ETHNO-ORNITH_AW_FIN.qxd 10/2/10 20:03 Page 1 ‘A novel, fascinating and wide-ranging account of the way birds are perceived by different cultures.’ Tim Birkhead, ornithologist and author of The Wisdom of Birds ornithology Ethno- ‘What is remarkable about this benchmark volume is the size and diversity of the contributions. Ethno- There can be little doubt that with its publication ethno-ornithology has arrived as an identifiable cross-disciplinary specialism, with much to say that is relevant not only to the humane sciences, but to conservation and the emerging consensus on biocultural diversity.’ Roy Ellen, Professor of Anthropology and Human Ecology and Director of the Centre for Biocultural Diversity, University of Kent, UK ornithology ‘A fascinating series of essays exploring the diverse links that exist between birds and people; studies that remind us how all human societies are deeply indebted to birds – for language, song, food, inspiration, commerce – a biocultural certainty that cries out for a stronger role in contemporary nature conservation.’ John Fanshawe, Senior Strategy Adviser, BirdLife International An African proverb states that when a knowledgeable old person dies, a whole library disappears. In that light, this book presents knowledge that is new or has not been readily available until now because it has not previously been captured or reported by indigenous people. Indigenous knowledge that embraces ornithology takes in whole social dimensions that are inter-linked with environmental ethos, conservation and management for sustainability. In contrast, western approaches have tended to reduce knowledge to elemental and material references. This book also looks at the significance of indigenous knowledge of birds and their cultural significance, and how these can assist in framing research methods of western scientists working in related areas. Gosler Sonia Tidemann & Andrew Sonia Tidemann is an Adjunct Professor at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Australia and has been involved in natural and cultural resource management for more than 25 years. Andrew Gosler is Head of the Institute of Human Sciences, Oxford University, UK, where he lectures in Biological Conservation, and University Research Lecturer in the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Oxford. Cover: sculpture by Rodney Jungala King Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society Edited by Natural History / Environment / Anthropology Sonia Tidemann and Andrew Gosler Earthscan strives to minimize its impact on the environment www.earthscan.co.uk ES_ETH_10-2_ES_POL_25/7 11/02/2010 13:56 Page i Ethno-ornithology ES_ETH_10-2_ES_POL_25/7 11/02/2010 13:56 Page ii ES_ETH_10-2_ES_POL_25/7 11/02/2010 13:56 Page iii Ethno-ornithology Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society Edited by Sonia Tidemann and Andrew Gosler London • Washington, DC ES_ETH_10-2_ES_POL_25/7 11/02/2010 15:57 Page iv First published in 2010 by Earthscan Copyright © Dr Sonia Tidemann and Dr Andrew G. Gosler 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as expressly permitted by law, without the prior, written permission of the publisher. Earthscan Ltd, Dunstan House, 14a St Cross Street, London EC1N 8XA, UK Earthscan LLC, 1616 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA Earthscan publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment and Development For more information on Earthscan publications, see www.earthscan.co.uk or write to [email protected] ISBN 978-1-84407-783-0 Typeset by MapSet Ltd, Gateshead, UK Cover design by Clifford Hayes A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ethno-ornithology : birds, indigenous peoples, culture and society / edited by Sonia Tidemann and Andrew Gosler. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-84407-783-0 (hardback) 1. Ethnoornithology. 2. Human-animal relationships. I. Tidemann, Sonia. II. Gosler, Andrew. GN476.77.E84 2010 598.089—dc22 2009051714 At Earthscan we strive to minimize our environmental impacts and carbon footprint through reducing waste, recycling and offsetting our CO2 emissions, including those created through publication of this book. For more details of our environmental policy, see www.earthscan.co.uk. This book was printed and bound in the UK by CPI Antony Rowe. The paper used is FSC certified. ES_ETH_10-2_ES_POL_25/7 11/02/2010 13:56 Page v Contents Figures, Tables and Plates vii Foreword by Eugene S. Hunn xi Preface xiii Contributors xv Abbreviations xxi PART I — INTRODUCTION 1 Indigenous Knowledges, Birds that Have ‘Spoken’ and Science 3 Sonia Tidemann, Sharon Chirgwin and J. Ross Sinclair 2 