An example search has returned 100 entries
-ki
affix in this direction; here; this
bookmarkacrac
baby crawling
bookmarkcubuj cubuj
n. Lattice soldierfish, violet soldierfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkedaledal
v.a. to spread abroad; to go everywhere
bookmarkelumai
n. cloth (related to nelmai)
bookmarketi laulau
adv. soon
bookmarkhan
v.n. to go
bookmarkhas
adj. bad, wicked; eheshas, very bad
bookmarkincat
n. flax
bookmarkincet tal
n. a basket of taro
bookmarkincispev
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.
bookmarkinhamese an neaig
n. an old coconut
bookmarkinharedej
inhutlavlav
n. a bamboo flute
bookmarkinmahe
n. the pandanus leaf
bookmarkinmowad itouga
n. vine climbing on Geissois denhamii (GMP #3522), growing in open (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3524)
Example: The word itougo means from a different country or place outside of Aneityum. The plant was introduced by the first missionaries who came to Port Patrick. Calendar plant – sea cost people see this flower in the forest and they know it is time to go into garden and harvest taro or make new gardens– see GMP 3263. This is also good firewood.
bookmarkinpak
n. species of banyan
bookmarkintoutau
n. tree, 14 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3586)
Example: To make a fire, take a 1-2 cm diameter stick, sharpen it and rub it against a larger piece, ca. 6 cm in diameter. As a person rubs, the stick will start smoking and then start a fire, especially if there are a few small slivers of stem on the stick that can catch fire. People use other types of sticks to rub against the larger piece as well, and this will make a fire.
bookmarkintoutau
n. tree. Growing near village. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #5)
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. For a baby that is not doing well, as with malnourished, take 4-5 leaves, put in warm water and wash baby – 1x day for 3 days. 6. Use to make temporary house.
bookmarkinwaj
Reef needlefish, Reef longtoms
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinyapwit
n. kind of tree
bookmarkinyitupau
n. kind of tree
bookmarkkaias elauoh
n. kind of taro
bookmarkkalispeuv
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarklelceije
v.n. to walk abroad
bookmarkleyei cap
n. kind of taro
bookmarkmaprum
nabudwä
nafakaka
n. a blossom; the spathe of a coconut used as light; also "nafaketa"
bookmarknai
n. a plant with red leaves
bookmarknakhe
n. fern. Growing in a village back path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #29)
Example: 1. To cure when the anus falls out - Pound together 1 braches worth of inpalcapnesgin leaves and of both inloptiri (2-4 leaves, any age), also take the inner bark of nekeaitimi and nakhe. Put this into your hand, or another leaf and give it to the person to use it. This should be applied to the anus whenever the anus comes out. USed to use a clam shell to extract the bark but not anymore.
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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.
bookmarknapoijec
n. kind of tree
bookmarknapun nitai caig
n. the skin or rind of food
bookmarknasau
n. a crop; fruit which grows spontaneously
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natoga ahrei
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknauyerop̃ u inman
nednañlelcei
nedouyatmas
neducai inhujid
n. kind of tree
bookmarkneduon
n. a bone, a foot
bookmarknehtumta
n. land newly planted with taro
bookmarknelehel
n. a light wind
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.
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nepekhau
nerin
n. a leaf
bookmarknese
n. herb to 4 m tall, male flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4977)
Example: The fruits are edible and eaten when ripe. To soften beef or octopus, or other meat that is tough, chop green fruit and put in a bowl with meat/fish and then add some water. Allow to sit for 30 minutes or if the food needs to be softer, then leave it in longer. The leaves are used to feed lobsters that are being kept in cages underwater, following their harvest. The leaves are used to cover stones on the earth oven. To treat a person with Ciguatera illness, wash many very gren fruits of papaya, the smallest ones that form at the top, and eat these to help relieve symptoms.
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nidman tal
n. a top of taro
bookmarknilcasau
n. the castor-oil plant
bookmarknilec
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.
bookmarkniridunumu
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.
bookmarknisalau
n. blossoms on breadfruit
bookmarknitit a nelgo waj
nititidei
niyeg
n. grass. Found in disturbed area behind the village. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #12)
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. Main plant to thatch roof of local houses. 3. Collect the dry stems, tie together, use as a torch at night for walking or walking along the reef when fishing. 4. Take 1 cane and tie the leaves together and tie on a tree to indicate tabu – e.g. a citrus tree that will be ripe soon to tell people not to pick it. 5. To catch crabs just before sunset, burn the torch and shake the ashes on the rocks; come back an hour or so later and the crabs are attracted by the ashes and you can collect them. 6. Can also use to weave walls of house. 7. Women clean the leaves of the stem and use the hard part of the stem to strip pandanus leaf before weaving a basket. 8. Cut wild cane in half and sharpen the end, use this to cut the dried pandanus leaves into small strips. 9. Tie leaves into a knot and stick the knot on the kava stem; t is means that this kava goes “express” so the carrier goes to one border of a village and passes it to another person who knows it cannot stop in this village but goes to the next border and is passed on 10. This plant is a “message plant” to say “don’t stop,” referring to something being delivered.
bookmarknobom
n. Bigeye scad
Example: Photo by J.E. Randall / Fishbase, License: CC BY-A-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknohoanma
n. breadfruit; also "nohwanma"
bookmarknohwan nefara
n. kind of taro
bookmarknomyatamain
n. Thumbprint emperor, blackspot emperor
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknononhat
n. Blue-lined large-eye bream
Example: Photo by Jean-Lou Justine / Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknopugei
nosjacai
n. Two-striped sweetlips, giant sweetlips
Example: Photo by Ross D. Robertson / Shorefishes of the Neotropics, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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nugnas iran
n. a bunch of taro
bookmarknumujced
n. fern to 0. 75 m, sori brown. Growing in pine forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4983)
Example: Join two of the inrolled fronds together at the part where the frond is opening (the tip that is curled) such that the leaves are held together by their unfolding growing tips. Place this along the path that is frequented by a wild pig (they travel along paths) and when the pig passes these two leaves, and is chased by a hunter’s dogs, these leaves in this formation are said to sap some of the pig’s energy and thus allow the dogs to catch up with it. This was explained to Tony by another person who mentioned it as a sort of magical power possessed by this type of fern.
bookmarknumuyehec
nupsin hudain
nälmaha
n. unidentified species
Example: Fresh leaves: special Kastom ceremony used to treat severe abdominal pain during pregnancy
bookmarktatau
n. Pickhandle barracuda
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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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