Basavono po kulumoe i-ta ñei, Teliki Makumoso li-ko Banie.myth of originWhen our country emerged, our Supreme God was called Banie.
~tabau(i·)taᵐbau
Averb, intransitive
fall on the ground
U-vio beiuko na u-tabau!Stand firmly, don't fall down!
Mata ini i-ke me i-romo kape i-mako vele, ña i-tabau.dancing mask[The dancer] looks through [the holes] so he can see where he's dancing, to avoid tripping up.
Bsecond verb, intransitive
resultative construction(do V) so as to make s.th. fall; bring down
I-romo vilo iote wako, i-toe i-tabau.When he sees a tree that fits, he chops it down.
Ngiro i-aka ponu ra ka i-vokoiu wolowolo pon, i-vokoiu ka i-tabau.The hurricane blew so hard that it destroyed the cross, and brought it down.
2 – gencarry ‹s.th.› in o.'s arms (opp.~valangia ‘carry w. stick’)
La-tabe voko la-lui.They picked up some stones and carried them away (in their arms).
Dapa kula ka li-le li-toe longe ne ngogoro ka li-tabe li-kamai ne moe.Some men went to cut firewood in the forest and brought it back home (on their shoulders).
I-tabo!when transcribing[let it repeat!] Play it again!
Bauxiliary
1 – commfoll. by verb V2, with same subjectrepeat doing s.th., do again
Le-tabo le-le.[we repeat we go] Let's go there again.
Kape ne-tabo ne-le metele iote pe kape i-ka na.I'll go again next month.
Revo i-tabo i-ma.It's low tide again.
Ni-tabo ni-mui.I've forgotten again.
A-ko u-tabo u-vongo?Do you want to eat more? [lit. to repeat eating]
2 – sometimpersonal 3sg, with non-verbal predicatebe again
I-tabo dapa Iura.+ noun phraseIt's (a photo of) the Vanuatu people again.
Menu emele ie teliki i-tabo sa-pine.The chief's daughter is pregnant again.
Taluaito kape i-padi basa ini: ne to ne, koro; ne lava tilu, kape bworo. Awoiu kape i-tabo koro pwo mijaka.The (heathen) priest would paint his head: white in the middle; black on each side; and then, a bit of white again underneath.
3 – do back; do an action that compensates or reacts to a previous action
Ka li-ko ruene, ka li-tabo li-bono.They open the door, and then shut it back.
Otovo iupa ka tamwaliko, pi-tabo pi-wete kula motoe.Our roofing has been damaged, we're making a new one again.
Cparticle
rareprecedes verbagain
Labiou tae, dapa ka tabo li-ke li-ka.After a moment, again they came out.
MorphologyThe particle occurs at the same place as the auxiliary-like verb form ~tabo, except that it does not take verbal prefixes.
Tabuluburi, tonge iote pine pe li-loko puro i-koie ene. Li-akawo tabuluburi ne adie idi, puro i-vio ene. Basavono po le-ko li-ago idi, li-katei i-ke ka li-iui.
A quiver is a long sheath where you can insert your arrows. You hang it on your shoulder, with arrows inside. When you want to shoot someone, you draw out an arrow and shoot.
Tae, ini tae. Iote teve.+free pronounNo, it's not her. It's someone else.
Ne tomoro nga na tae: bwogo!+locative predicateIt was not during the day like this: it was night!
Bpredicative
1 – clause-final, following the subjectNegative existential: ‘there is no X’; be lacking, be absent
Ero tae.There's no water.
Ka nganae kape li-lengi melia dapa ñe tae, nganae pe kape li-ajau ñe ma dapa tae, nganae pe kape le-la tae.in ParadiseThere's nothing that can bring them pain; nothing that they must do with their hands; no work they have to do.
2 – aloneNegative answer: ‘no!’
I-ko “A-tomoli ko!” I-ko “Tae!”“You're lying,” he said; “No!” she replied.
3 – to no avail; in vain
I-atui i-atui: tae!He tried on and on – to no avail.
