The Aneityum Talking Dictionary currently has 2431 entries, with 1543 audio files and 860 images.
This domain search has returned 28 entries.
n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3520)
Scientific name: Annona glabra
Example: Children sometimes eat this fruit but it smells bad. Adults do not eat it. An introduced species so there is no local name.
Semantic domains:
n. tree, 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3723)
Scientific name: Barringtonia edulis
Example: The fruits of this species are cracked open and the seeds eaten. The leaves are mixed with other leaves to make an unspecified traditional medicine. The plant is also used for firewood.
Semantic domains:
n. small tree, 1-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4020)
Scientific name: Psychotria milnei
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.
Semantic domains:
n. herb to 0. 75 m tall, flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4953)
Scientific name: Capsicum annuum
Example: The young leaves are edible; these should be collected, boiled for ca. 8 minutes and eaten with other foods such as cassava. This is one of the local leaves that is said to taste quite good when cooked and mixed with other foods. Both the ripe (red) and unripe (green) fruits are added to soup and other foods as a spice or eaten fresh. The fruit of this cultivar is very hot. The fruit is also fed to chickens who seem to love to eat it.
Semantic domains:
n. tree. Acting as a fence post. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #24)
Scientific name: Cordia dichotoma
Example: 1. For vomiting/uneasyness - remove the bark of a stem and take the inner bark (this should be white). Smash the white bark with about 150ml of cold water and drink. The bark can also be boiled and cooled down to drink cold. Believes when you vomit a lot this will restore your body and give you energy again. Take after vomiting but can use even when not sick. 2. For stomache ache - Can also be prepare and taken as in part 1. 3. For painful urination, also prepared as in part 1. 4. The fruits are sticky and used as a type of local “glue.” Collect the fruits when ripe, hold the outside of the fruit in the hand, and put the end of the fruit that has the sticky sap on paper or anything else needing to be glued. In ancient times, this sticky glue helped join the strings together that were used to make a long fishing line. 5. In ancient times this sticky glue helped join the strings together when making a long one for fishing. 6. During the heat of the day, in the hot season, take inner bark from 1 stick, scrape bark into 1 liter water and drink all day to help prevent a person from getting urinary infection, resulting in painful urination from being in the sun too much. 7. If you put the leaves of this plant in a bag with your fishing gear – it will help catch a lot of fish – magic. 8. Cut a 1-2 m long branch in each of 4 corners of the garden which is a rectangle, place it in an “X” at each corner, this will cleanse people who have not been cleansed who come in the garden. 9. If a person is not cleansed e.g. has not fasted from certain foods, the crops will not bear good fruits. So when gardening, people believe it is best not to eat coconut, shellfish, fish, stay away from sex, and no fermented food like breadfruit and bananas, OR if you have a visitor overnight and then you heal to cleanse yourself before going to the garden. After a woman finishes her period, she will stay out of garden for 10 days, this is specifically for kava, water taro, sugarcane and yam in the garden. Other crops – cassava, sweet potato, and taro Fiji are okay. Different Kastom for N, S, W, E people – so this Kastom is for South and Eastern people.
Semantic domains:
n. shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3543)
Scientific name: Rivina humilis
Example: Red, dried fruits are fed to small chicks as food.
Semantic domains:
n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4794)
Scientific name: Rivina humilis
Semantic domains:
n. shrub, 0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3445)
Scientific name: Lantana camara
Example: Remedy new cuts – rub leaves together or chew them and put on cut, cover with leaf or cloth.
Semantic domains:
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4108)
Scientific name: Cupaniopsis leptobotrys
Semantic domains:
n. herb to 1 m, flowers blue. In transitional zone from pine forest to ’primary’ forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4982)
Scientific name: Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
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.
Semantic domains:
n. subshrub, 0. 5 to 0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3212)
Scientific name: Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Example: The common name of this plant means "the plant that belongs to Nasuantan" that being the person who introduced it to Aneityum. He was a person taken from the island as a blackbirder and came back with this plant. It is used for medicine. When a person gets a fresh cut, squeeze the juice from the leaf and put the liquid on the cut to help it heal.
