An example search has returned 100 entries
-akoui
karuarua
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5143)
Example: Use this plant to stop the rain, take 4 tips of the plant’s branch and place them in a cross formation, with the tips pointing N, S, W, E, wash them in sea water, and then call for the rain to stop. Hang these tips in a tree with rope for five days. Stem used to weave roof rafter to attach coconut fronds to stick. Young men hunting in bush with slingshots, when run out of stones, use these young fruits to hunt birds.
bookmarkkonianaker
Giant grouper (deep sea)
Example: Photo by Deb Aston / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkkuanihinihy
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5034)
Example: Stems can be used as a broom when tied in bunch. When a young woman does not want to have children, she can chew these leaves for one week, spit out fibers and swallow the leaf residue. If she chews four branches of leaves per treatment, two times a day, for one week, she will stay barren for 5-6 years.
bookmarkkuanuaras
makhum
Rivulated parrotfish, surf parrotfish
Example: Photo by Rick Stuart-Smith / Reef Life Survey, License: CC BY 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkmarimari
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5078)
Example: To treat indigestion, take 5 roots from 5 different plants, clean, grate into 600mL bottle of water. Drink one bottle twice daily. In Tanna, people use this plant to make rain, thunder, or to stop the rain. To make rain, take a big pile of this plant’s leaves, tie them in a bundle with a rope, and put into the sea. When the leaves start rotting, usually after one week, the rain will come.
bookmark
nahpao
Yellowmargin triggerfish
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknamatamai
Longfin emperor
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknamatamai
Trumpet emperor, red throat emperor
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknape
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5043)
Example: Branches used to make bow and arrow for hunting. Stem used for fence posts and houses. To treat a strong cough, take a branch of 20 leaves, toss in water, boil 10-20 minutes, drink warm liquid 2 cups a day for 1 week or until cough is gone.
bookmarknarrer
nasar
nefweng
n. damaged tree, growing in open forest heavily impacted by cyclone. flowers pale-yellowish tan. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3234)
Example: The wood of this tree is used for building houses. When a person has a large cut, chew the young leaves of this plant until soft, roll up into some of the same leaf, heat on the fire for 5 minutes, put the heated leaves directly on the wound and secure this with a cloth. To treat diarrhea in small children, parents chew the leaves and give the juice that extrudes to the kids, 1 teaspoon, 2x daily for 2 days or until the condition goes away.
bookmarknekeimap
nekeskes-apran
niar
niemes
n. tree to 6 m tall, dbh 30 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4726)
Example: Green fruits are edible. To eat the leaves, cook them in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, eat with coconut milk. The younger leaves should be the ones harvested for eating. The leaves can also be used to bake a pig in an earth oven, wrap the leaves around the pig. The wood is good for firewood and a person can start the dried wood with no match. The leaves of this plant can be eaten with another, unspecified leaf to stop vomiting. When the fruits are ripe the flying fox and birds like to eat these fruits.
bookmark
nisai-apran
n. tree to 3 m, dbh 4 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4727)
Example: The leaves of this plant are used to make a women’s grass skirt. Men use these leaves to put in a band around the arm as decoration. For kastom ceremony, take coconut endosperm, chew with this leave and covery body. It makes the body smell very nice. When a person has a fever, mix this leaf with other leaves including Annona muricata and Citrus species. Then the person sits over a steaming pot and inhales it to reduce the fever and symptoms. If you need to go to a "tabu" place, where the spirit can make you sick, a person can bathe with the leaves of this plant and can go anywh
bookmarknoufoua
nukwesi
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5033)
Example: Young leaves edible, boil with water or cook in coconut milk. Cook fruit in boiling water, then cook in coconut milk. Cook fruits for 6-10 minutes. He was taught this by his grandparents who showed him how to eat wild plants; his grandfather wasa historically significant person in the Port Resolution area, especially in reference to medicine.
bookmarknurap
n. tree to 7 m tall, dbh 49 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4733)
Example: Wood from this tree is good for making house posts, as it is very strong. The wood is considered as excellent firewood. To restore energy when a person is tired, chew the leaf, swallow the juice, and spit out the leaf--it will make the person feel better.
bookmark
nykwesi
[nukwe:si] n. tree, growing in disturbed forest/garden area. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3105)
Example: People eat the young leaves, boiling them in water until they are soft and ready to eat. Or, the green leaves are edible when raw, put coconut flesh and salt in the leaf and eat.
bookmark
Ramasikin
rangho
Hound needlefish, crocodile long-tom
Example: Photo by Philippe Bourjon / Fishbase, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarksap sap
n. herb, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3146)
Example: The leaves of this plant are used as a styptic, to reduce blood flow from a wound and promote faster healing of a sore. If a person has a sore or fresh cut that is oozing, the leaves are mashed and their "juice" is put directly on the affected area, twice daily until the wound is healed.
bookmarksekermandou
taopir-taopir
taupar taupar
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5132)
Example: Flower for decorating things like at marriage, church, opening of new building like dispensary. Ancient people, when needed water, take stem, mash 4-6 pieces and squeeze into coconut shell and drink it. So squeeze the stems together after mashing them along their entire length with wood post. This can be used to collect water today when a person is in the forest and thirsty. Leaves wrap banana laplap. Put in saucepan boil 20 minutes, toss out water, take leaf off and eat laplap. Leaf folded not tied. People say its native to Vanuatu
bookmark
teki kusan
truvehimiru
tuvai
[tuwa:i] n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3006)
Example: Construction: The timber of this plant is used as a hardwood for any part of a house. It is also used to make dugout canoes. Tool: The wood of this plant is used to create the study part of a bow. It is noted, however, that there are better woods for this purpose.
bookmarkwipin iariman
Bluefin trevally (male); powerful fish, with the power of a young cow
Example: Photo by Jan Messersmith, License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkyapha
Bluespine unicornfish
Example: Photo by Ross D. Robertson / Shorefishes of the Neotropics, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkyapha pshir
Spotted unicornfish
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmark
There are currently 3233 entries, 3212 audio files, and 1236 images.
All content copyright © Nafe (Kwamera) community. (2015)
Nafe (Kwamera) Talking Dictionary produced by Martial Wahe, K. David Harrison, and Jeremy Fahringer (2015-2020).
Botanical consultants: Michael J. Balick, Gregory M. Plunkett, Laurence Ramon, Tom A. Ranker, Sean Thackurdeen, and Calvin Heiman. Field data transcribed by Isabella Mandis.
Nafe language contributors include Martial Wahe, Jean Pascal Wahe, Chief Johnson Noar, Emmanuel Maasi, Marie Emmanuel Maasi and others as credited within the dictionary entries. Based in part on materials from Lindstrom, Lamont (1986) Kwamera Dictionary. Pacific Linguistics. Series C, No. 95. Canberra: Australian National University.
The Nafe-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 and Martial Wahe. 2015-2020.
Nafe (Kwamera) Talking Dictionary.
Swarthmore College.
http://www.talkingdictionary.org/kwamera
Interface and database design under the direction of Jeremy Fahringer and Swarthmore College ITS.
Supported by
