Kuanua Arrangement

Arrange (Togore)

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 Ismael K. Isikel 20/12/2017

Togore

Togore is a word that is commonly associated with market sale arrangement. It means to arrange in some order. It is a common activity that market vendors do at the market. It is a verb. Here togore is presented together with related terms.

Togotogore  is the present continuous tense of togore. The completed arrangement of items is called totogorei. It becomes a noun then.

Tamile, waninara, mal,  pait

Tamile, waninara, mal, and pait are related words with close meanings to togore.

Tamile  is to arrange or put in order. Example:  I tamile kana robong. He arranged items in his basket.
Tatamilei is the description of the continuing activity of tamile. It becomes a noun then. Tamtamile is the present continuous tense of tamile. The past tense of tamile is ga tamile or tar tamile.

Example Usage:

1.  I tamile kana robong. He arranged items in his basket.

2. Awa nam u papaitia?What are you doing?
Iau tamtamile kaugu robong. I am arranging items in my basket.

Waninarara

Waninara is a related term that means ready or prepare. It is a generic term. Wanwaninara is the present continuous tense of waninara. Wanwaninara  becomes a noun when  speaking in reference to the arranged/prepared items- arrangement or preparation. Waninare is used when speaking of a particular activity of preparation; to prepare for. The past tense of waninara is ga waninara, ga waninare, tar waninara and tar waninare. The past continuous tense is ga wanwaninara.

Note for the non-Kuanua speaker: The first a and last letter a in waninara are pronounced as in the er in the pronoun her.

Example Usage:

1. Una waninara.                          You get ready.
2. Una waninare.                           You prepare it.
3.I ga waninara ra kilala;la ipar.  He/She made preparations las year.
4. I tar waninara.                           He/She has made preparations.

Mal

Minamal is formed from the verb mal. Mal means to do or make. Minamal is the finished product. Malmal is the present continuous tense. The past tense of mal is ga mal or tar mal.

Note for the non-Kuanua speaker:  Letter a  is pronounced as in the er in the pronoun her. Malmal also means peace but pronounced slightly different. The a sounds more like the a r in art. Malmal also means spoilt; spoilt child.

Kubak

Kubak means to prepare however, it is frequently used in association with traditional activities such as dance preparation or tubuan activities. The phrase " to go into camp" is a good synonym for kubak. The continuing activity of kubak is called kunubak. It is used as a noun. Kubakubak is the present continuous tense. Past tense is ga kubak and tar kubak. Kubake is used to mean prepare for; in preparation for.

Pait

Pait means do; make; or carry out. The noun form and present continuous tense are spelt the same (papait) but used differently. Past tense of pait is ga pait;  tar pait. Past continuous tense of pait is ga papait. Papait pronounced fast means a different thing altogether. It means behavior which is synonymous with pinarua and mangamangana.

Papalum

Papalum is formed from the word palum which means work.

Balaguan

Balaguan

Ismael K. Isikel 14/12/2017

This is a Christmas mood post for 2017 on the word balaguan and related terms.

Tagete is used in many balaguan decorations

A feast is called a balaguan. Warwakai is a word that is frequently used to mean balaguan. Balaguan is a time to be happy (gugu); a time to mark an occasion (matamatanai); a time to display wealth in honor of dead relatives (nuk midimidi); and a time to close the balaguan (riat kaur). Sometimes bamboo poles are erected and decorated during a balaguan. The setting up of bamboo poles is known as watut kaur. Depending on resources and time, a watut kaur and riat kaur are performed at the same time or at different times. Some balaguan do not involve the erection of bamboo poles for decoration.

Matamatanai evokes terms such as nuk warpa, nuk midimidi, pite warpa. Nuk warpa is to remember and nuk midimidi is to remember by conducting a feast. Pite warpa is praise.

Another word synonymous with balaguan is lukara. It is also used to mean food and other items used in a feast.

Lukara na warbean is a wedding feast; a marriage ceremony. And lukara na kinakawa is a time to remember and celebrate the time of birth.

Relatives and friends express best wishes to the person or people celebrating by saying:

Bona lukara na warbean

Bona lukara na kinkawa.

Kuanua Journey

Winawana (Travel, Journey)

Ismae K. Isikel 12/12/2017
Edited13/12/2017

Winawana is formed from the word wana that means go, walk. Winawana means travel or journey, a long journey by foot or sea. Well, today one may include truck and airplane as means of travel.

Present continuous tense of wana is wanawana. Past tense of wana are stated as 1. ga wana; 2. iga wana; 3. tar wana; and 4.itar wana. These are past tense indicators and are used as separate words before the verbs to indicate action in the past.

Tense rules:

1. To change a verb to present continuous tens, repeat the first two or three letters of the verb.

Example:     wana  = wanawana      walk = walking
                  warwut = warwarwut     run  = running 
                  tangi = tangtangi          cry = crying
                  long = lolong/loalong    steal = stealing
                 warwul = warwarwul      swear = swearing
                 walua = walwalua          shake = shaking
                 gire = giregire/giragire    see = seeing


2. To change a verb to past tense add the past tense indicator as a separate word before the verb.

Example:   wana =  ga wana         walked
                              iga wana        He/She walked. 
                              itar wana       He/She is gone
 
There is another meaning of wanawana. A walking aid is called a wanawana. A walking stick, for example. A wanawana is also called a tututuk.

Example Usage of winawana and wana:

1. Iau gire nabung i wanawana.      I saw him/her yesterday walking.

 The words used in sentence structure:
Iau (I); gire (saw); nabung (yesterday); i (him/her); wanawana (walking).

2. a. Wakir una wana.         You are not going.
   b. Wakir ina wana.           I am not going.
   c. Wakir ina wanawana.   I am not going to travel by foot

 Sentence structure of 2.a: Wakir (not); una (you will); wana (go).

Meanings of wakir: will not, not, none, patana (Raluana), patai/pate, (Boawa)

3. a,  Una wana uti.           You come here
   b.  Wana uti.                   Come here
   c.  Una wana uwe?         Where are you going?
   d.  Ina wana nagunan.     I am going home.
   e.  Wingaia una wana?   When will you go? When are you going?

Tama is a word that is used in association with winawana and it means items carried for sustenance on a journey.  Another meaning of tama is father.

A tama ai ra winawana: a iawa ma tup. iki

Bona winawana. Good traveling.

Book review

A book review on Tinikan na Bakungo (Cave Exploration)

 Ismael K. Isikel 28/11/2017

Beck, Howard M. 2003. Beneath the Cloud Forests: A History of Cave Exploration in Papua New Guinea, 1st Edition. Switzerland, Speleo Projects.