Semantic domains:
n. large tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4073)
Scientific name: Dysoxylum aneityense
Example: 1. Flying foxes are known to eat the fruit. Accordingly, when hunters desire the flying fox, they gather near this species.
Semantic domains:
n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4033)
Scientific name: Planchonella
Semantic domains:
n. tree to 8 m, dbh 5 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4896)
Scientific name: Alangium vitiense
Example: The young stems of this tree are used to make spears, either by sharpening the end or attaching several wires to the tip.
Semantic domains:
n. tree, 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3464)
Scientific name: Syzygium nomoa
Example: This is a sacred plant. The wood is used for rafters in house building. To plant taro, take an 8 cm diameter stick, sharpen it and use to make holes for planting. The stick is as long as needed for a person to stand while making the hole.
Semantic domains:
n. shrub to treelet, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3265)
Example: Used as a leaf compost for planting taro, layered on the bottom of the hole and covering the taro as well.
Semantic domains:
n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3612)
Scientific name: Syzygium clusiifolium
Example: 1. Edible fruits when ripe and turn black – some sweet and some not – eat sweet ones. 2. Timber, firewood.
Semantic domains:
n. stunted tree, 1-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3276)
Scientific name: Turrillia lutea
Example: This is known as "woman’s kauri". The timber from this tree is used for houseposts.
Semantic domains:
n. small tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4021)
Scientific name: Astronidium aneityense
Semantic domains:
n. broken tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3462)
Scientific name: Dysoxylum bijugum
Example: 1. The wood of this species is strong and used as house posts. 2. Spear as other – fishing.
Semantic domains:
n. terrestrial sedge, c. 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3496)
Scientific name: Gahnia aspera
Example: Children pull out the young shoots of this plant and play with them as a spear to throw.
Semantic domains:
n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4759)
Scientific name: Gahnia aspera
Semantic domains:
n. sedge to 1 m, flowers brown (collection: Michael J. Balick #4883)
Scientific name: Gahnia aspera
Example: Children pull up the new young shoots and eat them. You eat the white soft part at the base of the part that comes off when you pull it. See photo.
Semantic domains:
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3573)
Scientific name: Santalum austrocaledonicum
Example: 1. This plant is used as firewood, but also the heartwood is sold. 2. In 2016, the first grade wood was 2500 VT per kilo, the second grade wood was 2000 VT per kilo. 3. The ancestors used to take the oil or wood chips from this tree and bathe with it to keep away evil spirits of the forest. It is currently planted on Aneityum for commerce. Scrape bark of sandalwood into coconut oil in same wat as GMP 3513 (gardenia) boil and take out the bark. 4. The leaves can be fed to pigs to make them strong and heavy.
Semantic domains:
n. scandent shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3277)
Scientific name: Neuburgia corynocarpa
Semantic domains:
n. shrub to 1 m, flowers white. Growing on ridge of pine forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4980)
Scientific name: Geniostoma rupestre
Example: The leaves are good mulch for taro plants. The stems are used for firewood.
Semantic domains:
n. tree to 15 m, dbh 75 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #5006)
Scientific name: Syzygium richii
Example: The stems of this tree are used to make temporary houses and for firewood. This is one of the leaves that is used in an unspecified mixture to put in a rough sea to calm th ewaters.
Semantic domains:
All content copyright © Aneityum community. (2015)
Talking Dictionary produced by K. David Harrison, Gregory D. S. Anderson and Jeremy Fahringer. Botanical consultants: Michael J. Balick, Gregory M. Plunkett and Sean Thackurdeen. (2015-2018)
Aneityum language contributors include Kirk Keitadi, Tony Keith, Titiya Lalep, David Nasauman, Osiani Nerian, Ruben Nerian, Chris Nevehev, Romario Yaufati and others as credited within the dictionary entries. Based in part on materials from Inglis, John (1882) A Dictionary of the Aneityumese Language: In Two Parts. I. Aneityumese and English. II. English.
The Aneityum-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. 2015.
Aneityum Talking Dictionary.
Swarthmore College.
http://www.talkingdictionary.org/aneityum