An example search has returned 100 entries
-apwah
-arpikou
karuarua
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.
bookmarkkeipeipwi yasuk
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5065)
Example: Tricks the rat, sees seeds from bottom, but when climbs herb, can’t see it--so name refers to tricking the rat. If a person drinks too much kava over many years, boil 5-6 whole plant for 15 minutes in water (1.5 L) and put in pot, drink 3 cups, 1x / day for 3 days to detoxify the effects of kava. A person who has drunk too much kava over a long time feels it in the body--weak, hard to wake early, appetite is low, body feels heavy.
bookmarkkipori ia tasiapen
Pustulose Wart Slug
Example: Photo by tonydiver / iNaturalist, License: CC-BY-NC via inaturalist.org
bookmarkkonapit
koniere
[kwanjere] n. tree, 12-13 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3089)
Example: The nut inside of the fruit contains sap. Cut a fruit in half and stick it to a person’s arm, and then take it off, put earth on the place where the sap is, and it makes a temporary tatoo that lasts for 3-4 days. This fruit is the best flying fox food, and when the tree has ripe fruits many flying foxes go there to feed, and hunters know this. The fruits are eaten by people as well.
bookmarkkonquaequae
n. type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5036)
Example: Young plants for roof rafters, larger plants used for house posts. Women who get pregnant with someone else besides husband use this to abort. Boil a double handful of scraped stem in water and drink 1 cup four times daily to abort. Fruits are edible. Cut it open and eat what’s inside.
bookmarkkonuwak pitew
Squaretail coralgrouper (deep sea)
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkkrouarpwin
makhum
Dark capped parrotfish
Example: Photo by Andrew J. Green / Reef Life Survey, License: CC BY 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmark
namatamai
Spotcheek emperor
Example: Photo by Jean-Lou Justine / Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknaruakiri
n. herb, 2.5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3082)
Example: To make a strap to hold the ornamental fiber "Nisei" (Plunkett et al #3077) on a person’s arm. Dry the stem, remove the fibers, and weakve into a strap. There is a legend that is told about this plant, concerning a rat and a fox. The rat and fox stole a banana from the Devil’s garden. The Devil caught the fox and told him not to come back. The rat said "lets go to the garden" and teh fox said no. The rat said "go take these leaves, and tie the leaves with coconut fiber--and he told the fox to lie down and the rat sewed the leaaves on the fox. So, the rat an
bookmarknatuan
[natuwan] n. large tree, 10-14 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3124)
Example: The wood of this plant smells bad. It is locally called a type of "stink wood." When young children get circumsized in kastom ways, to change the leaves for their bandage, take off the bark of this stem, take the inside part and scrape it--mix a handful of the scrapings with grated coconut, put it together in a leaf, put it on the fire, heat it, when the coconut is browned, squeeze it together to get the "milk" that is yellow in color. When young children swim in saltwater to dry the cut from the circumcision, squeeze this on that area to help heal it.
bookmarkneapar
nefeg
nekes kes
nekfai
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.
bookmarknhamu
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.
bookmarknukuk-arman
nupawir
n. shrub, 0.8-1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3156)
Example: To treat Dengue Fever, take the leaves, stems flowers and roots, e.g. the whole plant, and squeeze the juice from it, enough to produce 1 cup of liquid. Boil down that liquid until it has color and drinke the whole cup 2 times daily for 3-4 days. This is said to help get rid of pain from the illness.
bookmarknɨmei raer
nɨmé-
penesu
Marbled parrotfish, seagrass parrortfish
Example: Photo Philippe Bourjon / Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkphuma phisir
Three-stripe fusilier
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkrango
Reef needlefish
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarktakiew
African Giant Snail
Example: Photo by buggirl13 / iNaturalist, License: CC-BY-NC via inaturalist.org
bookmarkturlmata
[turma:ta] n. vine in hibiscus tiliaceus tree, growing on rocky roadside cut along coast road. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3163)
Example: The vine is used for rope. Collect a length of vine appropriate for the task, heat it over a fire, peel the outer "skin" off and use the rest of the vine, fresh, to tie the poles and rafters used to make a traditional house.
bookmarkyapha iwis
Orangespine unicornfish
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkyesu
Finstripe goatfish
Example: Photo by Robert Pillon / Fishbase, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkyesu
Yellowstriped goatfish
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkThere 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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