The Aneityum Talking Dictionary currently has 2431 entries, with 1543 audio files and 860 images.
This image gallery has returned 100 entries.
n. Lattice soldierfish, violet soldierfish
Scientific name: Myripristis violacea via FishBase
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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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.
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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.
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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.
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n. plastic bailer, bottle to get water out of canoe
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.
Semantic domains:
[ iɲara ]
n. Honeyeater, grey and orange (Vanuatu Honeyeater)
Scientific name: Gliciphila notabilis
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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.
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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.
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n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4794)
Scientific name: Rivina humilis
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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.
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n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4108)
Scientific name: Cupaniopsis leptobotrys
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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.
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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.
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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.
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n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4033)
Scientific name: Planchonella
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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n. small tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4021)
Scientific name: Astronidium aneityense
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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.
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n. type of seashell
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.
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n. type of seashell
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.
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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.
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n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4759)
Scientific name: Gahnia aspera
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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.
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n. Bluelined squirrelfish, Tahitian squirrelfish
Scientific name: Sargocentron tiere via FishBase
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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n. Pink Squirrelfish
Scientific name: Sargocentron tiereoides via FishBase
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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n. Sabre squirrelfish
Scientific name: Sargocentron spiniferum via FishBase
Example: Photo by Andy A. Lewis / Lizard Island Research Station, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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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.
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n. scandent shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3277)
Scientific name: Neuburgia corynocarpa
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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.
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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.
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n. shrub, 2. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3471)
Scientific name: Geniostoma rupestre
Example: 1. The fruit of this species are poisonous. In ancient times the ancestors used the "fork" (branch growing out of main stem) of this wood to catch lobsters between the two parts of the stem. 2. Fertilizer for taro, in case you are not cleansed, it is ok as this plant as fertilizer will cleanse you.
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n. shrub, 1. 5-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3580)
Scientific name: Geniostoma rupestre
Example: This plant is gathered for firewood. It is said that the fragrance of the flowers is not nice.
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n. tree to 4 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4928)
Scientific name: Geniostoma rupestre
Example: The leaves are used for compost in the taro patch. Dig a hole, line it with the leaves of this species, cove with earth and plant taro. The leaves of this species are used to cover earth ovens.
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n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4072)
Scientific name: Geniostoma rupestre
Example: 1. The flower and bark are known to reek a foul smell.
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n. tree, 6-8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3618)
Scientific name: Dysoxylum bijugum
Example: The wood is good for house posts, as it is straight and strong.
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n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3547)
Scientific name: Sophora tomentosa
Example: This plant is for medicine to treat a spiritual condition related to the coral snake that is the seawater spirit. When a woman is pregnant, some times she gets sick, so use this leaf with 2-3 other unspecified leaves and mash them together, squeeze the juice into a small cup (bamboo), wave around the woman’s body, and then put a few drops onto her head and body, then she drinks the rest. This will help heal her sickness. This treatment can be used for men who have a toothache from eating too much fish--the seawater spirit of the coral snake makes the tooth hurt. It is used in the same way as for a pregnant woman. If the pain from the toothache is really from the seawater spirit, then this will cure it; if not, it will not help.
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n. tree. Growing in village garden. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #19)
Scientific name: Sophora tomentosa
Example: 1. To cure the sea snake (nispev) curse that causes missed periods. First the husband must combine 4 young leaves of incispev and 4 young leaves of nafanu and mash and squeeze the juice into a small bamboo (1-1.5 inch diameter) The nafanu is important because it is a plant that connects to the sea. Use wildcane leaves cover the bamboo closed. Go to the sick person and unwrap the snake from her. Start from the top and let the woman drink a small part of the potion then wash her with the mixture, making sure to wash head, elbows, knees, feet, and belly. Then take a leaf of naha and break it over the woman’s belly button to break the snake off. Smash the bamboo vessel to pieces. Leave the woman there until the wash dries on her. This takes one whole day and the ceremony in the evening so she can sleep and she must not eat. This ritual is performed by men.
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n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3548)
Scientific name: Vitex trifolia
Example: The forked stick of this plant is used as a pole to hold the outrigger on a canoe. Children blow the small fruits of this plant through the hollow petioles of the papaya leaf or a hollowed bamboo stem as a game. As an aphrodisiac, two handfuls of the leaves of this species are boiled in fresh water and men drink these for 7 days. The next week they will be "strong." People cannot have sex while they are drinking this remedy, but then the next week when they have finished the treatment, they will be "very strong."
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n. tree, 6-8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3218)
Scientific name: Vitex trifolia
Example: 1. Take a handful of leaves, squeeze with the hands into 1/2 liter of water, drink when tired; said to open the "blood nerves" and to purify the blood and make the muscles of the male sexual organ strong. 2a. When a person is planting watermelons in the garden, as the vines grow, split them and perforate the vines with a sharpened stick. This practice is said to ensure that the watermelons will be as prolific as the seeds in Vitex. 2b. If you plant vines in your garden like cucumber, beans, melons, pierce the stem with a small sliver of this branch and it will make the vine have more fruit.
