| Bislama |
English |
| Aelan
kabis |
Island
cabbage. A staple leaf vegetable comparable to spinach
or silverbeet. |
| Alean
kaekae |
Island
food / Melanesian food. |
| Aelan
taro |
A
variety of taro grown at higher altitudes and widely accepted
to be the tastiest taro. |
| Blong |
Belong. |
| Bus
kabis |
A
leaf vegetable comparable to spinach or silverbeet (more
so than aelan kabis). |
| Breadfruit |
A
starchy fruit from the breadfruit tree that is cooked
before eating. |
| Copra |
Dried
coconut flesh. Vanuatu's biggest agricultural export.
Used for making coconut oil etc. |
| Copra
Boats |
Small
coastal ships which travel all over the islands delivering
cargo and picking up copra. |
| Envaeromen |
Environment. |
| Gato |
A
fried dough, similar to a donut. |
| Haos
blong cook |
Kitchen
house. |
| Haos
blong swim |
Bathing
house / shower . |
| Kastom |
Custom
(traditional). More broad, it is everything that has to
do with the life of the indigenous Ni-Vanuatu. |
| Kava |
An
intoxicating drink made from the roots of the Kava plant
Piper methysticum. Many Ni-Vanuatu men like a
few "shells" of kava in the evening. |
| Kumala |
Sweet
potato. |
| Lafet |
Festival
(e.g. 30 July, Vanuatu's Independence Day) |
| Lap-lap |
A
staple pudding-like dish, made from grated starchy root
vegetables (and also banana) with coconut cooked wrapped
in leaves in a 'ground oven' of hot stones. |
| Manioc |
A
starchy root vegetable. Foreign names include Cassava
and Tapioca. |
| Namba |
Penis
sheath - a traditional dress for men in much of rural
Vanuatu and still worn in Kastom Villages |
| Nalot |
The
end result is similar to plain lap-lap but nalot is made
by pounding roast breadfruit - a Santo specialty. |
| Nakamal |
Communal
building, traditionally a meeting place for men only. |
| Natsaro |
A
dancing ground used for ceremonies. Also called a nasara. |
| Ni-Vanuatu |
"of
Vanuatu" - native people of Vanuatu. |
| Olfala |
Old
fellow, old person. Olfala man = old man, olfala woman
= old woman. |
| Paw-paw |
Papaya |
| Pamplemousse |
Sweet
grapefruit. Some have red flesh, others are yellow. |
| Pikinini |
Child. |
| Raes
wetem tin |
Rice
with tin. Quick and easy food but most of the time not
very exciting. |
| Rom |
A
kastom of Ambrym. The Rom costume consists of a tall conical
mask and cloak of dry banana leaves. Roms represent spirits
and are much feared. |
| Simboro |
Lap-lap
like, rolled up with aelan kabis. |
| Smol
haos |
Toilet
/ WC / Bathroom. |
| Swim |
Can
mean both recreational swimming or bathing. For rural
Ni-Vanuatu bathing is a dip in the nearest river (a "swim"). |
| Tan |
Done,
cooked |
| Tam-Tam |
A
slit drum carved from a log with a hollowed out section. |
| Taro |
A
starchy root vegetable. |
| Tuluk |
Manioc
lap-lap with a meat stuffing inside somewhat like a sausage
roll. |
| Vanuatu |
"our
land" |
| Vatu |
Currency
of Vanuatu. Exchange
Rates. |
| Water
Taro |
The
plant looks similar to the dry land taro but grows in
swamps and the root is similar to some types of yams.
|
| Yam |
A
starchy root vegetable. Above ground the plant looks like
a vine. |
