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

[Darja Hoenigman]

Mukumuku mystery (probably) solved.

I think the bird that the Awiakay call embay and refer to as *mukumuku* in
TP might be the Great Black Coucal (thanks to Bruce Beehler for this
suggestion). Of course I'll only be able to confirm it when I'm back in PNG
and can check with the Awiakay, but I'm happy that, with the help and
suggestions from many, we managed to put these odd pieces of the puzzle
into what seems to be the right places.

As for *mukumuku*, it is a term from the Nakanai language of New Britain,
found in Ann Chowning's dictionary (thanks to Robin Hide for pointing this
out!)
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/156709156.pdf

p. 130

mukumuku (e-) a large fierce bird, black with a white throat, that calls
loudly at dusk.


While Ann didn't manage to ID the bird, the description fits with Pied
Coucal, especially because it is called *mukmuk* in a variety of Tok Pisin
used in other parts of New Britain (at least among the Qaqet – thanks for
this info to Henrike Frye!)


And so ... It is clear that Tok Pisin has been borrowing widely from East
New Britain and New Ireland languages, as this is where people from all
over the German part of New Guinea were working on plantations. But it is
also clear why the word *mukumuku* (or its variation, *mukmuk*) is not
widely spread in Tok Pisin: all over PNG, regardless of how much they have
shifted towards the use of Tok Pisin, people tend to use terms from their
own languages when it comes to the local flora and fauna, as it is here
that local language terminologies are far more precise than Tok Pisn could
ever be. So it is likely that people who worked on plantations (there were
a few such men among the Awiakay too) remembered the TP word for a certain
bird (e.g. *mukumuku* for a Pied Coucal), and brought it back home with
their knowledge of Tok Pisin, and then applied it to a similar bird in their
home area (in Awiakay case to the Great Black Coucal) when they were
referring to it in Tok Pisin. But because this is not often the case, we
get great variation in the use of such terms, and Tok Pisin terms are not
the most reliable.


Em tasol, tinktink bilong mi olsem.


In any case, I've learnt a lesson: never think you've identified an animal
(or a plant) if you only have its Tok Pisin name.


But this also underlines the need to explore Tok Pisin terms – and shows a
great value of collaboration between the local people, anthropologists,
linguists, bird experts, etc.


Tenkyu tumas, olgeta!

Darja


P.S. Also interesting to learn of the many varieties of the
'clothes-stealing' story - thanks to all of you who sent it on.
--

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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