An example search has returned 100 entries
-atia(i)
duea
ia-kamani manioto mene nipikao
iaremha
n. herb, growing along open garden path. flowers yellow. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3084)
Example: This plant is used to treat diarrhea in a baby 1-6 months old. The mother takes 4, 1" pieces and chews them, spitting it into the baby’s mouth 2x daily, once in the morning and once in the afternoon until the diarrhea stops. Sometimes if the baby is sick from a spirit such as a yam, taro or sea spirit, the mother takes 2, 1" pieces of stem and 2, 1" pieces of Acalypha wilkesiana petiole (Plunkett et.al. #3081) and chews the two species together and spits on the affected baby, telling the spirit to "go away and leave the baby alone.
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kaepaepae kequahu
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5108)
Example: When woman does not have period for 2-3 months and is pregnant, people say the lizard could eat the baby. To avoid this, boil a handful of stem shavings in 1/2 L water, for 6 minutes and give this drink to the woman twice a day for 5 days. Then the bleeding will stop. There are also dietary restrictions: no coconut, oil, salt, curry. The woman can also not swim in sea for 5 days. But the baby will be healthy if these instructions are followed.
bookmarkkarkarepa
konianaker
Highfin grouper (deep sea)
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkkonuwak arwerew
White-Edged Lyretail
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkkuanasiapen
n. tree, 2-3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3031)
Example: Ceremonial: Following circumcision, boys will perform a ritual shower using a mixture of this plant and coconut. The leaves of this plant are mixed with the copra of the coconut and squeezed with water over the boys’ heads. Construction: The wood of this tree is used as rafters in house construction.
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kwanatis
kwanhinihi
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 treeatment, two times a day, for one week, she will stay barren for 5-6 years.
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kwanwekɨr
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5041)
Example: Flower attracts flying fox--hunters know this. Nut is edible, eat green, split fruit to obtain it. Raw, can also fry it in oil and dry in sun, keep 1-2 week to eat. Thios is an important food for the cyclone season. People prepare it when they know the cyclone is coming (emergency food).
bookmarkkwatavirua
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5135)
Example: When this plant grows to 2m, peel bark and put it in salt water to rett the stem. To do this, tie the stems in bundles and cover the bundle with a stone in the sea. After one week, rett the stem by pulling out the strong fibers and discarding the rest. Dry the fibers, then make a grass skirt from this. The leaves can be crushed and used as a styptic for wounds to stop bleeding.
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manari-ianupag
marimari
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.
bookmarknameyo
nangai
[naŋe] n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3141)
Example: Fruits have edible seeds. To prepare, sun dry the fruits, break kernal and roast or boil the nut inside. Is a common food plant. The wood makes good timber. The latex can be collected, put in a tin and then heated over a fire. It turns black and can be used as black paint. It also smells nice when heated.
bookmarknapuepran
a “female” coconut that only has one fruit on the panicle of the inflorescence
Example: This variety is used for the kastom marriage ceremony, grated with Euodia hortensis and Alpinia purpurata and rubbed on the bride and groom. The significance of this kastom is to ensure that the two people will be truthful to their chief, their parents and their spouse
bookmarknaskou
natehi
naturan
n. epiphyte. (collection: Tom A. Ranker #2624)
Example: 1. The plant is used entirely to produce grass skirts, known as raus. First the plant is retted in hot water and left to sun dry. Then portions of the plant are sewn together or draped over a waist band to form an ankle-length skirt.
bookmarknauri
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5118)
Example: Young stems are used to support the roof of ther house. Use yellow sap for glue. Fruits and flowers eaten by flying fox. Same effect as poison tree, they do not fly correctly, often falling and can be harvested to eat.
bookmarknefweng
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.
bookmarknekfai
n. liana growing up a damaged macaranga dioica tree, growing in open forest heavily impacted by cyclone. flowering spadices green to tannish-yellow. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3241)
Example: The leaves, fruits and stems of this plant are used as pig food. The leaves are used to wrap lap lap in. Leaves are also used to cover a roof of a house--the top part or ridge.
bookmarknewar
newou
n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3079)
Example: Used to treat pain. When a baby has an injection in the hospital, such as a vaccine, people take 1 handful of leaves, boil in a small amount of water to concentrate the resulting "juice" that comes out of the leaves, and put this fluid on the site of the pain, the injection, covering it with a leaf for 5-10 minutes, 2-3x daily until the baby stops crying.
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nisu manug
n. type of fern (collection: Michael J. Balick #5142)
Example: Children collect young leaves to decorate their exercise books in school. If a person does not want to get too drunk on kava, they will chew 3 leaves before drinking, and spit out remains while swallowing the juice. This plant has the power to reduce effects of Kava.
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pirawa ~ firawa
Longspine emperor
Example: Photo by Museum of New Zealand / Te Papa Tongarewa, License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarksemanu
teren
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5152)
Example: Leaf used to cover boils on skin. Mash leaf slightly and cover boil. Leaf pulls out liquid from boil. Use this for 3 days, changing the leaf 2x daily. Young plants (branch) for toothache to reduce pain. Boil in water and wash painful area. Use as needed until pain subsides. Also can collect insects in dried stems and use these to feed chickens. (Hymenoptera).
bookmarktikinao
wipin pitew
Blue trevally (female) (deep sea)
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkwipin sarapiran
Striped ponyfish (female)
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkyaku
Green Sea Turtle
Example: Photo by questagame / iNaturalist, License: CC-BY via inaturalist.org
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yapha
Spotted Unicornfish
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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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.
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