The purpose of this brief book review firstly, is to publicize the book as it is based on Papua New Guinea and secondly to associate Kuanua vocabulary with some terms used in the book. The book was published in 2003 however; speleology is not a widely known subject in Papua New Guinea.

Beneath the Cloud Forests is a mesmerizing account of cave exploration and speleology in Papua New Guinea. The review begins with personal anecdotes and Kuanua words related to caves then explores the book in some detail. Primarily, the book is based on cave exploration and speleology in Papua New Guinea.

The title of the book alone evokes stories and very limited experience with natural caves. One story was told to me by a distant relative from Ramalmal village. There is a cave at Ramalmal village on the North Coast of East New Britain where you can hear the waves breaking either at the beach or on the reef. This is heard as one stands at the entrance of the cave.  It is not clear exactly where the waves break. The location of the cave in the village is more than three kilometres away from the shore. Another related story i came across on Facebook is that of another cave at the North Coast of Rabaul. At the foot of Mt To Kunar are several villages, including Boawa, Vunadawai, Vunavulila, and Vunagamata. Someone reported a site that appears to be a cave containing Stone Age artefacts at Vunavulila village. These artefacts appear to be of the Lapita culture however, it has yet to be confirmed.

In Kuanua mata is used for hole and cave. It also means eye. Tung is another word for hole and mata na tung is the phrase for cave entrance. In other dialects (Boawa and Wuatam Isand) of Kuanua the word for cave is bakungo. A Kuanua translation of the title is Navavai ra Bakut na Lokalokor: A Warwai Ure ra Tinikan na Bakungo ati Papua New Guinea. That is Kuanua. Now back to the book.

A book with mesmerizing, and in many parts breath-taking, writing depends on the author's penmanship, affinity with nature, and experience in the subject. And who is the author? Howard Beck is the author and is no stranger to Papua New Guinea. He has well over 30 years of experience as an explorer and global traveller. In addition, he has been a freelance photographer and writer for well over twenty years. His work has appeared in journals, magazines, and books.  The title of an earlier book by Howard Beck is "Gaping Gill: 150 Years of Exploration" was published in 1984. It is out of print but it is listed under Google Books where excerpts from selected pages appear.

Beneath the Cloud Forests is an authoritative work on the subject of speleology and cave exploration in Papua New Guinea recording cave explorations from 1962 to 2001.

From  Kagua to Telefomin and across the Bismarck Sea to the limestone tract of Lelet Plateau in Namatanai caves were explored and are recorded with excellent photographs and sketches. These sketches are drawn to scale and neatly presented providing graphical details of the caves. Most of the details of these caves were unknown to the locals. The locals named the caves and knew the location of the entrances or parts of them as well as associating the caves with the spirit world. Cave explorations have shed more information on these caves.

Most of these caves a located in lime stone areas making the book useful in recording lime stone regions in the country. Wat pua is used in Kuanua for lime stone. Wat pua is literally translated to English as 'white stone'.

Ten (10) deepest caves located within the Nakanai Mountains of West New Britain are recorded. The deepest of these ten is known as Muruk Hul with a depth of 1,178 metres. Other caves recorded are located in other parts of the country, including the Atea Kananda cave located in the Muller Range of Southern Highlands and Arem Tem cave found in Western Province. Also located in the Muller Range is the longest cave known as Mamo Kanada.

Beneath the Cloud Forests is one of those books that is written in an organized manner suitable for study purposes. Apart from the Bibliography and a very good index, there are excellent photographs both in black and color. There is also a Glossary of Caving Terms giving quick definitions to speleology  terms, helping the reader along in comprehension. It also lists Major Caving Expeditions and Major Caves in the country.

The copy of Beneath the Cloud Forests that i am reading was kindly donated to the University Library by Mike Bourke who is a pioneer cave explorer in Papua New Guinea. Mike Bourke is mentioned in various pages of the book. Mike was the editor of Niugini Caver which was the quarterly newsletter of the Papua New Guinea Cave Exploration Group formed around 1972.

End.

Caution and Construction

Wawatur

Ismael K. Isikel 17/11/2017

Two words in English that relate to the Kuanua word wawatur are caution and construction. Caution means taking care to avoid something unpleasant or danger. The first meaning of the word construction is the action of building something, and in general the building of a large structure. The second meaning of construction is the creation of an abstract entity. This definition is further explained by the statement "language plays a large part in our construction of reality."

Wawatur

Wawatur has three meanings in Kuanua. Firstly, it means to hold on to something as a measure of safety against danger or unpleasantness. For example, when riding a canoe we hold on the side of the canoe or something steady for safety and stability against the movement of waves. Two other Kuanua words synonymous with wawatur are  adek and auwia. They are issued as caution to someone about to or carrying out  an activity that may involve risk such as climbing a coconut or using a sharp tool.

Wawatur na pal

Secondly, wawatur means establishment of building a house; the beginning of construction of a house. Watur ra pal is used to mean build the house. Wawatur na pal is used to mean establishment of building a house

Wawatur na bata

Thirdly, wawatur means the beginning of rain; clouds forming as a sign rain is about to fall. It is described as wawatur na bata. Watur , as in construction of a house, is not used when describing rain is about to fall because no human constructs rain.

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End.

Source: Except for the definition of caution and construction, which were taken from Google, this post is written from oral source.

Disclaimer: Any errors in definitions are mine alone and not Google. 

Birds in East New Britain

Birds: A umana Beo

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Ismael K. Isikel Edited 08/01/2018

The general name for bird in Kuanua is beo. There are many of them in East New Britain and not all of them are listed here. More names will be added as they are identified and described. Some are just listed without any description.This is not a scientific classification of birds. It is basically the names of birds in Kuanua with some descriptions. Depending on dialect, some names may vary in spelling.  Some of these birds are migratory and pass through East New Britain in their travels. This post consists of two parts. The first is a list of terms associated with birds and the second is the list of birds.

Terms associated with birds

 Some terms associated with birds include:
 iwuna -  feather
pukai -  fly
pukapukai - flying
rakan - roost
rakarakan -  roosting place
mata - hollow.
po - nest
kiau - egg
telek- hatch
loko - male bird
nana - female bird
beo na ta - sea or shoreline bird
tolok - peck

List of birds

 

Balu - Pigeon

Bulukua - A long-tailed feathered black bird that feeds on the ground, much the same as a chicken scratching for grubs on the ground.

Buna - Fruit dove

Dima  This bird appears like a kingfisher but slightly smaller. It frequents areas where there is water such as rivers, creeks, and along the sea shores. Brown to orange chest and the rest is dirty dark blue. Very fast in flying keeping to just above ground level.