“Takulalefioe” or “Takole”: name of a deity, mother of the tamate creatures
Tamate pon, et’ adapa pon “Takulalevioe”. Enga ini iote li-ko, ae, “Takole”. “Takulalevioe”, o “Takole”.As for the Tamate, their mother was called Takulalefioe. She also had another name, Takole. Takole, or Takulalefioe.
a high-profile Spirit that comes out in villages during ritual dances and important celebrations
Ka pon dapa moro abia ponu, Tamate pon pe li-te ñi pe li-mako li-mako, nedemo, tomoro, nedemo, tomoro…Every single day, the Tamate creatures who lived there would keep dancing on and on – during the night, the day, the night, the day…
Tamate pon, et’ adapa pon “Takulalevioe”.As for the Tamate, their mother was called Takulalefioe.
Hist.This cultural practice was historically borrowed from the Banks islands (Iura) further south.
Labiou tamwase kia ka la-lengi kia tae.We haven't heard from each other for a very long time.
Awis pine tamwase.Many thanks (for your attention).
Ne-ko ne-romo tamwase!I'd really love to see it!
2 – in excess, too much
Abiaini tamwase.It's too thick.
3 – sometespecially, particularly
Dapa tadoe li-ejau idi li-madau, tamwase ne bwogo.Ghosts scare people, particularly at night.
4 – often
Dapa wopine na li-vete piene ne “ebele ini!” tamwase, pe li-ko motoro.The elders very often use this expression “it's wonderful”: they find it a nice word.
2 – sunset: go down in the sky, during late afternoon
Awoiu, awoiu pon, i-le nga pon, aeve ka i-tavali ponu, dapa ka li-le li-vongo ne toplau.When everything was ready – about when the sun was going down – the men went to have dinner in their men's club.
U-laioi bete ne mwotono me i-tavea i-le.You throw the mat into the ocean, so it drifts away.
Dapa ne da ka li-bu awoiu. Vana ka li-tavea li-koie li-sai i-katau temaka ponu.All their relatives died instantly. Their [bodies] were floating, washing ashore along the beach.
2 – geocentric coordinatesdown on the cardinal axis: towards northwest, north or west
Monone po ene ni-vete, ene tawora ne, ne utele vewo pine pe i-vio ne, pwama ole ponu.That chest I was talking about was located down there (northwest), by the large chestnut tree standing over there, on the beach.
Uña teliki makumoso, ka uña teliki, ka dapa wopine peini kulumoe, ka dapa gete, ne-ko kape ne-viñi kiapa. Iote kape ne-viñi kaipa teliki na.O you supreme chiefs, you dignitaries, you leaders of our island; and you the youngsters too, I have something to tell you. Something I want to tell to all the dignitaries here.
Mythology
2 – espSupreme Lord, God: name given to the ancient god Banie
Teliki iadapa pe li-maluo, ka Teliki Makumoso iadapa po li-bu.The living have their chiefs; the Dead have their own supreme chief, “Teliki Makumoso”.
Banie, the Supreme Lord ✧ Banie, Teliki Makumoso
Basavono po kulumoe i-ta ñei, Teliki Makumoso li-ko “Banie”. Ka Teliki Makumoso Banie pon na, i-waivo idi. In’ na, Teliki Makumoso, ai’ akapa, i-waivo idi ñe telepakau, ñe piene; i-waivo idi ñe ngatene pe li-ajau: nga ebele ko i-waivo idi pe li-vo mwoe, i-waivo idi pe li-bo vilo, kuo, wele, ngaten’ abia pon na.
When our country emerged, our Supreme Lord was called “Banie”. This supreme god was the one who taught everything to humans. He's the one – our Supreme Lord, our father – he's the one who taught us our culture, our language, everything we do: thus he taught us how to build houses, how to create things with wood, how to cut canoes, how to make paddles – all those things…
4 – subject of impersonal predicatesthe universe, insofar as it is subject to the diurnal cycle. Dummy subject for various predicates for weather or times of the day
Temaka mamote nedemo we ka tomoro?Is it still dark? or is it daylight already?
