Cum Tauk lorng fer mi
Come talk with me.
I have had many requests about our Pitcairn language. They asked if it is written down.
There is no official written language for Pitcairn Island, but we do write it in however way we speak. Some people argue that is not how it should be written. It is my opinion; this is my version of the Pitcairn language passed down from my parents to me and I have been able to pass on to the young ones as I had taught them in Culture classes at school.
Pitcairn Island Words
Please do not use my work on our Pitcairn language for your personal gain. Please contact me to discuss what you will use this for.
01
Awas langwege
Ahua- Jumping fish in rock pools also known as Jebed.
Alligaita- Avocado
Alwei- Coconut flower sheath
Arra- Single or double prong spear
Arra-Spear for fishing. Arrow for pointing the way.
Arrut-Arrowroot
Arle hau-Endemic plant of PI- Place name above Tautama
Aute-A plant used for making Tapa ClothPaper Mulberry plant
Aulwa-Jack type fish
Ahurei- Full of shit. Talking crap.
Armpho- A type of fern.
Awa-our
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Baek rice- A sweeten rice baked in coconut milk
Bal- Bell
Barra- Wheelbarrow
Bawl- Cry
Bembair-Just incase
Bescet-Biscuit. Mainy referr to arrowroot Biscuit
Bi yu gwen-Where are you going
Bile- Boil-A sore like a pimple or carbuncal
Bile- To cook up something in a pot of water.
Bile satch-Boiled Thatch
Bile- sydneyRipe sydney banana boiled or steamed
Bitey Bitey-Sea snail barnicle on the rocks and in pools
Blue Bottle - Jelly fish- Portugese Man o war
Blue es a pi pi- Homesick
Bohie- Salt water eel
Boithei-To hack, to cut up
Bolt- A fireplace with 2 rod setup high enough for a fire underneath for cooking
Boni boni- A small reddish fish with lots of bones and sharp tulla
Bono bono- knotty
Bout-Where
Breid- Uru -Breadfruit
Breid chips- Breadfruit chips
Breid Pilhi- A pilhi made using ripe breadfruit
Bubbei- Breast
Bully beef- Can meat
Byke- Any type of Bike.eg. Push, quad, 3 wheeler.
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Cum lorng fer ucklan
Cachrutch-Cockroach
Caic- Poo
Cait- Cat
Ca'fut -Don’t know why
Ca'fut wunt-Don’t know why we want it
Ca'wa- Don’t know
Ca'way-Don’t know where it is
Catfish-Octopus
Ca'wa-I don’t know
Cetch-Catch
Cly- Cry
Cocscom- Hybiscus- Roosters comb
Crosset- To cross
Coppa- A drum or large copper pot set in a fireplace to heat water for washing
Cucbreid- Cooked breadfruit Uru
Cuta- Wahoo fish
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Domine wussing wi tull
Da-That
Dan fit- To sing out of tune
Dar fer awas-That one of ours
Daffy-That way
Darnce-Dance
Dawg-dog
Dawgs heid-A stone shaped similar to dogs head between Landing & Issac's
Deffy-This way
Diga- A wooden or metal rod flatten on the top to sharp point for husking coconut
Digga- Excavator
Dreig- Lag behind. Go slow
Dodoo- Anvil- Log to beat Tapa
Doen- Doing it
Dauta- Daughter
Dawgs caic- Dogs shit
Duff- A steamed Pineapple sweet bread
Duncan- Longdrop toilet
Dunna- Don’t do it
Dunna Stoli- Don’t tell lies
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Edige- Edge
E'ei- A wooden or whalebone pounder with grooves for making Tapa
Ell- Can
Emon Fruit- A sour Brazillian cherry
En- And
Essi fish- A long floating fish by the shore
Es- It is
Et- it
Enca- Anchor
Ent mi-It is not me
Ent mine- It is not mine
Enwah- and why not- that’s great
Ent yuwn- It is not yours
Es - It is
Es Guddun- It is good- Very good
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G'- Go
Gal- Woman
George poei- Small grey shellfish sticking to rocks
Gleni Crab- Land and Water crab light purplish black colour
Ghot- Goat
Grain- 6 prong spear
Grarb- Grab
G'rummer- Rock fishing at night using a torch and spear
Gorwa- Guava
Guwauwa- Guava
Guwauwa Jam- Guava jam
Guwauwa poli- Guava poly
Gud size- bigger fish
Guddun- Very good
Gutch- Guts- Intestines
Gut nussing- Have nothing
Gut wun-There is one
Gwen- Going
02
Baut fer begen
Hannah- Type of rock fish
Harbu- Out of shape- Pregnant
Harn- Hand
Harwai- Guttering
Hawl- Haul
Hawl up- To pull it up