Gi or Lokokiakia - White chested and blueish all over. Some of the feathers have one side blue and the other side white which is prominently featured on the two long tail feathers. These two long tail feathers are commonly sought after for various dance decorations. It nests in termite hives found on tree trunks. It burrows the termite hive to make a nest. Normally it lays two eggs.

Giliau - A bird with black back feathers and white chest. The beak is orange as well as the legs.

Iai -  A ground black bird. It runs very fast and even outruns hunting dogs. They can be mistaken for human babies crying.

Inga - A type of parakeet that is smaller than a mumur.

Iu - Swift. Can be seen gliding for hours without perching. When not gliding it perches on dry tree branches.

Kabakabal -  Swallow. It lives and nests in caves.

Kakaruk - Chicken. 

Kakmal - Nightjar. Brownish bird that nests on the ground. It builds its nest in camouflage manner blending in with the immediate surroundings. If disturbed wherever it nests, it will relocate. 

Kalangar - Parrot.
             Kalangar mangmangilu - red color parrot
             Kalangar mapina pa - green color parrot.
Kalangar is the type of parrot found in East New Britain. It nests in hollows of tree trunks. It eats corn, banana, pawpaw and other garden foods such as peanuts. It feeds on food in unattended gardens as well as from the forest.

Kalawup or Balu kotkot - A species of pigeon that feeds on the ground. It has a crest that appears like grey mud.

Kau   A light brown middle size bird. It nests mostly on coconut palms.  Its name is given to the time of the early morning dawn as Kau or Kaukau. It marks this hour by 'crying' and of course waking people up. Another name for dawn is kawunwun.

Kawiwi - Kite. A terror to hens and chicks.One of its favourite meal is newly hatched chicks.

Kamuk -  Black and grey with white chest. The tail feathers are long and it makes a moo sound. There is one that is rarely seen that is white all over. It comes down to the ground to feed.

Kererek -  A black feathered bird with two curved tail feathers. They are usually seen in pairs.


Kik - Kingfisher. It is also called kikiu in another dialect of Kuanua spoken by Boawa and Wuatam people.

Koki or Muar - Cockatoo

Kokok - A night bird.

Kotkot  Crow or Raven, and also goes by the name Blackbird

Kuakua - There are two types of Kuakua. One is slightly bigger than the other and it is called Kuakua na pete. The smaller is called kuakua. Both are light brown with long tail feathers. It appears similar to rock pigeon.

Kuloko - Cuckoo

Kulinga - Lorriekeet

Ku'uk or Maima - A species of bird related to the Bird of Paradise. It is black with two middle long tail feathers. Similar to the owl, it is a night bird.

Kurkur - Owl. There is only one species of owl that is grey with little white spots. The tail feathers are short. It lives mostly in hollows in tree trunks. Its hooting resembles the distant lone barking of a dog.


Logalogo or Pap - A species of eagle with white chest and neck and the rest is brown. It is smaller than the minigulai.

Loko - Rooster

Malip -  Red and black in color and a favorite for aerial bird trappers of Toma. It is a common pet bird for many.  At times the phrase 'kipkip malip' is affectionately used to refer to anyone from Toma. The aerial bird trappers from Toma are the best in trapping birds such as muar, malip, and kulinga. Kipkip malip means bird bearer or carrier. From time to time men, the bird trappers, from Toma would sell birds at the market. It was an exotic site in the the old Rabaul market as the bird trappers would carry the birds around town selling them to interested buyers. The birds would be secured on a long wood or thin bamboo pole and carried on the shoulder.

Minigulai - Eagle. The bigger of the eagle species is known as minigulai.

Mumur - Parakeet.

Murup or Muruk - Cassowary

Neneoro - There are two types of neneoro. One type is highly migratory and move in flocks while the other type are usually seen in pairs and remain in one area. Neneoro could be a species of robin but this needs confirmation.

Ngiok or Ngeok - Wild fowl. Two known nesting areas in the vicinity of Simpson Harbour is Tavurvur and Tavana. A wild fowl lays its eggs by digging a hole in warm soil, lay the eggs,  and bury them to incubate and hatch. A hen lays four eggs in the same hole but in places them apart from each in different spots.

Pakupak - In Tolai folklore the Pakupak is a harbinger of death in the village. They fly around in pairs. One is black and the other is light brown to orange. Obviously one of them is a female and the other is male

Parupir - Humming bird.

Ruk - A green with orange neck ground bird. It completes its nest using the spiny roots of yams ( mamia) as a protection ring round the nest to deter other predator birds. I recently noticed that it inhabits areas close to old mamia (yam) gardens.
 
Tenge  Wren. There is one type of wren that frequent coconut palms. It is called ulmere. It is a tiny beautiful bird with a red chest hence the name ulmere. The lower body is glossy black.

Tamatamalakau It is slightly bigger than a wren and grey in color, and almost the size of a robin.

Uk - a species of fruit dove. It makes a sound that almost calling Jesus (Iesu) in Kuanua that goes something like, Uk, uk, uk, To Ietu. The name given to it comes from the sound that it makes - uk.

Ulia - Sandpiper. Ulia is a shoreline bird like the tuwik (plover).

Wuira - Starling. It is black with red eyes.  Another type is called wianao that is not as black as the red eye. The chest feathers are light.


Wuawuat - Appears similar to the Kuakua but shorter with dark brown feathers. Unlike the Kuakua, the Wuawuat feeds on the ground. There are two species of wuawuat. One is called wuawuat and it is brown and the other is called wuawuat golagolo. It also feeds on the ground.  Both appears similar to the rock pigeon.

Wurugada - A tiny dark brown bird with a beak similar to a finch and parrot. They fly around in flocks like starlings and frequent grass areas. The name wurugada is taken from a tall reed-like grass known as gada. Wuru here  means search and hence its name wurugada, literally translated to English as 'grass searcher.   Wurugada is the same as the Red-Throated-Ant-Tanager.

Transaction

Transaction in Kuanua. 

Ismael K. Isikel, Edited 18/10/2017

Transaction means: 1) an instance of buying and selling;  and 2) a published report of proceedings at the meeting of a learned society. The discussion in this post is concerned with the first definition. The other definition is included to justify the fact that, indeed, there are other meanings of transaction. In particular, this post treats the Kuanua vocabulary on transaction. Some examples of usage  are also provided for each term. The examples  are intended for those with little or no prior knowledge of Kuanua. Bear in mind Kuanua has more than one dialect and that means not all terms or variations in spelling appear here.

