[Mihalic] sik muruk

[Bryant Allen]

Robin's reference might explain my confusion when I first asked for an 
explanation of "sik muruk" (in Pidgin). I was told that the cassowary in 
the forest will "sikirapim ol diwai na rop diwai" which I interpreted as 
'scrapes or rakes with its feet, trees and vines'. I though this might be 
reference to some sort of spirit cassowary because cassowary have 
supernatural associations, which I don't pretend to understand, and I did 
not know that cassowary do this sort of thing. I thought I was being told 
that when the cassowary  raked the trees and vines, the person in the 
village had a fit, and that was the supernatural connnection.

Because I couldn't make sense out of this approach and nobody seemed to be 
able to explain what was involved (it was probably so obvious to them they 
just thought I was thick), I then made the methodogically fatal mistake of 
suggesting that "sik muruk" was a preference to a dying cassowary and 
everybody agreed. So I accepted the first explanation was just one of those 
things that I would probably never understand, and epilepsy wasn't really 
relevant to what I was supposed to be doing anyway. But now I think Robin 
have found the explanation for what I was initially told.
B


>Bryant suggests that sik muruk reference in relation to epileptic seizures
>"is used because the fit is similar to what a cassowary does when it is hit
>with an arrow and thrashes about as it dies".
>However, other aspects of cassowary behaviour may be more relevant.
>
>"...in both captive birds and wild ones, I have seen them running around in
>a frenzy, kicking trees and bashing into things.  Could be a conceptual
>link to epilepsy... " AM

Dr Bryant Allen
Senior Fellow
Land Management Group
Department of Human Geography
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
The Australian National University
ACT 0200 Australia

ANU CRICOS Provider Number is 00120C