Savunese language / spelling
Most of the people on the island of Savu speak Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) and / or the local language, Savunese or Lii Hawu. A few people speak a minimum of English. The island is called Hawu in the local language, Sabu in Indonesian and Savu in English. The spelling Sawu, which is also found, is derived from the Dutch (Sawoe) in which the letter /w/ corresponds to the letter /v/ in English. The inhabitants are Do Hawu in the local language, or orang Sabu in Indonesian, and they are the Savu people or the Savunese in English.
Lii Hawu belongs to the Austronesian group of languages and its Central Malayo Polynesian (CMP) subgroup. Variants of Lii Hawu are spoken on islands where important communities of Savu people have established themselves, for instance in Kupang, (Timor), East Sumba and Ende (Flores).
Lii Hawu does not have the letters /f/ and /s/, the latter being replaced by /h/. However in Dutch manuscripts from the 17thcentury, the names of the island and of its inhabitants are spelt using the letter /s/, indicating that the change to /h/ occurred during colonial times. The first list of Lii Hawu words (with translation into English) was established by Sydney Parkinson from Captain Cook’s expedition on the Endeavour. The list contains some 250 words written with English orthography; it too uses the letter /s/.
A team of researchers under the leadership of Dr Chuck Grimes has been documenting the Savu language, Lii Hawu, since 2000 and a dictionary of vernacular terms has been published on-line with translations into Bahasa Indonesia and English. See www.e-kamus2.org (dictionaries Hawu). It is a work-in-progress and the dictionary will be augmented from time to time.
The glossary given below was produced for Palm blossoms of Savu / Bunga Palem dari Sabu (G. Duggan, 2010) and refers more specifically to weaving traditions and ceremonies related to textiles. It follows the spelling of the on-line dictionary.
Glossary
| Li Hawu | Bahasa Indonesia | English |
| a | ||
| a’a | kakak | elder sibling |
| ae | banyak, besar, lebat | many, much, great, big |
| aj’u | kayu, pohon | wood, tree |
| aj’u tegida | kayu tegida (kayu dadap) | tegida wood (erythryna orientalis) |
| aj’u genu | . | heddle stick |
| ama /ma | bapak /ayah | father |
| ana | anak | child |
| ari | adik | younger sibling |
| aru | delapan | eight |
| b ; b’ | ||
| bèka | sambungan tengah sarung | middle seam of sarong. |
| bèla | luas, lebar | large, wide |
| bèni | perempuan ; | woman; also female name |
| èpu bèni | nenek ; | grandmother; ancestress |
| bèni menanu | wanita penenun | female weaver; master weaver |
| b’ab’a ; | pendek, rendah; | short; low; |
| èi b’ab’a | sarung pendek untuk jasad seorang perempuan di Mesara | short sarong for corpse of women in Mesara |
| d ; d’ | ||
| dao | nila / tarum / tom | indigo |
| dini | motif kecil di bagian ujung sarung | small motif on the end part of the tubeskirt |
| d’ab’a | upacara permandian adat; nama bulan di calendar adat | traditional baptism; also name of a month of the ceremonial calendar |
| d’ue | dua | two |
| d’ula | tempat makan/dulang; dibuat dari cabang pohon lontar | basket/ container made of the stem of an areca tree branch; dish, plate, tray |
| e ; è | ||
| èhu | pusat / puser | navel |
| 1. èi | air | water; |
| èi mada | mata air; sumur | source |
| 2. èi | sarung | tubular cloth for women; sarong |
| èi lèko wue | sarung pertama anak perempuan | first tubeskirt worn by a girl. |
| hi’i lèko wue | selimut pertama anak laki-laki | first loin cloth worn by a boy |
| èi wopudi | sarung anak (tanpa motif ikat) | child sarong which has not yet ikat motifs. |
| èi mea | sarung merah (kramat) | red tubeskirt; powerful cloth for a deceased woman |
| èki /èke | ikat, mengikat | to tie, to connect |
| ( tali) | (lihat: tali: mengikat benang sebelum mencelup untuk membuat motif) | (technique of tying cotton threads to create a motif before dye process) |
| èmu | rumah | house |
| èmu kepue | rumah adat leluhur | house of origin |
| èmu rukoko | rumah tradisional Sabu | traditional house in Savu with extended ridge |
| èpu | apu | grand parent(s), ancestor(s) |