Transaction vocabulary in Kuanua presented here are Warkukul, Kul, Pa, Tokom, Dinau, Palatip, Tip, Tabu, Porong, Kala, and Avia. Some forms of each of these terms and related words are also included.

Warkukul
It is the name for bride price payment as well as the activities performed during the settlement of bride price between the families and relatives of the  bride and groom. It is  a reciprocal social activity that includes settlement in traditional currency which is tabu.

Example Usage

A warkukul ningene. The bride price ceremony will be tomorrow.

A- The;  warkukul -  bride price ceremony;  ningene - (will be) tomorrow.

Dia wana tara warkukul. They went to the bride price ceremony.

Dia - They; wana - went; warkukul - bride price ceremony

Kul
Kul is translated to English as buy, pay, or purchase. The noun form of kul is Kunukul or in English, payment. Kunukul is also used to mean 'for sale'. A related word to  Kunukul is  warkul. Apart from it being used interchangeably with Kunukul,  it is also used specifically to mean penalty fine. Kulkul is used as present continuous tense and apart from that, it is also used to describe the buyer of something. For example, Kulkul kiau. Egg buyer.

Example Usage

Iau kul ra makura pa. I bought a bundle of taro.

Iau - I; kul - buy; ra- of; makura - bundle of; pa - taro.

Toia i kul ra nian? Who bought the food?

Toia - Who; i kul ra nian - bought the food.

Toia na kul ra nian?  Who will buy the food?

Toia - Who; na - will; kul - buy; nian- food.

Pa
Pa very rarely is used outside of the traditional transaction even if it is a perfect synonym for kul. Kul is used widely in both traditional and modern settings and transactions. The usage of pa is mostly confined to traditional transaction or the village.  The noun form of pa is pinapa. Papa is the act of carrying out a purchase. Pa is used both for permanent transaction and hire purchase as well as penalty fine, especially compensation.

Example Usage

Una pa To Ruga tago u vulia. You will compensate Mr Ruga because you swore at him.

Una - You will; pa - compensate; To Ruga - Mr Ruga; tago - because; u - you; vulia - swore at him.

To Wilimon ipapa na lama tai To Walogo.  Mr Wilimon bought coconuts from Mr Walogo.

To Wilimon - Mr Wilimon; ipapa na - bought; lama - coconuts; tai - from; To Walogo - Mr Walogo.

Tokom 
Hire purchase and fare are known respectively as tokom and totokom.  Tokom is the verb and totokom is the adverb.  In Kuanua totokom is the noun form of tokom.

Example Usage

Una tokom tatikana oaga. You will hire one canoe.

Una - You will; tokom - hire; tatikana - one; oaga - canoe.

Ina totokom boko. I have yet to pay.

Ina - I have; totokom - pay; boko - yet

Dinau
Dinau is the act of obtaining goods and services on credit in good faith with the understanding that payment will be settled later or at an agreed time. Dinau is one of some Kuanua words now commonly used in Pidgin.

Example Usage

Nukpa kaum dinau. Remember your credit.

Nukpa- Remember; kaum - your; dinau - credit.

Palatip 
Palatip means cheap; only a few shells. Not much. In transaction it means to purchase an item cheaply. In some cases palatip is used to describe an unfair transaction where the seller receives less for the value of an item or items.

Example Usage

Ia Tarue ipalatip pa ra pa tai To Gabriel. (She did not pay the required amount.)

Ia Tarue -Ms Tarue; ipaltip ra pa - cheaply bought taro; tai - from; To Gabriel - Mr Gabriel.

Tip
Tip is the small unit of the traditional currency. It is also commonly used to refer to a small purchase  using  a smaller amount of tabu. Tiptip is used as the name of the activity using smaller amount of tabu. Tinitip is the noun form while tititip is the present continuous tense.  Tiptip is the activity  known in everyday language as fund raising activity.

Example Usage

Da ta titip na galip tai ToMikel. We will buy peanuts from Mr Mikel.

Da ta - We will; titip - buy; na galip - peanuts; tai - from; To Mikel - Mr Mikel.

Tabu 
Tabu is the traditional currency that was used in the past and still in use today. Tabu is made from cowrie shell collected from the sea, dried, and  processed. Processing involves making holes in the shells and strung on thin fashioned cane ropes measured in fathoms. Pokono is the word for a fathom of shell money. Half a fathom is papar or bongabongo and a quarter is turkao. The smaller amount between a turkao and tip is a pakaruat. Twelve (12) shells make up one tip.  The small unit of tabu is tip.  Making holes in the shells is known as bunubur. This is formed from the word bur meaning to bore an eye hole on a shell. The strung shells are grouped into five or ten fathoms per bundle for storage and transaction purposes. Tabu intended for long term storage and usage is fashioned into a cane loop.

Example Usage

A tabu di mamar me tara balaguan kai To Belut. The shell money used  for display during the feast belongs to Mr Belut.

A - The; tabu - shell money; marmar me - used for display; tara - during the; balaguan- feast; kai - belongs to; To Belut - Mr Belut.

Porong
Porong is far more closer in meaning to warkul than kunukul.  Porong is the act of carrying out a fine for an offence against a person.; to compensate.  Compensation then is warporong.

Example Usage

Ia Urade iga warporong mara ilima na winun na tabu. Ms Urade paid compensation with fifty fathoms of shell money.

Ia Urade - Ms Urade; iga warporong - paid compensation; mara - with; ilima na winun - fifty; - pokono - fathoms; na tabu - of shell money.

Kala   
Compensation payment for bodily injury is known as warkala, The verb form of warkala is kala.
Depending on the time, action or situation kala may be changed to the form kalakala, changing the form to present continuous or noun.

Example Usage

Una kala ra limai nauvam u mutia nabung. You will compensate your cousin's hand you cut yesterday.

Una - You will; ra limai - hand of; nauvam - your cousin; u - you; mutia - cut it; nabung - yesterday.

Aivia
How much is it? What is the cost/price? Questions like these appear frequently in transaction deals.To ask How much?, it is stated, Aivia?  The word mataina means the cost of it. Using aivia and mataina in a question, it is stated, Aivia ra mataina?  What is the cost of it?

Tagete is used along with tabu in some traditional transactions, especially during certain ceremonies.

