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Bryant suggests that <i>sik muruk </i>reference in relation to epileptic
seizures <i>"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".<br><br>
</i>However, other aspects of cassowary behaviour may be more
relevant.<br>
<br>
For instance, Brian Coates (<u>The Birds of Papua New Guinea </u>Vol 1
1985, pp. 57-8) describes the display of the Double Wattled Cassowary as
including, <i>"the body trembles with the effort of producing the
(deep booming) sound"</i>, and similarly for the Dwarf Cassowary.
<br><br>
I also asked two seasoned observers of cassowaries, Andy Mack (AM) and
Debra Wright (DW), for their experience of possibly relevant muruk
behaviours, and they responded:<br>
<br>
<i>"… we have seen a small chick with what seemed like a
neurological disorder where it got very tipsy and uncoordinated and died
a few days afterwards." DW<br><br>
"...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<br><br>
</i>"<i>And ours would jump into the air and come down into
somersaults!.. They are nutty when they are adolescents!"
DW<br><br>
</i>So on the face of it there seems to be certain muruk behavioural
traits, other that their death throes, that may be what <i>sik muruk</i>
is referring to in the context of epilepsy.<br>
<br>
Two other points: <br>
<br>
1. The description of epilepsy in East New Britain by Hoskin and
colleagues in (Hoskin, J. O., et al. (1969). “Epilepsy and
<i>guria</i>: the shaking syndromes of New Guinea.” <u>Social Science and
Medicine</u> <b>3</b>: 39-48. makes no mention of <i>sik muruk</i>.<br>
<br>
2. The two firm accounts (Bryant A and Rick S), other than the
Post-Courier one, so far originate from the one region of
Maprik-Dreikikir in East Sepik - is the term restricted to that
part of PNG?<br><br>
And- a final query to John Lynch re: <i>The Bislama equivalent is
"sik blong faol" (faol = chicken - we dopnlt have cassowaries
in Vanuatu!). <br>
</i>Does "faol" include other species, for instance megapodes?
(as in wail paul in tok pisin?)<br><br>
<br>
Robin Hide<br><br>
<br><br>
At 12:27 PM 18/10/2006, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">I heard this at Tumam
(Dreikikir, East Sepik) in 1971-72, where there were two male maternal
cousins (mothers were sisters) who had severe epilepsy to the point where
they were badly burned and severely brain damaged. At first I thought it
was a reference to a 'spirit' cassowary who was causing the fit doing bad
things deep in the forest, but later I realized it 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. I have not heard "sik muruk" used
anywhere else, but then I have not had too many conversations about
epilepsy either.<br>
B<br><br>
<br>
At 12:05 PM 18/10/2006 +1000, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""> 1. sik muruk =
epilepsy (Robin Hide)</blockquote><br>
Dr Bryant Allen<br>
Senior Fellow<br>
Land Management Group<br>
Department of Human Geography<br>
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies<br>
The Australian National University<br>
ACT 0200 Australia<br><br>
ANU CRICOS Provider Number is 00120C<br><br>
<br>
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