Strange and obscure folklore and sayings relating animals
considering the folklore of the Philippines !
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
In the mountains of the Luzon region of the Philippines the rufous hornbill is an animal of profound cultural importance to the Illongot indigenous tribal people who inhabit the forests.
To the Illongot tribe the bird is a symbol of masculinity and masculine prestige and headdresses that feature the bill of a rufous hornbill and earrings made from its bone are only to be worn by the warrior head-hunting elite:
"It is worn only by warriors during ceremonial gatherings to signify their successful headhunt. Only men who had taken at least two heads are allowed to wear these hornbill earrings."
"The prestige of wearing this elaborate headgear indicates maturity and affirms reverence. These qualities may be associated with the majestic Rufous Hornbill, since Illongot tribes regard them as a symbol of head-hunting."
The association of the hornbill with the cultural practice of headhunting is a mysterious one but may be connected to the colour of the birds bill which is blood red and may therefore be symbolically associated with blood:
"It is unclear why Rufous Hornbills were chosen for this tradition, but we can suggest that the blood red colour of its bill may be linked to the bloody act of retrieving human heads."
Even the name of the bird is connected to the practice of headhunting as the bird is known to the Illongot as the "Kalaw" which is believed to have derived from the word "Kayaw" which is the tribal term for "head hunt".
Photo credits to @vogelcommando.
Souce: "ENUMERATING THE ETHNO-ORNITHOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF PHILIPPINE HORNBILLS", Juan Carlos T. Gonzalez, 2011 (Journal: THE RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY).
To the Illongot tribe the bird is a symbol of masculinity and masculine prestige and headdresses that feature the bill of a rufous hornbill and earrings made from its bone are only to be worn by the warrior head-hunting elite:
"It is worn only by warriors during ceremonial gatherings to signify their successful headhunt. Only men who had taken at least two heads are allowed to wear these hornbill earrings."
"The prestige of wearing this elaborate headgear indicates maturity and affirms reverence. These qualities may be associated with the majestic Rufous Hornbill, since Illongot tribes regard them as a symbol of head-hunting."
The association of the hornbill with the cultural practice of headhunting is a mysterious one but may be connected to the colour of the birds bill which is blood red and may therefore be symbolically associated with blood:
"It is unclear why Rufous Hornbills were chosen for this tradition, but we can suggest that the blood red colour of its bill may be linked to the bloody act of retrieving human heads."
Even the name of the bird is connected to the practice of headhunting as the bird is known to the Illongot as the "Kalaw" which is believed to have derived from the word "Kayaw" which is the tribal term for "head hunt".
Photo credits to @vogelcommando.
Souce: "ENUMERATING THE ETHNO-ORNITHOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF PHILIPPINE HORNBILLS", Juan Carlos T. Gonzalez, 2011 (Journal: THE RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY).
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
To the Mbuti (commonly known as the "pygmy") indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of the Congo the meat of the potto (called the "Manjetu" by the Mbuti) must never be consumed by a pregnant woman.
This taboo exists because it is believed that eating the meat of the potto would cause serious problems for woman in giving birth to the new born child.
The child it is believed would absorb the spirit of the potto in utero and just as this animal grasps the branches of the trees of the forest so would the child grasp the walls of the mothers womb and refuse to be born.
Photo credit to @Moebelle.
Source: "THE MAMMALS IN THE ZOOLOGICAL CULTURE OF THE MBUTI PYGMIES IN NORTH-EASTERN ZAIRE", Guiseppe M. Carpaneto et al, 1989 (Journal: Hystrix-Journal of Italian Mammalogy).
This taboo exists because it is believed that eating the meat of the potto would cause serious problems for woman in giving birth to the new born child.
The child it is believed would absorb the spirit of the potto in utero and just as this animal grasps the branches of the trees of the forest so would the child grasp the walls of the mothers womb and refuse to be born.
Photo credit to @Moebelle.
Source: "THE MAMMALS IN THE ZOOLOGICAL CULTURE OF THE MBUTI PYGMIES IN NORTH-EASTERN ZAIRE", Guiseppe M. Carpaneto et al, 1989 (Journal: Hystrix-Journal of Italian Mammalogy).
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
The hunting of the African golden cat is not practiced by the Mbuti indigenous peoples of the Congo (though they occasionally catch it accidentally in their nets set for duiker).