Source:  This post is written from oral source, except for the definition of transaction and word forms taken from Google. Ismael K. Isikel 18/10/2017

Deception in Kuanua

Wagu

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Ismael K. Isikel Edited 5/10/2017

The act of causing another person to accept as true or valid something that is false or invalid is known in Kuanua as wawagu. The verb form is wagu or deceive in English.  It is closely related to the term cheat. A deliberate false statement or deceptive action in Kuanua is known as waongo. That is the same with any inadvertent statement that is later found not to be true.  It is stated in Kuanua as Wowongo na tinata. Wowongo is a variant of wawaongo. Wonga means to lie to; lie to another person. I wongeau. He/she lied to me. I wongo diat. He/she lied to them. A liar is a Tena waongo. If the speaker is speaking about himself or herself, wongeau is used as shown earlier in the example.

Warngu is another closely related term that is formed from the word ngu that is used to mean trick. Warngu is trickery.

The act of mixing up something or objects in order to cheat another person is known as wawaragu. Sometimes wawaragu is used as a synonym for the word steal or long in Kuanua. (the letter o in long is along vowel) Long is the verb and nilong may be used as a noun as well as other forms depending on the situation. A thief in Kuanua is called A long or A tena nilong. The present continuous tense is lolong or loalong.

Poto and wawaragu sometimes are used interchangeably however, they  are remotely related especially where the intent of an act is really negative or anti-social. Poto specifically means mix; adding two or more items together to form a mixture. Popoto is the act or process of blending. The present continuous tense is potopoto. For example, Tevita i potopoto ra dital tava. Tevita is mixing their drinks.  Potapoto is mixture. Pota means to mix or mix it. Pota is used when issuing an instruction to carry out the action of mixing. 


Source:  This post is based on oral source. Ismael K. Isikel 5/10/2017

Cooking

Types of Traditional Cooking

A bona wudu aira nigir. 

Ismael K. Isikel Edited 2/10/2017

Some traditional types of cooking practiced by the Tolai are described in this post. These are tunutun, kukulubai, nigir, pinapara, and pipitai. It is more on the vocabulary and not the recipe.

1. Tunutun
A simple type of cooking is roasting or grilling food such as taro, banana, and kaukau on an open fire (iap). The food item  (magit na nian) is placed on the fire and from time to time it is turned and brushed or scratched with a sharp implement until it is cooked and ready to be eaten.

Depending on the situation, tunutun is used as adjective as well as a noun. Tunutun comes from the word tun that means grill or roast food, especially tubers, banana, or meat. Tututun  is the present continuous tense of tun.

Stone

Ismael K.Isikel EDited 3/10/2017

Wat or watu is the word for stone in Kuanua. You find in almost every yard a ground oven (ubu) with stones. This is used for cooking and the two most common types of cooking using heated stones are pinapara and nigir.  Apart from pinapara and nigir, it was used as a tool and weapon in the past. Well, that was the past but if one observe riots today, stones are used as weapon in some riots. Pinapara or mumu in pidgin  is cooking food in a ground oven. Nigir is cooking using hot stones in a container such as a large saucepan which is a modern option to banana leaves. Banana leaves are also used as container for nigir. The banana leaves are prepared and arranged into a container. Kadui is the name of the container.

Dry (Mage)

Kuanua vocabulary related to the term Dry (Mage)

Ismael K. Isikel, Edited 20/9/2017

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Global warming  evokes a word and related terms in Kuanua. The word is mage and means dry. Ge is also used as a short form of mage. Magamage is the present continuous form of mage. The opposite of mage is bilim (wet). A related opposite word is pupuk. A Kuanua translation of global warming is A Gunagunan i malamalapang.

Maranga is a related term that means dry however, it is used pertinently in relation to describing dry leaves or dead trees. Maranga na dawai. A dead tree. Makuk is another related word that means dry but specifically describes the state of something, for example, a leaf, that is dry as a result of exposure to heat from the sun or fire.

The environment or something in a state of being hot is described as malamalapang. It is commonly shortened as malapang. When an object or something is hot, the heat may cause harm to an unprotected part of the body. Lapap is a related term to malapang but specifically used to describe red hot stones in a ground oven fire. Lapap is used to describe something very hot. For example, I lapap ra keake. The sun is very hot. Lapalap is the present continuous form of lapap.  A related term is wartun that is used to mean burn, scorch, or sear. The verb form of wartun is tun.

Example Usage

Itar lapap ra ubu. The ground oven is already red hot.

Mama means devoid of water and is used to describe a container or water well that is without water, empty. It is also used to describe low tide at sea. The lowest of sea tides where seaweed and reef corals are exposed is described as takere.  Collecting shells, seaweed, and catching fish trapped in small pools of water is called mur mama.  The opposite of mama is lubu.

Example Usage

I mama ra mata na tawa. I mama ra kivu. The water well is empty.

Oao is the state of experiencing heat on the body and causes sweating and of course thirst. The word for thirst in Kuanua is mar and the adjective of the noun mar is minar (thirsty). Mangon is the word for sweat that describes the wet body condition. Mangmangon is the noun form of mangon. Depending on the situation, mangmangon is also used as adjective.

Example Usage

Iau oao.                             I am hot.
I oao ra pakagu.               My body is hot.
Iau mangmangon.            I am sweating.
Iau mar.                             I am thirsty.
Iau tar mar.                      I am already thirsty.
A minar i warmonong.    Thirst is in effect.

The Coconut

Ismael K. Isikel 7/9/2017

The tree of life (dawai na nilaun) in New Britain and the Pacific is the coconut (lama). Lama is the Kuanua word for the coconut tree as well as the dry nut. Cocos nucifera  is the scientific name for coconut tree. It is a species of palm. Although the fruit is commonly called nut, botanically it is a drupe. It is not a nut.

The coconut provides material for food, water, oil, building material,and household items such as broom, basket, mat , and handheld fan. Most parts of the coconut palm are used. Prior to the mining boom copra and cocoa were the mainstay of economic activity in Rabaul. That is why it is a dawai na nilaun.

Names and uses of parts of the coconut tree 

Kuanua names of parts of the coconut and some of their uses are described here. Some related terms and meanings are also provided.

Lama 

Lama is the general name of the tree as well as the dry nut. Inalama specifically means coconut tree. The kernel  of the dry nut is used for food. It is freshly eaten by many. The kernel is simply cut out and eaten or finely grated and eaten. Coconut eaten with banana (wudu), taro (pa), sweet potato (kaukau), yam (mamia ba up) or other food items is called wiara. Wiare ra lama ma wudu. A popular delicacy made from coconut milk is called ku. The process of making ku is described as pipitai na ku. Punupur or mumu in Tok Pisin is another form of food preparation that requires the use of milk from grated coconut. Even many everyday cooking involves the use of coconut milk extracted from grated kernel. Inainalama or lamalama is the plural form of coconut trees. Makura lama is the word for coconut grove or plantation.

Piogo   The early stage of formation of the nut just after flowering (titi).