Hei í- Shells clinging to the rocks black or white
Heiwo- Stunted
Hi- A type of cooking banana
Hopwei- Upset in the stomach-Feeling seedy
Huah- Strand for weaving
Hui hui- Its filthy or yuk
Hulu hulu- Tangle
Hummei- You and me
Huppa- Feeling joint pains-Cant walk good
Hupei-Snot- mucus in the nose
Huttei-Here it is
Ileo- Eel type oily fish found mainly of the coast of Down Rope
Illy- Groove -ridgy
Injan shot- Cannus
Issy fish- Gar fish
Ito- Coconut that have started to sprout. Juice have turned solid
Jackass- Type of Tuna fish
Jacfrut- Papaya- pawpaw
Jebed- Small type of jumping fish in rock pools
Kauri- Sea shell
Keccle- Kettle
Kill Jinks- Pretending to be sick
Kirio- curio
Kutta kite- Kite made from Paper, niau & Banana bark
Lab lab- Wildbeans
Laig- leg
Lartar- type of tree
Lattus- A type of fish
Leggo- Let go
Lemo- Algae
Lettle sullun- child
Leszed- Lizzard
Lions Claw- Clam Shell
Lorli- Lollie- Lollie made from sugar cane mollasses
Lorng tongue- Tell on someone
Lornga- longer
Lorng fer- With
Lullie- Floppy
Luppo- To mix with Hands
Lushy- Feeling pretty
Ma-Grandma
Make big- Feeling important
Mamayawlau- Land and Water crab light ocre colour
Mammie- To break up into small pieces
Madareen- Manderine
Marde-Mad- Dementia
Marlo- Argue
Mi-My
Mi Boi- My son -my boy
Mi Dauta- My Daughter- my girl
Mi'alhi- Not experience enough
Mane- Man
Maówlo-Fall to pieces
Mi'o- Fretful child
Miti- Wrass type fish
Moi-Type of fish abundant around Pitcairn Islands
Moiah- Bedding- Light blanket
Mo'o- type of grass. See skinners shit
Morga- Skinny
Morla- Tomorrow
Moto Boat- Motor boat- Longboat
Moulie- Uncombed
Ms T- Turpin
Mullun- Melon
Mullo- Sanatary pad
Mu'ma- Mother
Mumma- Pulp
Mummy- Type of rock fish
Mussa- Almost
Mutaphilli- Coconut without water. Loose in the shell
Mutta po o- A type of deep sea red cod
Muttic- A digging tool-Adze
Muttu- Small Island sandbar
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Nanie- Female goat
Nanwei- Type of fish abundant around Pitcairn Islands
Nawa- Never
Nawei-To swim
Neble- Navel
Niau- Coconut leaf spine
Niau Broom- Broom made from coconut leaf spine
Nigas hoof- Red type of Yam
Ninnie- Drink
Nise- Noise
Notgutch- Possessive
Nowet- Know it- To know something
Nuttei- To lasso
03 Caufei es da bas
Obu- Flower of the Banana
Obrew- A type of greens similar to spinach
Offei- Light coloured jack fish
Oini- A woven coconut basket
Oili- Reddish large scale fish like Boniboni
Oodo- next to
Olly olly kik kikGet nothing
Ometi- Wooden dish used for food or cleaning fish
Onga- Bright Reddish orange land crab in a shell
Oohu- A wrass type fish
Opapa-Type of cod fish
Opehi- A type of shellfish
OrenOrange
Oruttu- Multicolour especially around a roosters neck
Ouh hu-Wrass fish with large bright blue scales or reddish
Outau- Root of the banyan tree
Outatau-Yarm seed growing on the vines of the yarm
Ovil-Young drinking coconut
Owai- Good size- bigger fish
Pa- Grandfather
Pafta- Table for drying Arrowroot
Papahia- To flog
Parnch- Guts
Parn- Wow. Upon my word
Parn mi word- Upon my word-Wow that’s incredible
PeheiScrape the backbone of a banana leaf
Picpic- Small fish- To cause an argument
Philhi- Grated food baked.In banana leaf
Philli- Sticky
Pico- Vey young coconut
Pi pi- Blue bottle jelly fish
Pile- Family- a group
Pipi- Penis
Plun- Bananas
Plun Pi- Banana pie
Plun Pilhi- Green banana yawlau pilhi
Plunt- Plant something- Gardening- To Plant a post
Poly- A sweet pastie filled mainly with Guava, apple or other fruits
Poc's- Boil sore or carbuncal
Po ó - Not ripe
Po ove- Beautiful blueish type of Parrot fish
Pope'i- Type of Yam
Porpei- Reddish fruit growing on shrubs on cliffs
Potta- Young Taro leaf cooked in coconut milk
Poat- Arse- Posteria
Po-aw- Sour soilunfertile
Po ei- Sweet Potatoe & Taro philhi
Podbeans- Grean beans
Po-o- Unripe fruit or veges
Poóve- Brilliant blue fish with pink, green stripes in parrot family
Pornto- Discoloured
Porpei- A reddish fruit, slightle tart with a stone in the middle growing on the side of the cliffs or by the sea
Potta- Young Taro leaves cooked
Pricka- A whalebone or wooden skewer for making hole in thatch.
