Fijian-English Dictionary - eCommons@Cornell - Cornell University

FIJIAN – ENGLISH DICTIONARY R. GATTY
(Tikina makawa), discontinued for a time after 1948, replaced by District Commissioners of United
Provinces. Later the smaller Old Districts were re-instated, and the United Districts discontinued.
buli, bulia v. to form, shape, create, manufacture. buli vacu v. to form a fist, clench the fist (as for
punching). talanoa buli fictional story. ibuli madrai loaf of bread. ibuli kasivi glob of spit. ibuli
koula ingot of gold. Syn. for ibuli is ibulu. E bulitaki levulevu. He/she is heavily built (fat).
ibulibuli n. shape, form.
Dauveibuli n. Creator, usually referring to a Christian concept of God.
ibulibuli n. shape, form, figure or build (person).
bulibuli koya self-promoting, conceited, full of oneself.
buli-na (Colo and Tailevu) n. buttocks, bum (U.K), ass (U.S.), properly mu-na.
buliloma adj. self-willed.
bulikia n. (Archaic) type of warclub made of a tree root.
Bulou n. title of chiefly lady as a form of address just before the name, especially in Kadavu. This is
equivalent to the title Ratu, modernly used for chiefly men, though formerly (and properly) restricted
to Verata.
bulou n. edible wild yam, Dioscorea pentaphylla, similar to kaile.
bulu, buluga v. to clench, squeeze, and release in the hand, as in preparing grated cassava for puddings, or
as a child might make globs of mud to throw.
bulu, buluta v. to bury. Also to fill, as of tooth cavities. buluta na qara ni bati-na. May also imply the
hiding of money, saving it out of sight of others.
Idiom: bulu we ni yava lit. “bury footsteps”, informal ceremony drinking yaqona by a host and his
group, to discuss visitors who have departed. The visitors need not be discussed further after this
event. In a sense, their departing footsteps are buried. Also referred to as e dua ni tanoa ni bulu yava.
veibulu n. funeral, burial. na veibulu vei Seru funeral for Seru.
Bulu (Archaic) n. underworld, legendary place where people lived after death. It is said to be located just
west of Naicobocobo, Bua, where spirits departed by jumping off at a certain location. Ratu mai Bulu
a former god of Tailevu especially.
bulu-taka v. to pile up earth (at a planting-mound, as for yams, taro, yaqona, ginger)
bulubulu 1. n. small shark believed to be blind, sometimes eaten when better seafood is not available.
Seen seasonally common around the shore, especially very early in the year. This may be the young
of a sand shark that lies half buried in the sand, and can be dangerous to people.
bulubulu 2 v., n. to hide or conceal something, particularly when a person is thought to be acting meanly,
unsharing of what they have (money, for example) that other people want: e dua na ka na bulubulu
toka vei iko your concealment (of money, etc.) is really something. Kakua ni bulubulu Don’t conceal
what you have that might be shared out.
ibulubulu 3. n. burial place, grave. The use of graves is now adopted by highlanders. Formerly in the
highlands a burial place was concealed or a corpse was buried under the house, where it would be less
exposed to potential witchcraft. In some places caves were used for corpses. The idea of elaborate
graves comes from Tonga. In Fiji, the concept of cemetaries was introduced and required by colonial
authorities. vatu ni ibulubulu gravestone.
Idiom: bulubulu boro vulavula to cover-up by external appearances only, as whitewash on a grave
merely covers up a rotted corpse within.
bulubulu 4. n. ceremony of forgiveness, "burying" resentments. Commonly this ceremony is be
performed after a man elopes with a girl. This is a type of informal marriage in Fiji. The man will later
go to the girl’s family and present a whale tooth. v. bulubulu-taka. E dodonu me bulubulutaki Mere.
A whale tooth should be presented to Mere’s parents for her being taken away. (They cannot
very well refuse.) ibulubulu usually a whaletooth given as a request for forgiveness.
bulukau n. button. bulukau taba n. push-button. bulukau coba shirt-button(s) at neckline. qara ni
bulukau button-hole. The notion of buttons was of course introduced by Europeans.
bulukau-taka v. to button up.
bulumakau n. cattle, beef. bulumakau yadru mature bull. bulumakau sele steer, castrated bull. The
word derives from Tonga.
bulusiti (Eng.) bullshit, nonsense.
bulutoka (Archaic) n. wooden, so-called “cannibal fork” used by chiefs and priests; each fork was
normally given a name, often obscene. Now to be seen only in a museum. Copies are made for the
tourist trade. Fijians with certain functions were not to touch food so they were fed by others, or used
such forks.
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