| g ; g’ | ||
| gaa | bagus | nice |
| g’a | besar | great, magnificent |
| h | ||
| haba | gayung dari daun lontar | bucket made of one lontar leaf |
| hab’a | bekerja | to work (agriculture) |
| Hawu | Sabu | Savu |
| Hawu / j’awa | Sabu asli / orang dari luar Sabu | indigenous / non-indigenous; foreign |
| hebe | motif utama untuk sarung perempuan | main motif on woman’s tubeskirt |
| hengaa | 1. nafas, napas | 1. breath |
| 2. arwah | 2. soul that never dies | |
| hegai | bengkok; sangkutan | hook |
| Hèb’a | Seba (Sabu barat) | Seba (West Savu) |
| hèru | alat memintal benang | spindle |
| menyèru | memintal | to spin (cotton) |
| hi’i / hig’i / hij’i | selimut; juga selendang laki-laki | man’s hip-cloth (also shoulder cloth) |
| hi’i wohèpi / | selimut dengan motif pertama | hip-cloth with basic motif of |
| hij’i wohèpi | the same name | |
| Hole / Kowa hole | nama upacara terpenting di semua wilayah (pada bulan terakhir di dalam kalendar adat) | name of one of the most important ceremonies in all domains (last month of lunar year) |
| hubi | 1. mayang; bunga palem | 1. palm flower |
| 2. nama kelompok perempuan | 2. name of the moieties | |
| hubi ae | mayang besar / Bunga Palem Besar | Greater Blossom |
| hubi iki | mayang kecil / Bunga Palem Kecil | Lesser Blossom |
| huri | belang; motif baris besar di atas selimut orang laki-laki | stripe; large band of motif on man’s hip-cloth |
| i | ||
| ihi | isi; badan | content; body |
| b’ui ihi | nama upacara: ‘siram badan’ | name of ritual ‘to sprinkle the body’ |
| iki | kecil | small |
| ina | ibu | mother |
| j ; j’ | ||
| janga / kejanga | cabang; | branch |
| hebe kejanga | nama motif khusus wini Putenga | name of a pattern restricted to wini Putenga (Lesser Blossom) |
| Jingi tiu | kepercayaan kuno nenek moyang | name of traditional ancestral religion |
| Jingi wiki | nama kelompok dari wini Putenga yang menpunyai gaib. | Name of a group of people who practice black magic (wini Putenga) |
| j’awa | asing | foreign |
| k | ||
| kare ; | pohon dadap | Lat. erythryna orientalis. Kare tree has to be planted next to the tegida |
| aj’u kare = aj’u tegida | kayu dadap = kayu khusus untuk tegida | |
| keb’èla | lebar , luas | large, big |
| kepepe keb’èla | pusaka tenunan asli | heirloom basket for textiles |
| kekama hab’a | pegangan gayung lontar; nama motif untuk selimut | handle of lontar palm bucket; name of a motif on men’s hip-cloth |
| kelutu | berbelang/bergaris/berbintik ; efek zebra | dotted, zebra effect |
| kelutu mea | berbintik putih dan merah | dotted white and red |
| kelutu mèdi | berbintik putih dan hitam ; memberikan efek garis-garis zebra | dotted white and indigo dots; gives a zebra effect. |
| kètu; | kepala; | head; |
| rukètu | 1. rambut; 2. nama upacara | 1. hair ; 2. name of a ceremony |
| kene; hekene; | sehelai kain tenun tanpa sambungan; | weaving made of one piece; |
| d’ue kene | kain yang terbuat dari dua potong dengan satu sambungan | weaving made of two pieces (one seam) |
| kepepe pana (Mehara) | keranjang terbuat dari daun lontar untuk menyimpan kain keramat wai | plaited basket made of lontar palm leaves for heirloom weaving. |
| kepepe kenana | peralatan sirih | betel box |
| kèbo hida / | mengkudu | Lat. morinda citrifolia |
| kèbo mèmo | mengkudu | Lat. morinda tomentosa (considered indigenous) |
| kètu | kepala | head |
| kewèhu | simpul | knot |
| kewèhu kètu | konde | hair bun; chignon |
| kewèhu rai | upacara didalam kalender adat | lit. ‘knot of the land’; generic name for ceremonies at fixed times in the calendar adat. |
| kowa | perahu | traditional boat |
| kowa hole | nama upacara ‘melarung perahu’ (April-Mei) | name of a ceremony ‘to launch a boat’ (April-May) |
| kowa Makaha | perahu Makasar (nama motif di selimut) | Makassarese boat (name of a motif on men’s hip-cloth) |
| l | ||
| lado | mahkota | crown |
| lede | gunung, bukit | mountain, hill |
| ledo | 1. tarian tradisional waktu upacara kematian orang penting | 1. traditional dance at funeral ceremony of important people |
| 2. nama motif pertama untuk sarung kelompok Bunga Palem Kecil | 2. basic motif for sarongs of the Lesser Blossom | |