Pallo- Burly for fishing.
Puddo- Vagina
Pulau-A type of hibiscus tree. A place name.
Pulli- A place name where it is flat
Pullo- Husk of a coconut
Pu'pa- Father
Puriini-Type of Banana
Putcote-Petticoat
Pussile box-A wooden box with a secret way to open it
Rammy- Sexually aroused
Ratcord- A cod fish found close to shore
Rautei- A plant
Rautun- Rotton
Red snappa- A deepsea Red black fin cod
Rulie- Sea Cucumber Beach de mur
Rumma- Doodwi nut Torch use for light
-------------------------------------
Sank yu-Thank you
Sanks-Thanks
Sapli shep- Supply Ship
Sarwes- Secure. To tie down
Screp- Scrape
Se- Is
Sennet- Plaited strip in multiple hua
Shef- Change into or out of clothing
Shimmi- Petticoat-The inner skin of a goat
Shrot- Throat
Si- See
Si da- See that
Siclep- A type of bottom fish close to shore
Sirstie- Thirsty.
Skimmer- A colander type utensil with a handle for taking of the scum of boiling mollasses
Skinners shit- Type of grass with sharp edges used for weaving.
Slepary-Slippery
Slippy- Sweet lip cod fish
Smal- Smells
Snakeskin cord- A cod fish found in very deep water
Soja- Dark brownish land crab in a coconut shell or other home
Sope- Soup
Sore ina heid- Mad sick in the head
Spida- Spider
Stobbet- Stop doing it. Behave
Stolli- To tell a lie
Sullun- Person
Sweit Taitie- Sweet Potatoe
Sydney Plun- Type of Banana
Tait'e- Potatoes
Tai'ti- pilhiSweet potato pilhi
Tala- Taro
Talhi- Basket
Tamoi- Red fish similar to Boniboni- small red rock fish with plenty bones
Tamur'ei- Type of fish
Tane- Male person
Tanema- Stone outside Water valley. A place of an agreement between gentlemen
Ta ow- Deep sea fish. Yellow with 3 stripes from wing to tail
Tarb- Machete- Big knife
Tartrimoa- A creeping plant with hooky thorns and prickly seed pod
Tarla- Taro
Tarplo- Absorbent cloth placed under a baby or incontient person
Tarpti- Cling to each other-Carry a Baby on your hips
Tarpau- Tree known only on PI-Sticky sap from tree, fruit or vegetable
Tartramau- Running flat vine like plant with Hook thorns every where
Taubit- Wait a minute
Taung- Yukk -Not good about eating it
Taow- type of yellow fish out deep
Tintola- Sweetheart
Tauau- A stick to carry load across the shoulder-To carry on your shoulder
Ti Ti- Bland-No taste
Tolli- Palm root used for rafters on thatch roofs.
Tonna- Chickens ass. Ass
Tordlen Ien- Harpoon
Totuwei- Type of sea crab
Tull- Tell
Tulla- Fins of a fish
Tumpuli- Fat
Tunno-Type of poisonous fish
Tunni- Skin discoulouration- A type of tinea
Turrut- Young or small
Ty har man- To prevent bad luck
04 Dem Mandareen es sweit un
Ua-ua- Coconut fibre
Ubhume- PI oven made from stone
Ucklan- We all-Us
Ulla- or
Ulwa- Jack type fish
Una- Grater
Unnei- Type of fish. Similar to Nanwei
Upha RabbitTo go full speed
Uphei- Shiny type of Taro leaf
Upíe- Limpet
Wala wala- Messy and out of shape
Wallie- Valley
Washup- Large bowl for mixing food or for cleaning dishes
Wase- Where is it
Wase dar- Where is that
Wase et- Where is it
Wase dem- Where are they
Wase hem- Where is he
Wase her- Where is she
Wase mi..Where is my…
Water wallie- Harbour at Tedside
Wawaha- Showing ofSnob
Weckle- Food
Weihei- To wrap food in Banana leaf and cook it
Welk- Shell fish
Wewen- Weaving
Whessle - Whistle
Whesslen dauta- Small wrass type fish very colourful
White fish-Silvery type of fish
Wi-We all-Us
Wudda- What is it
wun- One
Wuna wuna- Sea urchin with sharp spikes
Wunt- Want
Wut- What
Wut a way- Greeting. How are you.