Kulau dadauk    The stage between tirip and kulau.

Kulau   The stage at which the green coconut's kernel and water is right for consumption. Kulau is a common item in markets and at roadside stalls. People relish drinking the water (tawa na kulau) and eating the soft kernel. The soft kernel is also called kulau.  With the aid of an ankle loop (kinobir) a person climbs the coconut palm to get the kulau down. The green nuts are either plucked one by one and dropped or the whole bunch is simply shaken and all fall off. Some are able to climb the coconut palm without the aid of a kinobir (ankle loop). The act of climbing a coconut palm without the aid of a kinobir  is described as papaku. The verb form of papaku is paku. Any able person who for some reason cannot climb a tree or palm is called a pagu.

Katung    The transitional stage between kulau and lama where the kernel is no longer soft but crunchy. A traditional recipe using grated katung is called kamuk. The grated katung is eaten with ripe banana. The preferred types of ripe bananas for kamuk are iawa and kalapua.

Tirip    The stage at which the kernel is just forming but still too watery and the shell is still brittle and breaks easily.  The tirip is used for traditional medicine as well as food preparation.   

Titi   The coconut flower before it forms into piogo. Fruit bats love the titi for its nectar.

Warai     After some weeks the dry fallen nut starts to sprout, ready to grow. This stage is called warai. Sometimes the dry coconuts do not fall early and remain hanging until they start sprouting. A dry coconut that does not fall early and starts sprouting while still attached to the arere is called warailiu.  Warai from the top (liu) would be the suitable translation to English. The plural of warailiu is umana waraliu or warawara.

Pagal   The stem that holds the fronds of the coconut palm. Dry pagal is used for firewood. I remember it was also used as a skateboard for galgalir by children. I did use it too as a child.The activity involves collecting a suitable pagal and cut it short. This is carried up the top of a hill, placed on the ground, and the rider sits on the pagal and simply enjoy the ride (slide) down hill. At the end of each ride the children carry their pagal uphill and repeat the process downhill. Umana pagal or pagapagal is the plural of pagal.

Ul    (pronounced ool) Coconut frond. It is also commonly called mapinaul. The mapinaul has various uses. A good fire starter is the dry leaf. The green leaf is used for weaving basket (rat, robong/lovor, kakia, gep),  mat (ding/kubin, tabakau, kupa), hat (kere), and fan (teptep). It is used as well for walling. Brooms are also made from the fronds. The word for broom is tawiai or noko It is used for sweeping (niarupa).

Upa

  The soft inner part of the coconut husk is called upa. Upa na palalama is the phrasal noun. Upa is very good material for making rope for various household uses as well as fishing. Upa is good for scrubbing purposes, especially on utensils and general cleaning.

Gogor   The young coconut frond. Gogor is a favorite item for body and other ceremonial decorations as well as for making the best baskets.

Arere    Nut holder. The dry fallen arere serves as firewood. It is also used as rake.

Agoro/wo/pagoro   The pod that covers the arere with titi that eventually develop into coconuts. Agoro serves as good firewood.

Nirut   A net-like fabric forming at the base of the frond covering the upper part of the coconut palm. The 'green' nirut was used for squeezing out milk from grated coconut. Nirut was used as pupupur for punupur.

Malup  A thick greasy thin substance that forms at the top of the kernel holding the warai fruit.

Palalama

Palalama is the word for coconut husk. It is used for firewood, and serves as good mosquito coil. The Kuanua verb for removal of the husk is upal. Usually the husk is removed with the aid of a sharpened stake called bair. The bair is usually about 1 metre long.

Palakakai is the word for empty coconut shell, after the kernel has been removed . It is also called kakai. The unbroken coconut shell was used as water bottle. This is called palatawa. Coconut shells are commonly used as firewood.

Pulapula    Coconut palm log. Used for house building material including posts.

Me  Used grated coconut is called me.

Tenses in Kuanua

Tenses

 Ismael Isikel  Edited 3/10/2017

The Kuanua past tense depends on how long ago an event took place. The recent past (tar, itar) and the past past (ga, iga) are the two groups of tenses used.  For the recent past tar and itar are used. The past past in Kuanua is three days ago and beyond where ga and iga begin to be employed to describe past past events. tar , itar, ga, and iga  are not added to a word like the ed in English to change the form to past tense. Of course some English words do not require the ed to change the form to past tense. The spelling is changed, for example, eat to ate. In Kuanua they are placed before the verb as separate words as shown in the table below with English Translations.

The first two or three letters of a verb is repeated to change its form to present continuous as you see in the table of tenses.

Table: Tenses

Present Tense           Past Tense                 Present continuous             

wana   go                    Itar wana, iga wana,             wanawana, going

warwut     run            Itar warwut, Iga warwut        warwarwut, running

rabai    weed               Itar rabai, Iga rabai                rabarabai, weeding

tutun    cook               Itar tutun, Iga tutun                tututun, cooking

raut   cut                     Itar raut, Iga raut                   raraut, cutting

(cut as in cutting grass)

tata   talk                     Itar tata, Iga tata                    tatata, talking

Kaugu robong diga piria mara mapina ul.(My basket was woven from coconut frond.)

Note the word 'diga' in the caption of the of the picture.In this case it means 'it was'. 

Denial (Warpuai)

Denial (Warpuai)

Ismael Isikel. Edited 30/6/2017

The noun “Denial” means the action of denying something. For example, ToLimut shook his head in denial. ToLimut iwalute rauluna mara warpuai. There are other words with similar meaning to denial and these include contradiction, refutation, rebuttal, repudiation, retraction, and abjuration.

Warpuai
In my dialect (Kabakada) warpuai is the word for denial. Warpuai is a statement that something is not true. A similar word and meaning to warpuai is pue which is used frequently in rebuttal remarks. In fact warpuai is the adjective of the verb pue. Words with similar meaning to warpuai include kamale, lagodo, logode, ole, niol, and pata.   Kamale means refuse to give or withhold something. It is similar in meaning to the word lagodo. Lagodo is a noun that refers to a person who withholds something. It is commonly used for a greedy person. Logode is the act of refusing. Similarly, ole is to refuse to comply with an instruction or request. Niol is a noun that is used to refer to a disobedient person, especially children. The word pata is similar in meaning to warpuai. It simply means no.

Example Usage

Ia Iringa ikamale ra boroi. Ms Iriniga refused to give the pig.
To Luana a lagodo. Mr Luana is greedy.
Ia Katarina iole ra winawana. Ms Catherine refused to go.
To Kuila a niol. Mr Kuila is disobedient.



Note: Esekia Warvi includes other synonyms in his comment below and those include the word pue that i have included in editing this post.