Tenuro pon, li-kai mina labaro li-tuku ne revo i-vagasi metele iune. Awoiu li-tabo li-loko li-koioi li-tate iwene ne ole me kokoro ne aeve. I-le i-le pon, basavono po kokoro pon, li-loko pon li-vei me ika nga tenuro. Li-ovei pe li-ejau ngatene abia ñei, ebele nga pele peini namuko, we taka pe li-koene ne aele idi.
To make a rope, you tear off the fibres of a coconut husk, and plunge them in the sea for a whole month. Then you collect them again, bring them ashore, and extend them on the sand so it dries in the sun. Once it's dry, it can be woven into a rope. You can then make several things with it, like a fishing-net, or sandals.
Techniques
2 – rope, traditionally made by braiding together coconut fibres
Dapa noma vana li-apilo tenuro.People in the past used to make coconut-string ropes.
Kape li-odo tenuro me le-vo ñe nengele kuo korone.We'll look for a rope so we can attach firmly the elements of the canoe.
Li-avo tepapa ka li-apilo toñaki.They made planks (by splitting wood) to build a ship.
Anthropology
2 – espstomping boards. During ngapiene festivals, a blateno pole is erected in the middle of the village area (mane). Laid out in circle (~dai, ~dadai) around it, are a number of wooden boards half buried (~iu2) in the ground, on which dancers leap and stomp (~viaene, ~wate) during the celebrations, in a loud and joyful dance.
Li-ae kie tepapa i-dadai awoiu ponu, li-iu. Li-iu tepapa i-dai awoiu, blateno ka li-toe li-kamai.First they dug up the holes for the boards in a circle, then they buried the stomping boards. Finally, they cut a wooden pole and brought it.
Li-wate tepapa, li-viane tepapa ponu; ka li-pinoe pon ta ka li-mako.They were hitting the boards, stomping on the boards: such was their dance.
The stomping boards ✧ tepapa
Tepapa, li-toe kara nebe li-bo nga kulaña metele. Awoiu li-ae tanoe li-la tepapa li-botongo ñi. Awoiu idi li-mako ne pongo li-viane me aña ini.
‘To make a stomping board, you cut a root of rosewood tree, and carve it in the shape of a semi-circle. Then you dig up the ground, and cover the hole with the board. Later, people will dance upon them, stomping for the noise it makes.’
kie tepapanoun
hole of boardhole buried in the ground, used as a resonator underneath the stomping board during the ngapiene dances
Basavono po li-toe oie dero, abwa i-ke mina. I-ka ra ra i-beiu ka li-kila li-ko “tepulu peini dero”. Li-ovei pe li-la tepulu li-lateli ne teipu me le-su nga buluko.
If you cut at the trunk of a kauri tree, the sap comes out; when it hardens, we call it tepulu, “kauri resin”. Kauri resin can be stored in an empty coconut shell, and lit as a lamp.
tepungotepuŋonoun
Vaeakau-Taumakote pungasmooth, big, round coral stone
Tepungo pon voko wopine li-karau ne mwoko ka uña viko me komudo li-vio ene.Coral rocks are large boulders that grow on the reef bed, and that's where shells and clamshells grow.
Kanamuko me komudo i-lakau tepungo.Clamshells adhere to the coral rock.
1 – geocentric directionalinsideinland, seen from the shore; uphill
Sekele iaba ene vitoko ne, takoie ne.Our garden is here, uphill this way.
Li-koioi li-su buluko ka li-koie li-vagasi takoie.They lit torchlights and led them in, until they reached (the village) inland.
2 – seen from the seatowards the coast, towards the island
Dapa kula li-katei noma nuduro tilu ponu, li-koioi tetakoie, i-le i-vene ne moko taniboro.Some people pull the two ends of the scareline towards the shore, to a dry zone.
Li-koie takoie ne touro ponu, dapa wopine kula li-ke li-le.While they were walking up towards the shore, some of the [island's] chiefs walked down towards them.
tetaulatetaulanoun
Vaeakau-Taumakote taura
shipanchor
📘 The anchor is attached to a rope or chain (iula). The term iula can also refer, metonymically, to the anchor itself.
