Aneityum

v. go down

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. to fish (in the deep sea)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v.n. to go up, or go east

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v. to collect raw food, as sugarcane taro, for a feast of uncooked food

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

adv. aforetime

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. forecast

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v. go back into shore; go further up into the bush; go inland

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

adj. black

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[apuat pam] n. just dark now, black

Speaker: David Nasauman

[arinʤi tarinʤia] adj. very strong (?)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

v. to fish (with a net)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v.n. sail from deep water

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[θawarivi] n. Silver Gull

Example: Photo by Bernard Spragg, License: Public domain via Flickr

Scientific name: Larus novaehollandiae, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. spring

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 188

n. green (color)

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

phr. the flowers are come out.

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 77

[et hal t̚imi ] phr. some people

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. to split wood

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 80

n. small tree, 1-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4020)

Example: 1. The name of this plant translates as bad tooth, and relates to its use as a plant used to poison others. If one wants to commit an evil act against another, he or she will rub the leaves together and squeeze them over the targets food. It will make their teeth rotten and fall off quickly. More information witheld.

Scientific name: Psychotria milnei, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. shrub to treelet, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3265)

Example: Used as a leaf compost for planting taro, layered on the bottom of the hole and covering the taro as well.

n. Pink Squirrelfish

Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Sargocentron tiereoides via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. tree to 6 m, dbh 8 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #5002)

Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. afternoon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 121

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.

Scientific name: Passiflora suberosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. native petticoat

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 86

n. a grove of coconuts

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 87

[inmeʧihap̃] n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. false star

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. shrub. Growing in the village. Cultivated. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #26)

Example: 1a. To stay healthy while pregnant - grate 1 coconut with nekei leaves, about a handfull (8). And 8 inpa leaves and 8 niditau leaves. Pound all of this together and squeeze juice out and bath in this then jump into a clear river to wash it off. 1b. Handful of leaves mashed with grated coconut and put in a shell, heat stones and put in shell, then take hot liquid to rub on body of woman who have just delivered to make their bodies healthy again, back to normal – when they deliver they are in huts, then wash with this and then come out of the huts and rejoin family. 2. Symbolic plant for peace (name means peace). 3. Message plant – put small tips of leaves in hair or make hat out of it and people know you come in peace. 4. When giving a gift, put this leaf on the gift, as in a basket – people wear them they are happy and peaceful – it is symbolic of Aneityumese people – so even when the people leave the island they will grow this plant. 5. People bathe with this leaf, mixed with grated coconut and cover body and hair to smell good and be strong. 6. Mosquito repellant, build fire, put green leaves on top, smoke and aroma chases mosquito away. 7. Take top of leaf with 3 young leaves and put in hair as there is the belief that this plant symbolizes the trinity. So it protects people. If a person from the island goes elsewhere and is faced with black magic they bathe with a handful of leaves, boil them and bathe with the liquid to remove the spell. 8. Decorate people with this leaf day feasts, weddings, and other events – very sacred.

Scientific name: Euodia hortensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. shrub, 0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3616)

Example: 1. Many plants resemble this species, and are called by this name. 2. Babies who always cry – rub leaves, put them in bath where baby will bathe and this will help stop crying. 3. Ornament for around the house.

Scientific name: Pseuderanthemum longifolium, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. terrestrial plant and epiphyte at base of trees, growing in cloud forest in valley between inrerow and adjacent summit. Inflorescences pale yellow. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3278)

Scientific name: Collospermum montanum, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. the sweet potato

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. Pacific ironwood, horsetail tree (RPV #26)

Scientific name: Casuarina equisetifolia, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. the flour, as of arrowroot

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

[kitlel] n. teapot (probably loanword from "kettle")

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

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

[laknu] n. Vanikoro Flycatcher

Example: Photo by Arthur Chapman, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 via Flickr

Scientific name: Myiagra vanikorensis, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

conj. and

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

[maʊ ipiŋ] n. night of spirits; "left night"

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. herb to 1. 5 m tall, flowers yellow (collection: Michael J. Balick #4894)

Example: When seeds are grey-white, they are ripe. Pick these and make decorations out of them such as necklaces. Women make these necklaces.

Scientific name: Coix lacryma-jobi, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. giant

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. shrub, 2-3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3455)

Example: Fertilizer, take fresh leaves and put in area where plant taro.

Scientific name: Psychotria milnei, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. shrub to treelet, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3266)

Scientific name: Syzygium aneityense, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. large scandent herb, to 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3453)

Example: The leaves of this plant are used to wrap manihot, fish, banana and other vegetables when cooking them in an earth oven or open fire.

Scientific name: Joinvillea plicata, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub. Growing near the beach. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #4)

Example: 1. Dried branches from this plant can be used to roast vegetable crops that women eat if they have problems becoming pregnant. 2. Firewood, burns well. 3. Some people will eat the green fruit for protection against black magic. Eat 5 fruits for this. Eat it only once – will last for a year.

Scientific name: Scaevola taccada, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. epiphytic fern, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4098)

Example: 1. The name means "ground cover". It usually grow on the forest floor.

Scientific name: Crepidomanes, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. Slender silver-biddy

Example: Photo by John E. Randall, License: CC BY-NC 3.0

Scientific name: Gerres oblongus via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

n. epiphytic fern on tree trunk, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4087)

Example: 1. The name refers to a crustacean and also to the spines of bamboo.

