 1 year of age, take the inside bark, mash it, boil in hot warter and then use it to wash the child. This will ensure that the child will grow strong and make them able to crawl fast. 2. If a woman who is one month pregnant would like to have a baby, she is given 4 of the tips of the branches to chew and swallow everything before breakfast 1x only. 3. For fishing, take 4 leaves, hold top side up, tear right half of leaves off, keep left side, roll it up and put with fishing gear to have good luck when fishing in the deep sea beyond the reef.

Scientific name: Ficus glandifera, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

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

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. a shrub, a plant, a sucker

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 98

n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3652)

Scientific name: Leucosyke australis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. Group of fish including triggerfish, wrasses, chubs, mullets, jacks, and sweetlips

Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. kind of bush

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. type of seashell

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

Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. epiphytic vine climbing on trees, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4091)

Example: 1. When a child is between 1 mos. and 1 yr. if the father persists too soon in resuming sexual relations with the mother, the child can become sick. In preparation for the sickness, green leaves are collected. When the sickness occurs, the leaves (now dry) are burned and the baby is washed with the charcoal. 2. After visitors leaves one’s house, one must not hurry to return to their gardens. One waits a few days, then swims with the rachis of this fern tied about their waist. If this practice is not followed, it is believed that the plants in one’s gardens will grow weak.

Scientific name: Selliguea plantaginea, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub to 2 m, flowers white. forest near house. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4871)

Example: A handful of flower buds are collected and put into water with 1-2 pieces of papaya roots. Heat the water and drink it hot for the treatment of hypertension or vein problems, or to promote circulation in overweight people. Do this treatment 1x a month. The white sap is collected and used to soften octopus flesh for eating. Put sap, fruits and chopped leaves in a bowl and add the octopus, allowing it to remain in the bowl for 1 hour--this will soften the flesh of the animal. The sap can be used to wash the skin of tough beef or wild pig--it helps to "burn" off (remove) the skin. When cooking tough meat, take young fruits of this tree and cut them up and put them in the pot with the meat, boil it to soften the meat which can then be cooked.

Scientific name: Carica papaya, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. clouds rising up against the wind (possibly black clouds)

Speaker: David Nasauman

[netupni] n. June (lit. good sugar cane)

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

[nijaʊ] n. March (lit. a kind of plant like bamboo but smaller)

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. the castor-oil plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 102

n. tree, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3479)

Example: The leaves of this plant are used in cooking, particuarly with 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. The young stems of this plant are used in home construction but as they are small and thin, they are not used for posts.

Scientific name: Cleidion javanicum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of bush

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree, 10-12 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4061)

Example: 1. When cooking "Naura" (freshwater prawns), the leaves are used to wrap them before they are roasted in a fire. 2. When making lap-lap (a traditional dish made of grated root crops), and the lap-lap leaf is unavailable (Heliconia sp.), use the large leaf of this species to wrap the taro.

Scientific name: Dillenia neoebudica, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[nilin] n. shoulder

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. herb. Growing along village path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #2)

Example: 1. Take handful of young leaves from the middle of the branch and rub until soft. Squeeze the leaves into a cup to get the juice. This will help with a stomache ache for any woman, but especially women who have been fed a potion. 2. To stop baby crying - take 8 fresh leaves and squeeze into warm water. Medicine, wash the plant, take either the leaves or whole plant, 1 handful of leaves, boil in 1 liter water for a few minutes, let it cool, drink 1 cup 1x day for 3 days, flu, headache, stomachache. Considered a weed that likes to grow in cultivated areas.

Scientific name: Bidens pilosa, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. wind

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. the shark (constellation?)

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. Goldspotted spinefoot

Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Siganus punctatus, Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. Bigeye scad

Example: Photo by J.E. Randall / Fishbase, License: CC BY-A-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Selar crumenophthalmus via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. corn

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 138

n. fruit dove

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. seed (general term)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

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.

Scientific name: Melodinus neoebudicus, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shoots of taro for planting

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 105

n. type of seashell

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

Speaker: Jack Keitadi

adj. inland

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 159

adv. down hither

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 108

n. kind of fish (folk name)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. first quarter of the moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 109

adj. perennial (applied to water); also "etweite", "inweite"

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 171

n. Lined surgeonfish

Example: Photo by Erik Schlogl / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Acanthurus lineatus via FishBase, Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117