[Mihalic] sik muruk

[John Lynch]

Hi Robin and others

 

No, megapodes are not faol. Two terms for megapode are namalao (from a
vernacular term, ultimately from a well-established Oceanic reconstruction)
and skrabdak ("scrub-duck").

I'm still trying to get some "explanations" for sik blong faol, and am also
having trying - but experiencing considerable difficulty- to track down the
Solomons Pijin term for epilepsy.

 

J

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Hide [mailto:rhide at coombs.anu.edu.au] 
Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 1:50 PM
To: mihalic at anu.edu.au
Subject: Re: [Mihalic] sik muruk

 

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.
 
For instance, Brian Coates (The Birds of Papua New Guinea Vol 1 1985, pp.
57-8) describes the display of the Double Wattled Cassowary as including,
"the body trembles with the effort of producing the (deep booming) sound",
and similarly for the Dwarf Cassowary. 

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:
 
"... 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

"...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

"And ours would jump into the air and come down into somersaults!..  They
are nutty when they are adolescents!" DW

So on the face of it there seems to be certain muruk behavioural traits,
other that their death throes, that may be what sik muruk is referring to in
the context of epilepsy.
 
Two other points: 
 
1. The description of epilepsy in East New Britain by Hoskin and colleagues
in (Hoskin, J. O., et al.  (1969). "Epilepsy and guria: the shaking
syndromes of New Guinea." Social Science and Medicine 3: 39-48. makes no
mention of sik muruk.
 
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?

And- a final query to John Lynch re: The Bislama equivalent is "sik blong
faol" (faol = chicken - we dopnlt have cassowaries in Vanuatu!). 
Does "faol" include other species, for instance megapodes? (as in wail paul
in tok pisin?)


Robin Hide



At 12:27 PM 18/10/2006, you wrote:



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.
B


At 12:05 PM 18/10/2006 +1000, you wrote:



   1. sik muruk = epilepsy (Robin Hide)


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


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