This is because the meat of the cat is considered to be worthless because of a folkloric belief that surrounds this animal (known as the "osolimi" to the Mbuti).
It is believed that if a person should eat the meat of the golden cat his / her teeth will first become black and begin to rot and eventually fall out leaving them completely toothless.
Photo credit to @mr.felidae.
Source: "THE MAMMALS IN THE ZOOLOGICAL CULTURE OF THE MBUTI PYGMIES IN NORTH-EASTERN ZAIRE", Guiseppe M. Carpaneto et al, 1989 (Journal: Hystrix-Journal of Italian Mammalogy).
This is because the meat of the cat is considered to be worthless because of a folkloric belief that surrounds this animal (known as the "osolimi" to the Mbuti).
It is believed that if a person should eat the meat of the golden cat his / her teeth will first become black and begin to rot and eventually fall out leaving them completely toothless.
Photo credit to @mr.felidae.
Source: "THE MAMMALS IN THE ZOOLOGICAL CULTURE OF THE MBUTI PYGMIES IN NORTH-EASTERN ZAIRE", Guiseppe M. Carpaneto et al, 1989 (Journal: Hystrix-Journal of Italian Mammalogy).
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
The African leopard is the animal that is feared the most by the Mbuti (known as "pygmy") indigenous peoples of the Congo.
This is not only because of the very real danger that this animal poses to people which it occasionally hunts and kills but also because of the way the leopard (known in Mbuti as the "Loli") is perceived within Mbuti culture.
The leopard is both admired and feared by the Mbuti because it is believed to be a master hunter and a vehicle of the power of black magic. It is believed that leopards can be in fact controlled through witchcraft and commanded to kill people.
Before the Mbuti begin a net hunt for duiker a certain herb known as the "Amasa" that is believed to be eaten by the leopard is burned by Mbuti hunters to make an incense that fills the net and is believed to grant good luck in hunting.
This belief in the "leopard herbs" probably stems from the fact that the leopard is viewed as the supreme hunter of the forest and so to burn such incense may be perceived to channel the hunting prowess of the leopard into the hunt.
The leopard is never eaten because its flesh is considered to be tainted by black magic which causes ill fortune to befall the person who consumes it.
Photo credits to @Giant Eland.
Source: "THE MAMMALS IN THE ZOOLOGICAL CULTURE OF THE MBUTI PYGMIES IN NORTH-EASTERN ZAIRE", Guiseppe M. Carpaneto et al, 1989 (Journal: Hystrix-Journal of Italian Mammalogy).
This is not only because of the very real danger that this animal poses to people which it occasionally hunts and kills but also because of the way the leopard (known in Mbuti as the "Loli") is perceived within Mbuti culture.
The leopard is both admired and feared by the Mbuti because it is believed to be a master hunter and a vehicle of the power of black magic. It is believed that leopards can be in fact controlled through witchcraft and commanded to kill people.
Before the Mbuti begin a net hunt for duiker a certain herb known as the "Amasa" that is believed to be eaten by the leopard is burned by Mbuti hunters to make an incense that fills the net and is believed to grant good luck in hunting.
This belief in the "leopard herbs" probably stems from the fact that the leopard is viewed as the supreme hunter of the forest and so to burn such incense may be perceived to channel the hunting prowess of the leopard into the hunt.
The leopard is never eaten because its flesh is considered to be tainted by black magic which causes ill fortune to befall the person who consumes it.
Photo credits to @Giant Eland.
Source: "THE MAMMALS IN THE ZOOLOGICAL CULTURE OF THE MBUTI PYGMIES IN NORTH-EASTERN ZAIRE", Guiseppe M. Carpaneto et al, 1989 (Journal: Hystrix-Journal of Italian Mammalogy).
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
The two species of fairy armadillos are rarely seen across their range due to a fossorial lifestyle that we still barely know anything about.
However, when these mysterious animals do surface to the ground they may face threats from the human beings who find them.
The indigenous Guarani peoples call the fairy armadillo "tatujeikurajoyava" and believe that an encounter with the animal is a sign of imminent death and ill fortune.
Because of this association with evil and misfortune the animal is killed wherever found and its carcass promptly burned which is believed to mitigate the occurence of this bad luck.