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n. herb to 1. 5 m, flowers white with pink tips. Growing on sandy path along coastal walk to ute. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4989)
Scientific name: Alpinia zerumbet
Example: The leaves of this plant are used to finish the ridge of the house roof. Lay the leaves horzontally on top of the roof, and the sides of the roof are thatched with palms or grass. Layer 10 leaves on top of each other to enable this part of the roof (known as nitjintiniom) to last for a long time--perhaps up to 6 years. If this is used on the top of a roof where there is a fire burning, such as a kitchen, and this leaf gets a lot of smoke, it can last much longer a the top of the roof--perhaps 10 years or more.
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n. herb, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3676)
Scientific name: Hedychium coronarium
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n. herb, growing in disturbed secondary forest/garden area. Sterile; leaves fragrant. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3695)
Scientific name: Hornstedtia scottiana
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n. herb to 1 m, flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4868)
Scientific name: Rivina humilis
Example: Red fruit is used to feed chickens.
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n. liana climbing on Fagraea tree (8 m tall), growing in secondary forest (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3663)
Scientific name: Piper macropiper
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n. Whitespotted surgeonfish, southern dialect
Scientific name: Acanthurus guttatus via FishBase
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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n. Blue-spotted large-eye bream
Scientific name: Gymnocranius microdon via FishBase
Example: Photo by Anne Hoggett / Lizard Island Research Station, License: CC BY 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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[ indraʊmu ]
n. fish prepared in a wrapping of pandanus leaf
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.
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n. this collection is a seedling sprouting from a coconut fruit. the adult palm is growing in an agricultural field. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4950)
Scientific name: Cocos nucifera
Example: The young seedlings are removed from the coconuts and fed to pigs. Children like to eat the apical meristems of the sprouts, peeling off the harder, outer leaves and eating the soft white part. The endosperm of the sprouted coconut is edible. The local name means "young seedling."
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n. herb to 1 m, flower bracts yellow. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4921)
Scientific name: Alpinia purpurata
Example: Introduced species, used for decoration. Planted near houses and roads. Use the flower for decorating hair.
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n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3647)
Scientific name: Maoutia diversifolia
Example: 1. The straight poles of this plant are sharpened and used to plant kava, and only for kava. Not used for planting other crops. 2. Special for catching eels in fresh water, poke stick with leaves into hole where eel lives and they don’t like it so they come out and you catch them, by cutting with knife.
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n. small tree, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3528)
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.
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n. herb, growing in partially drained marsh. Flowers purple. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3596)
Scientific name: Ipomoea aquatica
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n. puppy, dog
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.
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n. Ocellated eagle ray
Scientific name: Aetobatus ocellatus
Example: Photo by Anne Hoggett / Lizard Island Research Station, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3560)
Scientific name: Abutilon indicum
Example: In ancient times this plant was used as a fiber to make skirts and rope. Take the stems, remove the leaves, rett the stems in sea water for a few weeks, sun dry the stems and then weave into rope or skirts. This plant is not much used for this purpose at the present time. This plant is used to make a medicine with an unspecified use.
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n. shrub to 1 m, flowers yellow (collection: Michael J. Balick #4960)
Scientific name: Abutilon indicum
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n. moderately branched treelet, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3203)
Scientific name: Hibiscus tiliaceus
Example: 1a. This type of hibiscus has young leaves that are reddish in color and it is an edible type. The stems are eaten during April-July. Harvest the stems, beat them and cut off the outer bark. Collect inner bark, slicing it off the stem and wrapping it in a banana type leaf with coconut milk added. Bake all night at least 8 hours, then it is eaten. Said to taste like a root vegetable. Used during the dry season when there are not many crops available. 1b. Take young shoot of the tree then pound the base to separate the base of the bark from the stem but leave it on the stem, say pound 4-5 inches around the base, then come back 3-4 months and the rest of the bark would be thicker. Then cut where it was pounded, cut stem in 1.5-foot pieces, bake on an earth oven, leaves on bottom layer (on top of charcoal) then sticks, then leaves on top, then hot stones, and then more leaves. Bake for 1.5 hours, then remove a stick at a time and use shell to scrape away outer bark, cut into 6 inch pieces, put on log, pound to make softer, put in lap lap leaves leaf wrapping, add coconut milk, put in stone oven, cook for one hour then open lap lap leaves and eat. 2. This variety is for this purpose just like Pohnpei. 3. This variety is not used for grass skirt.
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n. low tree. Found along the coast. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #11)
Scientific name: Hibiscus tiliaceus
Example: 1. To speed up delivery and reduce painin labor - Take a piece of stem from a small branch and take the skin and outter bark off. Grate out the inner part with water and squeeze out juice into a cup for the woman to drink. 2. To help with pain/difficulty giving birth - Take even numbers of inhoa top leaves (Must have a partner so the lone top is not vulnerable to bad spirits - in all Rosita’s medicines, she always uses partners like this). Using 2, 4, or 6, of these leaves chew them and swallow the whole thing. This is slippery. Take at the first pain.
