Bird lore from New Guinea Highlands

Press, 15 April 1978, Page 17

Bird lore from New Guinea Highlands

Birds of My Kalam Country. By lan Saem Majnep and Ralph Bulmer. Illustrations by Christopher Healey. Oxford. 219 pp. $17.25. (Reviewed by Sylvia Reed) When two authors of such diverse ethnic backgrounds as lan Saem Majnep and Ralph Bulmer collaborate, the result is bound to be unusual. Very far from being “just another bird book” for the bird lover, nothing quite like this book has previously appeared. Each author’s contributions are separate; they are interspersed with perfect balance. But the appeal goes much wider for it touches on many subjects besides ornithology: history, geography, anthropology, mythology and agriculture, to name but a few. Above all, the book is totally absorbing for the general reader for sheer pleasure. Saem’s simple style immediately envelopes the reader into the Papuan atmosphere; Bulmer’s explanations are scholarly, concise and never too technical. Part 1 tells the history and geography of the Kalam country (the uncluttered maps are a great help), its folklore, and the relationship of birds to everyday life. Part II groups the birds according to habitat, behaviour

and feeding. The descriptions, indicating careful and detailed observations, incorporate tales and personal anecdotes. The chapter on the Cassowary is of particular interest to New Zealanders in that it is a flightless bird belonging to the same group as Moas and Kiwis. Also, because a New Zealander, Mr Brian Reid, was seconded to Papua New Guinea to carry out research on the domestication of the Cassowary and some of his comments are quoted. Saem explains how the birds were trappet and eaten, and the ceremonies and beliefs involved. Part 111, entitled “Six Kalam Stories About Birds” can be likened to a delightful selection of Aesop’s Fables. A very short epilogue by Saem pays tribute to his Mather with whom he “walked about and she showed me these places.” Anvo'm "’ho has visited the highlands of Papua New Guinea knows well that “walk” is the operative word. There is practically no other form of transport. Papuans walk tremendous distances and women carry enormous loads. Saem’s Mother must have been a most remarkable woman in a society of many prohibitions for women. An appendix lists the scientific and

vernacular names of the birds; a second appendix lists the “Plants of Significance in Kalam Bird Lore” with a few lines about each. A number are closely related to New Zealand plant species. Appendix 3 is a glossary of Kalam names for birds and bats; in Kalam ba.s are grouped as birds. Although the orthography is explained in the preface and a guide is given to pronounciation, it is difficult for anyone unfamiliar with such a language to know how it actually sounds. The lively, detailed pen and ink illus: '.tions by Christopher Healey add much to the charm. Bulmer’s black and white photographs cannot adequately convey the impressive highland scenery, but pictures of its people are far more telling. Special credit should go to Auckland University in association with Oxford University Press for the printing and presentation which is clean, pleasing to the eye, and easy to follow. [Sylvia Reed, ornithologist at the Auckland Museum, is on the council of the New Zealand Ornithological Society. She has travelled extensively in search of birds and will leave New Zealand soon for the Ornithological Congress in Germany.J