| lehu | destar | head-cloth |
| lèba | tabu; nama motif sarung bangsawan (motif larangan) | taboo, restriction; name of motif for sarongs of the ruling classes (restricted motif) |
| lèmi | lima | five |
| huri wolèmi | selimut dengan lima baris motif utama | five rows of main motif on hip-cloth |
| huri wopidu | selimut dengan tujuh baris motif utama | seven rows of main motif on hip-cloth |
| Liae | Liae (kecamatan Sabu selatan) | Liae (district in southern part of Savu) |
| ligu wake | sabuk alat tenun | belt of back-tension loom |
| liru | langit | sky |
| lod’o | matahari ; hari | sun; day |
| Apu Lod’o Liru | Tuhan (‘Keturunan Matahari’) | God (‘Descendant of the Sun’) |
| lore | niddy-noddy | |
| lua | pembuluh darah, urat | blood vessel ; vein ; tendon |
| lua wèngu | benang kapas | cotton thread |
| m | ||
| made | mati | dead |
| dou (dèu) do made | orang mati | deceased (the dead person) |
| wai made | tenunan kecil untuk membungkus mayat | small weaving for wrapping a corpse |
| mago | mangkok | bowl |
| huri mago | nama motif di dalam baris ikat kecil pada selimut laki-laki | name of a motif in a small ikat band of a man’s hipcloth |
| mea | merah | red |
| Mehara | Mesara (kecamatan di bagian barat) | Measra (district in western part of Savu) |
| mèdi | hitam | black |
| miha | sendiri; satu-satunya | itself, on its own; the only one |
| Hawu Miha/ JawaMiha | nama leluhur utama | names of key ancestors |
| mola’i / morena | laki-laki (pria) / betina, perempuan | male / female |
| Kobe morena | Nama motif utama kelompok wini Ga | Name of main motif wini Ga |
| Kobe mola’i | Nama motif utama subkelompok wini Ga (keturunan Mojo Lado) | Name of male motif of subgroup of wini Ga (descendant of Mojo Lado) |
| n | ||
| ngi’u | badan | body |
| j’uli ngi’u | badan dari sepotong tenunan | body of the cloth |
| p | ||
| pehere jara | tarian kuda | horse dance |
| pehèdu | belida, balira (dari kayu asem) | sword (of the loom; made of tamarind wood) |
| pudi | putih | white |
| r | ||
| raa | darah | blood, ‘humor’ |
| rai | tanah/daerah/pulau/darat | land, island, region; realm; |
| Deo Rai | nama dewan : Penguasa Bumi /Tuhan Tanah | name of priesthood: Priest of the Earth |
| raja | 1. pukul; 2. raja | 1. hammer; 2. king |
| èi raja | sarung dengan garis raja (dulu untuk bangsawan) | sarong with raja stripes (earlier restricted to nobility) |
| rena / morena | betina | female |
| ro’a | 1. lubang | 1.hole; empty space |
| 2. tempat antara dua papan | 2. space between two planks | |
| 3. baris kecil hitam antara dua baris bermotif ikat | 3. small black band between two bands of ikat design | |
| ru | daun | leaf; |
| ruhelagi | daun pohon asem | tamarind leaf (name of a pattern) |
| ruwèngu | daun kapas; benang kapas | cotton leaf; cotton thread |
| t | ||
| tali | mengikat benang sebelum mencelup untuk membuat motif | technique of tying cotton threads to create a motif before dye process |
| tegida | rumah adat keturunan garis ibu; pusat organisasi untuk satu wini atau hubi | ritual house of a wini or a moiety |
| tegida mea | rumah adat untuk mencelup mengkudu | ancestral house for red dye |
| tegida mèdi | rumah adat untuk mencelup nila | ancestral house for indigo dyes |
| aj’u tegida | pohon dadap; kayu dadap | erythryna orientalis |
| tèlu | tiga | three |
| u | ||
| ub’a | mulut, teluk | mouth, bay |
| Ub’a ae | nama sebuah tempat upacara di Mesara | name of a ceremonial place in Mesara |
| ub’ad’ara | pelabuhan | harbour |
| udu / kerogo | suku, (clan, garis ayah) / sub-group dari suku | clan (paternal line) / lineage |
| w | ||
| wai | sabuk (upacara) | belt (ritual) |
| wai labe; wai made | kain penutup jasad orang mati | weaving used for covering the corpse |
| wèngu | kapas | cotton |
| wènyi | 1. pohon pinang | 1. areca palm tree |
| 2. nama perempuan | 2. female name | |
| wini | 1. bibit | 1. seed; |
| 2. cabang dari kelompok | 2. branching group in a moiety | |
| wokelaku | nama motif utama di sarung kelompok Bunga Palem Besar | name of main motif on sarong Greater Blossom |
| wurumada | 1. mata halus | delicate eyes; |
| j’uli wurumada | 2. bagian terakhir/ujung tenunan (rumbai) | end part of loin cloth (also the fringe) |