Vuna and Ra

This post is on the terms Vuna and Ra.

Edited 6/072017 Ismael Isikel

Vuna and Ra commonly appear at the beginning of place names to form the names of villages found in the Tolai areas of East New Britain. Vuna has two meanings: 1. reason; 2. cluster, group. Ra is the definite article the in Kuanua.

Examples of Usage

Ava ra vuna? What is the reason?
A vuna barnavudu. A cluster of bananas.
A vuna tarai. A clan. A group of people (a clan) from one of the two tribes (Pikalama and Marmar) in Tolai culture.

Examples of place names beginning with Vuna and Ra.

Rakunai (the grass) is the name of several villages in East New Britain. The most popular of them is Rakunai village where a Catholic Church and school are located. It shares borders with Raluan (the bulge) and Rakunai United Church.

Other place names beginning with Ra and their meanings include:

Rakandakanda - the cluster of canes
Rakotop - the crossing
Ramale - the valley
Ratongor - the mangrove

Place names beginning with Vuna and their meanings include:

Vunamami - Group of coconuts. Mami is the word that describes a species of coconut. The green husk is sweet and is chewed, similar to sugarcane. Vunamami is a village in Kokopo District.

Vunairoto - Group of iroto trees. Iroto is a species of wood. Vunairoto village is predominantly United Church and shares borders with Kabakada, Nabata, and Vunalir villages along the North Coast.

Vunagamata - Group of laulau trees. Laulau tree bears edible fruits when in season. Vunagamata village is located between Ratongor and Vunavulila villages along the North Coast road.

This post is based on one dialect of Kuanua and that is Kabakada. There are other terms depending on dialect as recently pointed out by Esekia Warvi. After reading my shared post on Facebook (13/6/2017) Mr Warvi commented, "Of similar meaning in Kokopo dialect it's "Bita" as in Bitatita, Bitavavar, Bitamarita, Bitapetep, etc...". My response, "Raluana/Kokopo dialect is bita. It means base or base of. That is one meaning I know. There may be another meaning. My vocab on Raluana/Kokopo dialect is less than comprehensive." There is a term in my Kuanua dialect that means "origin. It is also used to mean "base of" as in "bita"in Raluana/Kokopo dialect. The term is vunapaina. A synonym of vunapaina is turpaina and pronounced in other dialects as turupaina.

Sacred Practices

Sacred Practices (Umana Papait na Pidik)

Ismael K.  Isikel 9/6/2017

Sacred practices in the Tolai culture are found in the Tubuan and Iniat societies. Initiation is the socially prescribed prerequisite for membership in these  males -only sacred societies. Males who want to be initiated pay a fee in tabu to the owner of the tubuan.  

Sacred practices

Tubuan and Taraiu

A Taraiu is a special place set apart for the practice of Tubuan performances and other activities. Only initiated males are allowed to enter the Taraiu and take part in Tubuan activities. Females and uninitiated males are forbidden from entering the Taraiu or participate in Tubuan activities. The Taraiu is a sacred place and worthy of respect in Tolai culture. Females and uninitiated males do take part in feasts involving tubuan performances outside of the taraiu but keep to a respectable distance from the tubuan and men of the tubuan (tarai na tubuan).

Iniat and Marovot

A marovot is a sacred place for Iniat practices carried out by certain male members of the village. Wood and stone carvings of human figures, birds, and animals were carved at the marovot and used in Iniat rituals and other sacred practices.  As oral history goes, my grandmother (my father’s mother) told me on several occasions that one of the practices at the marovot was for the person to enter the marovot and perform certain rituals before taking a “deep sleep” so that his spirit depart the body and travel in the form of a bird or other animal form. The purpose of the “spirit travel” varied but one of them was payback killings.

Related terms and practices

Palnapidik. A  Palnapidik today is essentially ceremonial and is used in various traditional ceremonies in Tolai communities as part of decorating the ceremonial location. It is usually a small ornately decorated house. The current practice and purpose may not be the same as that of the past, especially before and during the arrival of Christianity and other foreign influences. Information now surfacing from archives, including old church records, (NGI Historical Society 4/5/2017) points to a traditional ceremony on its own involving the construction of a huge tall structure as the Palnapidik.

Tabalar.  Tabalar is the Kuanua word for carving. Other words that may be used to mean carving are Pokopoko and Tanua

Tulungen. Tulungen is the word for spirit.

Watabalar.  the practice of sleeping at the marovot in order for the spirit (tulungen) in the human body to depart and travel  in another form such as a bird, pig, shark (balilai) or other chosen animals. This animal form is chosen before the Iniat (the man) sleeps in order to accomplish the watabalar in order to carry out a task in non-human form.

Note: This post is written mostly from oral historical sources except for the reference to the Palnapidik ((NGI Historical Society 4/5/2017).

Harvesting Coral

A Pinipit na Raga

This post is an adaptation of "Harvesting Corals: The Past and Today" from watnata.blogspot.com by Ismael Isikel , 2/05/2017.

The sea, like the land, has been a source of sustenance for humans since the stone ages (ra eae kai raumana tubuidat). In the Old Stone Age humans wandered from place to place, foraging for food, eating, resting and moving on. Eventually humans learnt to settle and do things by using the land and sea. One of the things learnt was making and use of lime powder (kabang) from corals. Initially wood ash (tobon na iap) was used but gradually humans found out that coral stone from the sea was of the best quality. That was a long time ago and today there is far more interest in harvesting from the sea, including the continuation of search and collection of precious stones.

Coral stone (raga) from the coral reefs are harvested and processed into lime powder. It is practiced by the Tolai of Rabaul as well as other coastal villages in PNG, including the Kiriwina coastals in Trobriands. The practice had been around since our ancestors discovered coral as a mineral for processing into lime powder. This powder is used for chewing betel nut (minamai na buai) and ceremonial decorations.

  

The traditional method of mining coral is simple. People wait for the right tide level and go out in canoes (umana oaga) and harvest the coral.  The harvesting of coral is not done on the deep sea bed but on the coral reefs. Now goggles and gloves are used. Before the arrival of goggles and gloves bare hands and sticks were used to break off the corals.

This practice has been in place for over hundreds of years. Besides the economic benefits, there is no doubt that the continuous practice, especially irresponsible practice, is very bad for the healthy continuity of marine environment and its inhabitants. The introduction of the modern currencies (Deutsche, British, Australian, and eventually PNG) hastened the disruption, and in some areas destruction, of large areas of coral as the lime became part of the goods exchanged in the modern economy. The lime was, and still is, made and sold in the markets today.

