Aneityum

v. remove shell of horse-chestnuts by biting; to shell "inmop"

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

white

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v. to weave, to plait

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

v. warm on the fire (like tobacco leaves); heat

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

v. walk

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

[ditij nadimi] phr. one man (there is)

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. full moon

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 166

phr. I am quite useless

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 99

v.n. to blossom as reeds

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 129

n. the clear part of the moon when first seen

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 166

[itij] num. one

Speaker: Chris Nevehev

n. kind of bird

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

phr. on that side

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 82

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. herb to 1 m, flowers blue. In transitional zone from pine forest to ’primary’ forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4982)

Example: This is used to treat Ciguatera disease when a person eats fish that is contaminated. Squeeze juice from a handful of leaves of this herb into a cup, add a small amount of water, and drink 1 cup once a day for 3 days, or continue until the person feels better. This illness is a problem on Aneityum with the reef fish. It is better to eat fish that are farther out to sea. This treatment is also used for dogs who eat contaminated fish. Make the same preparation and forcibly pour this in their mouth as they will not drink it willingly. Do this treatment once daily until the dog feels better. The dogs get this illness because they are fed the scraps, especially the bones of the fish, and this is thought to be where the disease is found. This is considered to be a dangerous illness and dogs who get it frequently die.

Scientific name: Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. small tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4021)

Scientific name: Astronidium aneityense, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. Bluelined squirrelfish, Tahitian squirrelfish

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

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

n. scandent shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3277)

Scientific name: Neuburgia corynocarpa, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. the candle-nut tree; also "inhaig"

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 85

n. Macaranga megacarpa (RPV #41)

Scientific name: Macaranga megacarpa, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. stump of a tree; shaft of a candlestick

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 86

n. the thick end of a coconut leaf used as a target

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 86

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

Scientific name: Trichospermum inmac, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. a convolvulus

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. boards for people to sit on

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. parasite in tree, flowers orange with reddish base. Growing in secondary forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #5000)

Example: This plant is said to have a type of magical use. Young men take one node of the stem of this plant and use it in an unspecified way to attract young women.

Scientific name: Amyema aneityensis, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. kind of fish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. well branched tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3202)

Example: 1. Young shoots are peeled and made into grass skirts. Scrape the stem and take the green part off, tie strips together and put under stones in the sea for retting, let sit 5 days in sea, but check these on a daily basis. When the fiber becomes soft, that is the time to take it from under the stones, clean off the excess materials, and hang it in the sun to dry for 3 days--this will bleach it and give it a whitish color, at which point it can be woven into a skirt. 2. The fiber can be used to make a small rope that is tied with shells and used for custom dances. 3. When the stems of this tree are older, the wood is very hard and it can be used to make the main frame that is arched for a cyclone house. According to Reuben these houses are not made much anymore on Aneityum Island. 4. To cook the intestines of fish that are eaten, take several leaves and put them in a small pile, making a wrapping, then use a local fiber to tie this together and cook on charcoal for as long as needed to prepare the fish parts. 5. In this area, sometimes knowledge of the plants and flowering are used as a calendar to indicate the time for planting of specific crops. Reuben will provide more details on a future trip. 6a. This species is an important "message plant." If a person is not home and you are visiting from the East--e.g. an Eastern part of the Island--that person can leave a 12 inch piece of stick in front of the door of the house so that the inhabitant knows that an eastern visitor (from Anawonjei district) has come by your home. The reason that person has come to visit is to pass an important message to you--good or bad "luck". The bad luck message might be a death, and is not told directly to the person. The good luck message might be a birth, or conflict that has been resolved. These messages are communicated using sticks--each district has a different species of plant. Reuben’s is the hibiscus. 6b. Message plant for Eastern people. If someone dies, use this plant, clip it in front of hem, in front of home, they ask “who” and you can tell them. In Eastern culture you cannot tell them directly. 7. When a person is too drunk with kava, take a branch of this and brush him with it to help make the effects go away. 8. Traditional plates for food.

Scientific name: Hibiscus tiliaceus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. bush land; also "inteucjip"

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 89

n. tree to 15 m, 15 cm dbh (collection: Michael J. Balick #4931)

Example: Use the wood of this tree for firewood.

Scientific name: Arytera neoebudensis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. liana climbing on large Dillenia tree, growing in primary forest at edge of river. flower white. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3677)

Example: If a person is building a temporary house and has no other way of attaching the poles, collect the vine of this species, roll it a bit to break the fiber, heat it in a figure 8 form and then use for tying poles while warm.

Scientific name: Jasminum didymum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

conj. but

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

[kajheɣ vajuɣ] phr. Good bye.