Ethno-ornithology and Biological Conservation 13 Mark Bonta 3 The Broader Significance of Ethno-ornithology 31 Andrew Gosler with Deborah Buehler and Alberto Castillo PART II — BIRDS: HUNTING AND PRODUCTS 4The Ma¯ori and the Huia 49 David C. Houston 5 The Impact of Red Feather Currency on the Population of the Scarlet Honeyeater on Santa Cruz 55 David C. Houston 6 Entrapment of Wetland Birds: Local Customs and Methods of Hunting in Krangkeng, Indramayu, Central Java 67 Surya Purnama and Mochamad Indrawan 7 Wildlife Hunting and Bird Trade in Northern Papua (Irian Jaya), Indonesia 73 Margaretha Pangau-Adam and Richard Noske PART III — BIRDS AND KNOWLEDGE 8 Transmutation of Human Knowledge about Birds in 16th-Century Honduras 89 Mark Bonta 9 Sound, Sight, Stories and Science: Avoiding Pitfalls in Ethno-ornithological Research, with Examples from Kenya 103 Fleur Ng’weno ES_ETH_10-2_ES_POL_25/7 11/02/2010 13:56 Page vi vi ETHNO-ORNITHOLOGY 10 What the Locals Know: Comparing Traditional and Scientific Knowledge of Megapodes in Melanesia 115 J. Ross Sinclair, Lorima Tuke and Muse Opiang PART IV — BIRDS: STORY AND LANGUAGE 11 Birds and Nature in the Stepwells of Gujarat, Western India 141 Purnima Mehta Bhat 12 Aboriginal Stories: The Riches and Colour of Australian Birds 153 Sonia Tidemann and Tim Whiteside 13 Tlingit Birds: An Annotated List with a Statistical Comparative Analysis 181 Eugene S. Hunn and Thomas F. Thornton 14 Raven = Heron in Mayan Language Prehistory: An Ethno-ornithological/Linguistic Study 211 Cecil H. Brown 15 What’s in a Bird’s Name: Relationships among Ethno-ornithological Terms in Nage and Other Malayo-Polynesian Languages 223 Gregory Forth PART V — BIRDS AND CONSERVATION 16 An Alternative Reality: Ma¯ori Spiritual Guardianship of New Zealand’s Native Birds 241 Philip O’B. Lyver and Henrik Moller 17 Everyone Loves Birds: Using Indigenous Knowledge of Birds to Facilitate Conservation in New Guinea 265 William H. Thomas 18 Birds, People and Conservation in Kenya 279 Mercy Njeri Muiruri and Patrick Maundu 19 Bird Messengers for All Seasons: Landscapes of Knowledge among the Bribri of Costa Rica 291 Nicole Sault 20 The Bull of the Bog: Bittern Conservation Practice in a Western Bio-cultural Setting 301 Maan Barua and Paul Jepson 21 Towards an Indonesian Bird Conservation Ethos: Reflections from a Study of Bird-keeping in the Cities of Java and Bali 313 Paul Jepson Index 331 ES_ETH_10-2_ES_POL_25/7 11/02/2010 13:56 Page vii Figures, Tables and Plates Figures 5.1 Photograph taken in 1909 by J. W. Beattie of the first missionary to live on Santa Cruz, W. C. O’Ferrall, standing with local villagers beside a bride price payment of feather rolls 61 9.1 Ostrich-plume head-dress 105 11.1 Adalaj stepwell, Gujarat, India 142 11.2 Queen’s stepwell showing sculptures of divinities, Patan, Gujarat 143 11.3 Serpent queen with a peacock gazing at a snake and owls above 148 11.4 A young swan, mistaking them for pearls, captures drops of water from a maiden’s hair 149 12.1 Distribution of the tribes and language groups who have contributed a total of 447 bird stories 155 12.2 Records of the occurrence of the Australian Bustard from The New Atlas of Australian Birds and Aboriginal stories 159 12.3 Records of the occurrence of the Emu from The New Atlas of Australian Birds and Aboriginal stories 160 13.1 Photo of Al and John Martin holding the button blanket symbolizing the story of Raven climbing the bull kelp 184 15.1 Relationships among Malayo-Polynesian languages 225 16.1 Locations of traditional tribal harvest areas under the guardianship of Tu¯hoe (kereru¯), Hauraki (oi) and Rakiura (tı¯tı¯) 243 17.1 The largest and most diverse forest in the Pacific 267 18.1 Language groups of Kenya 283 20.1 Anthropomorphizing the Bull of the Bog 305 20.2 Bittern on the cover of the RSPB bulletin Bird Notes and News (1930–1931) 307 20.3 Boom boom boom 310 ES_ETH_10-2_ES_POL_25/7 11/02/2010 13:56 Page viii viii ETHNO-ORNITHOLOGY Tables 3.1 Local, Spanish, English and Latin names collected in the mid-western Coclé Province of Panama 44 5.1 Measurements from Santa Cruz feather money rolls held in Auckland Museum, British Museum, Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and private collections 63 6.1 Study visits to Indramayu, Central Javal, 2006–2007 68 6.2 Sample prices and catches of waterbirds, Krangkeng, Central Java, 1984 69 7.1 Bird species hunted by Genyem people of northern Papua, with estimated annual total harvest in Nimboran and Kemtukgresi districts 76 7.2 Comparison of number of birds hunted in Nimboran and Kemtukgresi districts of northern Papua 77 7.3 Birds trapped by transmigrant bird trappers