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n. taro patch
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.
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n. liana climbing up a Syzygium tree into the canopy, growing at edge of dense forest near garden area. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3637)
Scientific name: Entada phaseoloides
Example: Rope is made from the inner bark of this plant. Use the rope immediately after it is stripped from the bark, there is no need to treat it with heat as is the case with other plants. Alternatively, the coil of bark rope can be kept in fresh water where it will stay soft until needed. Medicine for women when sick with a headache from the spirit sea snake, or sea god, or sea spirit that makes people sick. Men use it to help with toochaches. Women use it to help with backpain, stomache pain, or any other pain. Must pound two leaves taken from the top of the plant and combine with incespiv. Rosalina Nijae said it was mostly used by men so did not know how to use it well. Walking in bush and become thirsty, cut vine on 1 side and drink. Seeds made into foot bracelets for men for Kastom dances and make all sorts of different sounds. In some places taboo to cut large one as the large ones embody the snake spirit.
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n. shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3441)
Scientific name: Abutilon indicum
Example: Flowers put in hear as an ornament that has power because it is so beautiful. Leaves are burned and added to a bamboo pipe and mix with a foam that forms in fresh water, when people go to a traditional dance, men paint part of their face eyebrows and beard to attract attention, hence the name, pone part of which "am̃a" means "staring", because it will cause people to stare at the one wearing it.
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n. Blue sea chub, snubnose chub, topsail drummer
Scientific name: Kyphosus cinerascens via FishBase
Example: Photo by ANFC, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via via Fishes of Australia
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n. Brown Chub, Grey Sea Chub, Grey Drummer
Scientific name: Kyphosus bigibbus via FishBase
Example: Photo by John Turnbull, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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n. type of seashell
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.
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[ inhuleɣ ]
n. Yellow-throated White-eye
Scientific name: Zosterops metcalfii
Example: Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans / Wikimedia Commons, License: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
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n. type of seashell
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.
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n. type of seashell
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Dec. 2018, Aneityum island.
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n. Common dolphinfish, mahi mahi
Scientific name: Coryphaena hippurus via FishBase
Example: Photo by Alex Kerstitch / Shorefishes of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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n. Moorish idol
Scientific name: Zanclus cornutus via FishBase
Example: Photo by Ian Shaw / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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[ inja ]
n. Red Jungle Fowl, all chickens
Scientific name: Gallus gallus
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, Aneityum island, Vanuatu, Dec. 2018.
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n. Moorish idol
Scientific name: Zanclus cornutus
Example: Photo by Ian Shaw / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3713)
Scientific name: Symplocos
Example: The wood of this tree is light and strong and used to carve canoe paddles. Carve the paddle from green wood as it is easier to carve then when the wood hardens.
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n. tree to 5 m, dbh 8 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4933)
Scientific name: Symplocos aneityensis
Example: The wood is light and used to make paddles for canoes.
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[ iɲe taθwaɪn anholwas ]
n. crown of leaves of a particular plant; "tadwain" to put around head; "anholwas" name of particular plant
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.
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[ iɲeθite anawanariɲ ]
n. a sand drawing
Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.
n. Titan triggerfish
Scientific name: Balistoides viridescens via FishBase
Example: Photo by Leonard Low, License: CC BY-NC 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
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n. vine, growing in disturbed forest. Fruits green. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3470)
Scientific name: Passiflora suberosa
Example: A man named Johnnie (Reuben’s grandfather) brought this vine to Aneityum to use it as a rope to tie objects. The ripe fruits are used to paint the face and hands and children make drawings from this dye.
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n. vine to 1 m, flowers greenish (collection: Michael J. Balick #4904)
Scientific name: Passiflora suberosa
Example: This is an introduced species. Use ripe fruits to produce a kind of ink for writing.
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n. vine, growing in coastal forest. Fruits purple. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3556)
Scientific name: Passiflora suberosa
Example: A man named Johnnie (Reuben’s grandfather) brought this vine to Aneityum to use it as a rope to tie objects. The ripe fruits are used to paint the face and hands and children make drawings from this dye.
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n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4754)
Scientific name: Passiflora suberosa
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n. epiphyte, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4104)
Scientific name: Phlegmariurus phlegmaria
Example: 1. This plant is considered bad luck when hunting or fishing. When doing these activities, do not decorate your hair with them. 2. This plant is used to weave the sheath portion of "nambas". First the stems are retted, then the inner portion of the plant removed. Once removed, the sheath is woven with the blanched fiber. 3. This is considered the male version of this plant. See GMP #4105, Phlegmarius sp. for the female version.
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n. epiphyte, growing in secondary forest along trail above river. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3664)
Scientific name: Phlegmariurus phlegmaria
Example: This plant is used to make a head garland, but if you are going hunting or fishing do not put this on your head as you will not be successful in your quset. This is the grass skirt for the spirits; you can hear them but you cannot see them.
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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