Scientific name: Prosaptia contigua, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub to 1 m, flowers greenish-white. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4932)

Example: The roots are used to treat toothache. Take the roots, strip off the outer bark and chew the root. Stops pain from the toothache. Use 3x daily until the pain is gone.

Scientific name: Breynia disticha, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. stone wall for beach

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of fern (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4780)

Scientific name: Adiantum hispidulum, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. dawn of day

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 141

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3505)

Example: The young leaves are edible, after boiling for 5 minutes. A piece of coconut and a pinch of salt is wrapped in the leaves and eaten. The mature leaves are used to wrap food such as pig or cow meat and cooked in an earth oven. Tie this bundle with a piece of Pandanus fiber to secure it before putting in the earth oven. Both the green and ripe fruits are edible.

Scientific name: Ficus storckii, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub to 2 m, flowers white. Red clay soil (collection: Michael J. Balick #4887)

Example: The stem makes a good digging stick to plant taro. Also branches of this tree are cut to tie the canoe to the outrigger. Used for the small sticks that sit at the base of the larger sticks that hold the outrigger (see photos).

Scientific name: Halfordia kendack, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. terrestrial fern, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4094)

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

Scientific name: Tectaria crenata, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. a wing, a sheath, a covering of bananas

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 98

n. tree, growing in forest at edge of wide tidal stream (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3535)

Example: 1. The wood is strong and good to make house posts. People use these for this purpose on the coast as salt water does not bother this wood. 2. People eat fruit, split fruit in half, carefully scrape the inner part into a pot of water, keep over night – next day rinse, fry or cook with coconut milk and can add tinned tuna for example, very hard work.

Scientific name: Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. fern. Growing in a village back path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #28)

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.

Scientific name: Angiopteris evecta, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. terrestrial fern, growing on rocky area in secondary forest above the river. Leaves c. 3 m long. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3654)

Example: The leaf is wrapped around the head as an adornment by both men and women. If a person gets burned by a fire, scrape the petiole of this plant and squeeze juice on the wound to cool and heal it. Use as long as needed. The ancestors are said to have cooked the stump of this plant in an earth oven, over 2-3 nights, and then ate it. It is said to have no taste but was more of a famine food during periods of drought.

Scientific name: Angiopteris evecta, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. orange (fruit)

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. a leaf

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 100

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

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

[niaŋ aɣin] n. August (lit. nasty wild cane)

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. frankincense

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 152

n. tree to 4 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4936)

Example: The leaves are used to cover earth ovens when cooking big fish or taro.

Scientific name: Cleidion neoebudicum, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3503)

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.

Scientific name: Cleidion javanicum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. outrigger of canoe

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. the holes in a coconut

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 102

n. terrestrial fern on forest floor, growing in disturbed forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3482)

Example: People who go fishing take this plant along with other unspecified leaves, crush them and rub them on the fishing line that the person is using. This is said to attract more fish to the bait. It is also a "message plant" to be put in a person’s hat when they come back from fishing and then people know that they caught fish. Local name means "fish gill." For performing a weather magic ritual to produce fog, this plant is fermented along with another plant (nap̃at) in a hole in a sacred stone (called "Naemoso") at a secret location on Aneityum.

Scientific name: Schizaea dichotoma, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. terrestrial fern growing in rain forest on the mountain slope. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3284)

Scientific name: Schizaea dichotoma, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

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. the Futuna banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. a banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. the New Caledonian banana

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. fan

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. fruit dove

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3506)

Example: 1. The leaves of this plant are used in a kastom ceremony; crush the leaves and put in a head garland or on an arm band to release a pleasant odor during a kastom dance. The name of the plant is stated in a kastom song. 2. The leaf is a component for making "love magic." Crush these leaves as well as other unspecified leaves in a person’s hand while stating the name of the person you wish to fall in love with you, and it is said that they will. 3. Message plant – There are special people who compose traditional song about the person or legends, history, so the person who wants the song gives the composer this plant with other unspecified plants and the composer will have a dream that night and spirits will give song and melody and compose a song. Song is for Kastom ceremony singing while dancing.

Scientific name: Murraya odorata, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. dry coconut

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. vine, growing in open disturbed area. flowers white. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3589)

Example: To build a cyclone house, take the vine of this species to tie pieces of the house. To prepare the vine for use as rope, collect many feet of it, put it in a fire, roll it in a figure 8, wait until it softens and then use for tying. This vine is hard and

Scientific name: Jasminum didymum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. a bunch of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 104

[nuhialeɣ upni] phr. Good morning. (greeting in early morning, 6 o’clock to 9:30-10 o’clock)

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. a halo around the sun or moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 113

n. kind of fish (folk name)

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

adj. inland

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 159

adj. rotten, applied to fruit

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 111

n. herb. Found along intra village path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #34)

Example: 1. To make baby grow strong - Take 16 tops of the plant, no flowers, and squeeze them into baby’s bath water. Bath baby in the water and let it dry on the baby. Don’t towel dry. 2. Medicine – take a large leaf, crush and rub it but don’t break it – just soften it and open it and cover the fresh cut with it – leave it there to heal the wound. Keep changing it until the wound gets healed. 3. For headache and fever – flu – take branches with no flowers or seeds, boil it 15 minutes to extract brownish juice, drink 1 cup hot 2, per day – morning and evening for 5 days. 4. The fruits – 7 – chew and swallow for stomachache. 5. Tie stems for broom.

Scientific name: Sida rhombifolia, Speaker: Wina Nasauman