Wutset- What is it
Wussing- What thing or what is it
Yarm- Yam
Yawa- A type of silverish fish found close to shore
Yawlau- To grate on a grater or stone
Yotta- Grated coconut
Yulla- small type
Yulla scrub- Small cheeky brat
lyrics
PITCAIRNS PLACES
Written by Meralda Warren© APRA 733460
My Great great grandma and her husband Sam
went to rummer one dark dark night
The Candle nut torch gave them just enough light
as of to St Paul’s they trod
The Candle nut torch gave them just enough light
as of to St Paul’s they trod
Oh Great Great grandpa gave Agnes a start
as she netted the shallow pool
Her Big skirt held high Sams rummer touched her behind
The pool was named Ooh ah Ooh
Her Big skirt held high Sams rummer touched her behind
The pool was named Ooh ah Ooh
Now Aurthur Quintal and his best mate Dan
were discussing their sister’s fate
Who will marry first as through the waves they burst
From Tedsides shores they swam a ways a way
Who will marry first as through the waves they burst
From Tedsides shores they swam a ways a way
Together they swam reaching for each other’s hand Together the rock was claimed
The rock is Tanema an agreement thus far
A great beginning for our young mates our Mates
The rock is Tanema an agreement thus far
A great beginning for our young mates
So young Matt Quintal claimed his set of rocks
Adams the other one too
Maimiti her pool, John catch his cow, Timiti that crack is just for you
A credit to our kin as the names kept pouring in
Pitcairns places seen by me and you
Tanema Story
Other stories to come
TANEMA
Why the rock was named Tanema. Arthur Quintal Born in 1794 who died 19 November 1873 and his best friend Daniel McCoy born 1791 who died 26th December 1832.
They were at Tudda side known now as Tedside.
They were at Water valley and was talking about their sisters. Arthur wanted to marry Daniels sister Catherine McCoy
Daniel wanted to marry Sarah Quintal, Arthurs sister.
So they made a bet. Whoever swims the fastest and reach the rock first just off from Water valley will marry first. They dove in the water swimming for the rock. They reached it exactly at the same time. They shook hands. An agreement between gentlemen.Since then, The rock is known as Tanema.
Tane in Tahitian means Men. Tanema means a place of Gentlemens agreement
They married each other's sisters. Arthur and Catherine in 1816 and Daniel and Sarah in 1811
Tull et again
The HMAV Bounty- Lala 2022
The HMAV Bounty left England in 1787. Bound Tahiti to pick up Uru (Breadfruit) plants for the West Indies. It took a long time for the plants to grow, in 1889 she sailed out of Matavai bay, Tahiti. Trouble between Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian and a few of the crew.
On 28th April 1879 Mutiny happened and they cast Captain Bligh and his men adrift in a boat.
Christian and his men returned to Tahiti, Picked up 12 women and 9 Men and a child.
They first tried to settle on Tubuai but didn’t work out. Tetahiti and wife Tinafornea and Uncle Uhu joined Fletcher Christian and crew on Bounty as they sailed away looking for a place to settle. Finding Pitcairn on 15th January 1790. Coming ashore on 18th January. This is the place. Isolated. Uninhabited but still signs of where people used to live. Plants still growing where gardens had been cultivated.
This is Paradise. So, when Mathew Quintal learnt that Fletcher Christian was planning to take the Bounty and leave, to go back to England and face the consequences, He and 3 Polynesian men burnt the Bounty down and it sank to the bottom of ocean that is now known as Bounty Bay.
Next one ya
Show mi
Poem written by Meralda Warren
Bounty – Written by Lala (Meralda Warren) 2024
From England 1787
Bounty's journey to Tahiti Haven
To get Breadfruit plants for the West
No one knew this complicated mess.
In 1789 she failed
As out of Matavai bay she sailed.
Bligh was harsh and anger grew
Mutiny plans were quickly brewed
On 28 April of 1789
Captain Bligh heard Christian whine.
They shouted loud Get in that boat
You're lucky Sir that it will float.
Tahiti fast they turned around
Who is with me don’t make a sound.
Dumped the Breadfruit see it trail behind
Back to paradise we will find
Tintola's greet them on the shore
and 7 men joined in for more
They sailed the seas like never before
Searching for a new place to score
Tubuai, we left behind
With three more crew we look and find.
Ahoy for Pitcairn Isle we sound
In 1790 we made Adamstown
But Quintal he didn’t like the plan.
Set fire to Bounty out the white sand.
Today after leaving Pitcairn twice.
Are Bounty descendants who are really nice.