v1. slide on, slip, strip off (as leaves); clean (as kava with coconut fibre), clear away debris, clear one’s throat; 3. sober up (from alcohol or kava) by clearing one’s throat with food or water; 4. massage
v1. spear, stick, pierce, throw (an elongated object); 2. put down, insert, stick something into the ground, plant (as a tree), join; 3. clap, applaud, pat, ringbark (as to kill a tree); 4. be proud, sassy, disrespectful, preen (because of praise)
n.subshrub, 75 cm tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3236)
Example: This plant is used as a source of fiber to make grass skirts. Gather a lot of stems, place in seawater with a stone on top (the process known as retting) for one month. Collect the stems, pull off the bark and remove the fiber, allowing it to dry in the sun until it bleaches white, when it can be woven into the traditional grass skirt.
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 budles 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.
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. see more on Youtube
Scientific name: Finschia chloroxantha, Speaker: Johnson Noar
[manariən nəʔpəŋ]
n.shrub, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #2971)
Example: Cultural: After a young boy is circumcised, a special kava (“Tapuga”) is prepared. The leaf of this tree is then tied to each branch of the tree to signify the ceremony.
Scientific name: Maoutia diversifolia, Speaker: Jean Pascal Wahe
kind of cassava. When the soil is good, this variety produces the largest root. A man named Charley got it from Port-Vila and brought it to Port Resolution and it is named for him
Scientific name: Manihot esculenta, Speaker: Johnson Noar
n.type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5039)
Example: This is the female type of 5037. Leaf is used to cover the top ridge of a roof on a house. Lasts 5 or more years. Women use the leaf for grass skirts. Take leaves, twist, tie in a line, dry in sun and then use to make skirt. Leaves have a nice fragrance.
n.type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5169)
Example: Used during shaving ceremonies leaves mixed with Euodia and mashed coconut and used to oil the body of young man being shaved and the person doing the ceremony. Stems when mashed are very fragrant and also tied around head. Ceremony for young lady who has first menstruation, she goes away with her family, when she comes back cover her with same mixture of plants to make her nice. During her first period she is separated from her family. 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 alo
n.type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5035)
Example: Root is sold to earn money, as perfume and oil is from this. Grandparents used to dry the wood over a cooking fire in a kitchen when a person would get the flu. To help, they’d take dried and heated wood, scrape one cup’s worth into hot water, and then breathe over the steam bath. Drink water afterwards. Do thhis once a day for three days.
Scientific name: Santalum austrocaledonicum, Speaker: Johnson Noar
n.type of flowering plant (collection: Michael J. Balick #5082)
Example: Wood is very hard and good for making canoe. Wood is good to build house (house posts). Takes seeds from dried fruit, break them open, boil in water and collect oil that rises to the top. This oil used as massage oil. Rub oil from dried seeds in hair to kill lice.
Scientific name: Calophyllum, Speaker: Johnson Noar
[nisej]
n.shrub, 2.5-3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3077)
Example: This plant is used as a fiber; dry the leaves in the sun, and use them to make a grass skirt or other type of dress. Person in photo with this fiber on his arm is Narau Nasiv.
Scientific name: Euodia hortensis, Speaker: Jean Pascal Wahe
[nukwe:raŋ]
n.tree, growing in disturbed forest/garden area. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3109)
Example: People use the seeds and stem of this tree for fish poison. Pound the seed and wood and put it in a pool in the ocean at low tide. Fish are stunned and can be harvested.
Scientific name: Barringtonia asiatica, Speaker: Jean Pascal Wahe
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.
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
n.tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3059)
Example: The stem is used to make house posts; the young stems are used to make bows and young boys use the bows made from this tree to hunt birds and flying foxes.