[Tweeters] bird names --- ʻAkohekohe name

[Steve Hampton]

Hal,

Thank you for the additional details, which are important in conveying the
true sense of the name. Indigenous humor is often far more edgy than in
Victorian-influenced cultures.

Joseph Pitawanakwat, an Ojibwe botanist and birder, shares quite a few
Anishinaabe names that are onomatopoeias that have double (or even triple)
meanings, usually mimicking the bird's call using words connected to their
appearance and/or habitat. So this Hawaiian example has company in that
regard. Nothing so edgy or humorous though. Joseph himself is very
enjoyable and funny. I've linked one of his Zoom presentations on YouTube
at the bottom of an older blog post of mine about Indigenous bird names
today (e.g. condor, tanager, sora, ani).
https://memoriesofthepeople.blog/2022/08/25/indigenous-bird-names-today/

The direct link to Joseph's presentation is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osUBUXf5Fjs

good birding,







On Sun, Nov 26, 2023 at 4:44 PM HAL MICHAEL <ucd880 at comcast.net> wrote:


> Per H. Douglas Pratt in The Hawaiian Honeycreepers Drepanidinae; part of

> Bird Families of the World.

>

> On page 264, under Etymology:

>

> "Hawaiian name often considered simply onomatopoeic (Berlin and VanGelder

> 1999), but that does not explain why early naturalists create and English

> name for this sp. alone when valid Hawaiian one available. Hawaiians had

> sense of humour and loved puns; name includes *kohe*= vagina (Pukui and

> Elbert 1971), allusion to resemblance of bird's crest to pubic hair,

> apparently too much for Victorian sensibilities".

>

> The more things change, the more they stay the same.

>

>

> Hal Michael

> Board of Directors, Ecologists Without Borders <http://ecowb.org/>

> Olympia WA

> 360-459-4005

> 360-791-7702 (C)

> ucd880 at comcast.net

>

>

>

> On 11/25/2023 5:34 PM PST Steve Hampton <stevechampton at gmail.com> wrote:

>

>

> The "Birds of the World" species accounts offer detailed information on

> just about every aspect of every species. Access to this online resource is

> complimentary with membership in the Washington Ornithological Society.

> From the account for ʻAkohekohe:

>

> "'Äkohekohe (pronounced "ah ko-hay ko-hay"), is derived from one of the

> calls it commonly gives from the treetops of the rain forest."

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> On Sat, Nov 25, 2023 at 5:17 PM Laurel Parshall <knasnan at gmail.com>

> wrote:

>

> Many thought provoking views and varying points along our individual

> 'perches' of our life spectrums.

> Based on Hal Michael's mention of the Hawaiian name Akohekohe selected for

> the previous English used Crested Honeycreeper, with the meaning being

> female genitalia, what do we know about how that name came to be used? Was

> it merely descriptive, derogatory or empowering? Doubtful that we will ever

> sort that out.  Likely it will be used for any one of those, depending on

> the intention and the perception of the receiver.

> It did lighten my mind and then provoke my response.

> Our world is rounded, with billions of points of view. I do enjoy the

> bird's-eye one whether I will ever understand it or not.

> Laurel Parshall in Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula kehlilanasnan at Yahoo the dot

> com-place

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>

>

> --

> Steve Hampton

> Port Townsend, WA  (qatáy)

>

>

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-- 
Steve Hampton
Port Townsend, WA  (qatáy)
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