[PapuanLanguages] ID of a bird called 'mukumuku' in Tok Pisin

[Jessica Brown]

Hi Darja,
This story sounds like the one we have in Ranmo language of Western
Province (your Languages of Southern New Guinea colleagues are probably
telling you similar stories), in which case the two birds used are a
cassowary (muruk-Pidgin) and brolga. I'm not sure the Pidgin word for
brolga. We do have black palm cockatoos which have red eyes.
Jessica

On Thu, Jun 4, 2020 at 7:38 AM Darja Hoenigman <darja.hoenigman at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> Has anyone heard of a bird called *mukumuku* in Tok Pisin?
>
> There's an Awiakay myth about the bird of paradise and *embay* (TP
> *mukumuku*), who went washing in the river and took off their
> 'grass-skirts'. But the bird of paradise quickly went out of the water,
> saying it needed to go to poo, and stole *embay*'s beautiful grass skirt.
> Now he's happily dancing around in it, while *embay* is walking around,
> crying for his beautiful plumage, so that his eyes are all red.
>
> All I know for sure about *embay* (*mukumuku*) is that it is a dark bird
> with red eyes and distinctive calls. No photos, no recordings of its calls,
> just a Tok Pisin translation.
>
> I've checked the Aviabase for East Sepik, and there could be a few
> candidates there, but I can't be sure about any of them.
>
> BTW, this myth seems to be widely spread all over New Guinea (with some
> variation), but while the bird of paradise is a constant, the other bird
> varies...
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>
> With best wishes,
> Darja
>
> --
>
> Darja Hoenigman
>
> Visiting Research Fellow
>
> School of Culture, History and Language /
>
> ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language
>
> College of Asia and the Pacific *| *The Australian National University
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