Tae, ini tae. Iote teve.No, it's not her. It's someone else. [lit. another one from her]
7 – after existential verbbe with ‹s.o.›, equiv. of Eng. ‘have’
Monone adapa kape i-wene teve kia na.Their trunk will remain with you and me.
A-rom, na vilo engaiote! Vilo pon i-vio teve kiapa tae.Look at this strange plant! [lit. That plant doesn't exist with us.] We don't have it (in our island).
~wene teveverb, oblique
exist tobelong to ‹s.o.›; equiv. of Eng. ‘have’
Sitoa i-wene tev' ai' one.[a store existed with my father] My father had a business.
Nganae awa dapa i-viaene, na, i-wen' teve dapa.ParadiseWhatever they want, they have it.
Kula pe li-vio ne teviri li-ioi; ka kula i-vio i-katei ne teviumu.dragging a canoe on landThose who are standing by the stern, they will push; the others stand at the prow, and pull.
“canoe notch”: notch carved on each side of a canoe hull, meant to attach a rope when dragging (~katei, ~iui) the canoe on land towards the sea
Li-toe kuo wako, li-ajau tiame wako, i-viñi dapa gete iape i-ko “Wako le-le le-katei.”Once they had carved the canoe, once they had carved the notches, he told his youngsters: “Alright, let's drag it now!”
Kape le-ngago moboro se tiaume peini kuo.We fasten a rope to the hooks of the canoe.
poke out, break through, in the form of a longish object
Dapa li-romo vilisao ka i-tobo i-ke – li-romo nga luro.They suddenly saw a tornado break through the clouds – it was [long and thin] like a coconut tree.
Bverb, transitive
1 – press ‹s.th., s.o.› with finger or longish object (stick+); poke ‹s.th., s.o.›
Dapa kula li-wablei piene, ia li-tobo ñe, pe dapa ie mwaliko po awa dapa i-su.funeral ceremoniesSome people may make jokes, as long as they restrain themselves, with respect to the family who are in mourning.
I-romo vilo iote wako, i-toe i-tabau.When he sees a tree that fits, he chops it down.
Dapa kula ka li-le li-toe longe ne ngogoro.Some men went to cut firewood in the bush.
Tepapa, li-toe kara nebe li-bo nga kulaña metele.To make a stomping board, you cut a root of rosewood tree, and carve it (~bo) in the shape of a semi-circle.
1 – club house reserved to men, esp. initiated men
Moe uña dapa gete, enga ini Moe Toplau.The house of young men is called the Toplau house.
Teliki, samame dap' wopine, dapa gete, ne toplau; da viñevi, ne mwoe.The chief, together with elders and young boys, can go in the men’s club; but women stay in their houses.
a men's club house (toplau) reserved to younger men (dapa gete) for their initiations
Ni-ko ne-wasi kaipa ñe Toplau mwa gete na.I wanted to tell you about the Men's Initiation house.
Ba-romo Toplau mwa gete pe i-ka mina tanoe pon, i-vio.myth of Toplau mwa geteWe saw the Men's initiation house come out of the ground, and stand in front of us.
I-totoe jebute iape.He cut his taro in small pieces.
Kava li-totoe, kara i-koie samame.You chop kava to small pieces, including the roots.
totokaletotokale
Motatotoɣalepicture
Anoun, relational
1 – picture, photo, representation of ‹s.o., s.th.›
Ene totokale menu one.This is a photo of my kid.
Synt.The possessor encoded with the direct (inalienable) pronoun is the person represented on the photo.
2 – figlikeness, resemblance to ‹s.o.›
I-la totokale ai' iape.[he's taken the likeness of his father] He looks like his father!
Bnoun
photo, picture (considered as an object in itself); somet. video, TV
Ene ni-rom ne totokale.I saw it on a photo / on TV.
Synt.The possessor encoded with the ordinary (alienable) marker enone is the owner of the photo, not its object.
~totoñe(i·)totoɲeverb, transitive
grate, sand ‹s.th.›
Ka i-wene peini u-totoñe via kome, via wele, tekumete, nga pon.The stingray sander (bele voro) can be used for sanding axe handles, paddles, wooden dishes, and so on.