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

[katɣapohoθ] n. Venus, or the morning star

Speaker: David Nasauman

[kuri] n. dog (general)

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

n. sterile herb, juvenile form (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3438)

Example: This plant is used as a starchy food. To prepare it, grarte it into a dish, wash with water, the starch settles to the bottom, pour off the water, dry the starch in the sun and make it into a powder. The starch can be cooked with coconut milk and eaten.

Scientific name: Tacca leontopetaloides, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[ŋmoroŋmora] n. ants

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. low-growing, creeping vine growing in grassy area just inland from coastal strand. Flowers yellow. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3223)

Example: A "calendar plant". When the flowers open, the birds are said to be fat and good for hunting.

Scientific name: Dendrobium mohlianum, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. kind of sugarcane

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. the name of a species of creeper

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 94

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree to 30 m, dbh 75 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4911)

Example: Stems of this tree are used to make canoes as they are always straight. Tree can also be used to for timber and as firewood.

Scientific name: Serianthes ebudarum, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. plantain

Speaker: David Nasauman

n. small treelet, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3682)

Example: Can be used to stop pain from toothache. Break of the top growth of a branch and remove all leaves. Chew on the green stem at the site where there is a toothache. Keep the juice from chewing in your mouth for 2-5 minutes then spit the juice out. Leave the stem fibers in your mouth at the site of pain for about 20 minutes then remove. Then repeat 2 more times. This makes the tooth thinner so it breaks more easily.

Scientific name: Cyrtandra aneiteensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. isle, island

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 160

n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3490)

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.

Scientific name: Glochidion ramiflorum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

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. herb, growing in and along trail in open disturbed area. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3697)

Scientific name: Hedyotis lapeyrousei, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree to 6 m, dbh 25 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4873)

Example: This tree is a good source of timber, it is a hard wood and makes good posts for houses, fences, and furniture. 4’ x 4’ and 8’ x 1’ planks can be cut from this wood. Great for construction.

Scientific name: Intsia bijuga, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. bamboo to 5 m, sterile. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4940)

Example: Used to build walls of local houses. The outer skin is stripped off, stems cut in half then smashed flat, the inside is stripped clean and woven into walls. The cut pieces of entire stems can be filled with food and used for cooking that food. Cover both ends with leaves and cook. If a person has skin that becomes infected, use sharpened stem as a local knife to remove the infected area of skin. Use as a local water pipe to move water from one place to another (nobol). Either split the stem in half or punch the nodes out throughout the entire tube and use as a pipe.

Scientific name: Bambusa vulgaris, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

[nawuraniŋ alpas] phr. thank you very much

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. a red coconut

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 118

n. a small water-plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 98

n. kind of tree

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

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

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 98

n. terrestrial fern, 30 cm tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3716)

Example: The leaves of this plant, along with other leaves, are used to make an unspecified traditional medicine.

Scientific name: Tapeinidium denhamii, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. wind-related term; no definition provided

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 114

n. nellet tree (RPV #116)

Scientific name: Dendrocnide latifolia, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4757)

Scientific name: Melochia odorata, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. cloth of coconut tree; anything useless. Ek idivaig nenis ainyak, I am quite useless

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 99

n. tree, 9 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3707)

Example: The small straight stems of this plant are used for fishing spears and the larger poles for rafters.

Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree 10 m tall, dbh 15 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4909)

Example: The stems of this plant make a good digging stick for planting kava. Kava planted with this digging stick will be stronger in effect.

Scientific name: Alstonia vitiensis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. Pacific litchee (RPV #114)

Scientific name: Pometia pinnata, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of shellfish

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. the castor-oil plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 117

n. coconut leaf

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of crab

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. tree, 8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3627)

Scientific name: Polyalthia nitidissima, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shoots of plants of bananas

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 103

[nitaʔtel (a nelʝo)] n. seat (for a canoe)

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

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. kind of banana

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. fan

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. Thumbprint emperor, blackspot emperor

Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Lethrinus harak via FishBase, Speaker: Jack Keitadi

[nok͡pa] adj. grey ash (color)

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. Ageratum conyzoides L.

Example: juice squeezed from leaves; wounds

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 440

n. Black-spot surgeonfish

Example: Photo by zsispeo / Flickr.com, License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia

Scientific name: Acanthurus bariene, Speaker: Chris Nevehev

[nowanavin] n. sand

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. manioc, cassava

Speaker: Kirk Keitadi

n. cliff

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 135

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119

n. leaves for an oven

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 105

n. the rib of a leaf

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 105

n. tree, 2. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3272)

Example: Wood is strong and used to make a spear for fishing.

Scientific name: Tapeinosperma netor, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. Ficus septica var. cauliflora

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 443

adj. unripe

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 196

adj. rough, applied to sugarcane-leaf thatch

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 107

n. a giant

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

adv. down yonder

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 108

n. tomato

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

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. kind of taro

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 119