One of the many bed effects of harvesting coral is the smell. The smell of dying coral (ang na minat na raga) is very bed and can remain in the air for months (gaigai). That is the reason harvested corals are stored well away from the village. Usually the harvested corals are left to dry by the shoreline (valian). Now, how great would the smell come from large scale harvesting of rocks from the seabed, remains to be seen.

Modern Interests on Marine Stones

Today (gori) seabed mining interest and activities has found its way into territories rich in minerals for harvesting of the precious stones (umana ngatngat na wat). The Bismarck Archipelago is one rich area. The modern practice of harvesting differs greatly from harvesting coral in many ways. Some of the obvious differences are magnitude, depth and the type of stones. The type of stones that are of current interest are located well below the corals that is harvested for lime.

Special machinery and equipment are going to be used.  Most of these equipment have not been used anywhere in the world. This seabed mining in the Bismarck Archipelago will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world where copper, gold and other minerals are going to be dug and extracted. The seabed mine will generate wealth for people around the world, not only PNG. After the minerals have been extracted, what will happen to the environment in the future? Do we know for sure what will happen?

Preparation including scientific studies and conferences on seabed mining started well before people in Papua New Guinea were fully informed that it is possible to mine the minerals under the seabed of the Bismarck Archipelago. 

It is important to be informed on seabed mining since it has found its way into our part of the sea. This is not just for awareness but taking responsible action whether one supports seabed mining or disapproves.

Gender Terms

Males - Tarai

Edited 17/03/2017 Ismael Isikel

The word tarai means men and the singular is tutana. It is also used to mean people in general, including females and children. And that is not gender sensitive according to modern gender concerns. Certainly, females (warden) do not want to be called tarai.  The term gunantuna means human and it is an ideal term to use instead of tarai to avoid gender bias.

Sample Usage

Tarai ma warden. Men and women
A wardenika. Only women. Using kake it can also be said, A warden kake.
A taraika. Only men.  A tarai kake.

Note ika is added at the end to mean only. If kake is used then ika is dropped because it means the same. It is one of those Kuanua rules.

Children - Umana bul

Bul   Child
Umana bul  Children.
Aumana bul ikilik.  Little children.

Bultutana is a young lad of pre-teen age.  Plural of the term is umana bultutana.
Barmana is a male youth of teen age and up. Plural of it is umana barmana or barbarmana.

Sample usage

Aura bultutana. Two boys.
Aura barmana. Two young men.

Females -Warden

Warden means women and the singular is wavina. Bulwavina is a young female of preteen age and the plural of that is umana bulwavina. Gara is a teenage female. The plural of that is umana gara or garagara.


Sample Usage

Warden ma umana bul. Women and children.
Akave ra umana bul? Where are the children?

Wawaguai ma umana beo - Animals and birds

Tomotoi is a male animal such as a dog or a pig and a male bird is a loko. A female animal or bird is known as nana.

Note to readers: I will add more to this.

Family Relationship Terms

Ismael K. Isikel 24/02/2017
25/05/2017 Edition

This post is on family relationship terms used in Kuanua covering both nuclear and extended family. My gratitude to Simon R. P Kaumi Jr for prompting this post by raising concern in the "misuse" of the honorific term maku.  There are variations in pronunciations and spelling depending on dialect and I may have missed out one or two terms because i am writing based on my dialect. The prefix bar  and suffix na changes a specific relationship term to generic- a general term that covers two persons or more in a relationship. For example, tama is the Kuanua word for father and bartamana means: 1. father and mother (wife and husband); 2. father, mother, and children; 3. father and child or children.

Family Relationship Terms

Barnana - Mother and child or children
Barnana is also pronounced bartana and bartinana. This is the same for most of the terms that are presented here.
Mama/Nana - Mother

Ngalagu or Nagu - My mother
Ngalam - Your mother
Ngalana or nana - His/her mother 
Ngalai diat or Nai diat - Their mother

Bartamana 1. Father and mother (wife and husband); 2. Father, mother, and children; 3. Father and child or children. 5. Family
Tama - Father
Tamagu - My father
Tamana - His/her father
Tamai diat - Their father.
Tamam -Your father

Bartubuna - Granny and grandchild or grandchildren.

Bubu/Papu/Pupu - Granny
Tubum - Your
Tubugu - My
Tubuna - His/her
Tubui diat - Their
Tubui dat - Our

Papu ma ailima na tubuna

Barlabana - Great granny.

Bartanawavina - Sisters
Wavi - Sister

Tanawavigu - My sister
Tanawavim - Your sister
Tanawavina - Her sister

Barturana - Brothers

Turan - Brother

Turana - His/her brother

Turam - Your brother

Turagu - My brother

Barnauvana - Cousins
Nauva - Cousin
Nauvam - Your
Nauvagu - My
Nauvana - His/Her

Barmatuana - Uncle (general)
Matua - Uncle
Matuam - Your
Matuagu - My
Matuana - His/her

Barnimuna - Father/mother inlaw
Nimuan - Inlaw
Nimum - Your
Nimuna - His/her
Nimugu - My


Barenana - Sister in-law

Bartamaiana - Brother in-law (female addressing male)

Barpalikana - Brother in law (male addressing male)
Barmaku -  Brother in-law.

Maku is one of those relationship terms that has taken on another meaning . And here is the post on Facebook that prompted this article:

Maku
The tolai word MAKU is a honorific term used strictly amongst men, meaning, brother-in-law but is also used by a woman's brothers to address a niece's husband and vice-versa.

Nowadays, tolai women and even non-tolai meris are using it loosely to address their tambus whether male or female .

It's become a kinda slang and has taken on a whole new meaning.

Niupla level.........NIMUM

Simon R. P Kaumi Jr. December 30, 2016 at 7:23pm 

·

The next set of terms below is a tough one. It is tough because the term aunt (vivi) in Kuanua refers to your father's cousin sister as your aunt. At least that is what i remember and appears mixed up with the English meaning that says an aunt is the sister of one's father or mother or the wife of one's uncle. Added to that is the informal English meaning commonly used by children and young adults calling an unrelated female friend aunt.

Barvivina. Relationship between you and your father's cousin sister.
Vivi   Aunt
Vivim   Your
Vivina   His/Her
Vivigu   My

Barniuruna. The general term for relationship and relative in Kuanua is Barniuruna.
Niurugu My
Niurum Your
Niuruna His/Her

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Note to readers:
Readers (those who write and speak Kuanua fluently) may add other relationship terms, by commenting,  that i may have missed out. Variations in dialect are also welcomed.This post will be updated from time to time. Some missing terms are yet to be added.

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