The fairy armadillos make haunting high pitched noises that resemble the cry or wail of a baby and this is believed by many rural peoples to be the transmigrated spirit of babies or children that have died in infancy.
Photo credit to @Giant Eland.
Source: Sighting of super rare Chacoan fairy armadillo in Bolivia ‘a dream come true’
However, when these mysterious animals do surface to the ground they may face threats from the human beings who find them.
The indigenous Guarani peoples call the fairy armadillo "tatujeikurajoyava" and believe that an encounter with the animal is a sign of imminent death and ill fortune.
Because of this association with evil and misfortune the animal is killed wherever found and its carcass promptly burned which is believed to mitigate the occurence of this bad luck.
The fairy armadillos make haunting high pitched noises that resemble the cry or wail of a baby and this is believed by many rural peoples to be the transmigrated spirit of babies or children that have died in infancy.
Photo credit to @Giant Eland.
Source: Sighting of super rare Chacoan fairy armadillo in Bolivia ‘a dream come true’
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
There is a common Malagasy proverb that is quoted on remaining grounded in life and avoiding hubris:
"Be like the chameleon, have one eye on the future and the other on the past".
The tentative and careful / measured way that this reptile moves in its natural habitat is also seen as a metaphor in Madagascar for being prudent in life when making decisions.
Photo credit to @Glutton.
Source: "The Malagasy and the Chameleon: A Traditional View of Nature", Guy Ramanantsoa, 1984.
"Be like the chameleon, have one eye on the future and the other on the past".
The tentative and careful / measured way that this reptile moves in its natural habitat is also seen as a metaphor in Madagascar for being prudent in life when making decisions.
Photo credit to @Glutton.
Source: "The Malagasy and the Chameleon: A Traditional View of Nature", Guy Ramanantsoa, 1984.
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
In the Dibang valley of the Arunachal Pradesh region of India the indigenous Idu Mishmi peoples have strong beliefs about the Hoolock gibbon (known as "Aame Epaan" in the Mishmi language) which inhabits the surrounding forests.
It is believed taboo to hunt the gibbon and indeed even to see one is considered to be a very bad omen which brings bad luck to those who do.
Such beliefs are naturally beneficial for the conservation of this species in India because it means that the gibbon is avoided by people and left alone to its forest existence.
Photo credit to @Himimomi.
Source: "TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE IDU MISHMIS: What do people say about wildlife?", Ambika Aiyadurai, 2014.
It is believed taboo to hunt the gibbon and indeed even to see one is considered to be a very bad omen which brings bad luck to those who do.
Such beliefs are naturally beneficial for the conservation of this species in India because it means that the gibbon is avoided by people and left alone to its forest existence.
Photo credit to @Himimomi.
Source: "TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE IDU MISHMIS: What do people say about wildlife?", Ambika Aiyadurai, 2014.
Given boto "Baby's" recent demise at Zoo Duisburg, I'm surprised that you haven't mentioned the role of the Amazonian River dolphin in Brazilian rural folklore yet:
Boto Encantado
Boto Encantado
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
In the Dibang valley of the Arunachal Pradesh region of India the indigenous Idu Mishmi peoples have a strange beliefs about the dhole (known as "Apupru" in the Mishmi language).
The Mishmi peoples believe that the urine of the dhole is highly poisonous and that this canid uses it as a hunting weapon. The alpha dhole is believed to soak its tail in its own urine before embarking on a hunt.
When prey is cornered the dhole "leader" is said to flick droplets of urine from its tail into the eyes of the prey which blinds and bewilders it. This tactic supposedly helps the pack to bring the blinded quarry down and kill it more easily.
The dhole is not an animal that is liked by the Mishmi because it is believed to kill livestock and also is a competitor of prey that is hunted by the community such as the muntjac, the sambar deer and the mishmi takin.
Photo credit to @Therabu.
Source: "TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE IDU MISHMIS: What do people say about wildlife?", Ambika Aiyadurai, 2014.
The Mishmi peoples believe that the urine of the dhole is highly poisonous and that this canid uses it as a hunting weapon. The alpha dhole is believed to soak its tail in its own urine before embarking on a hunt.
When prey is cornered the dhole "leader" is said to flick droplets of urine from its tail into the eyes of the prey which blinds and bewilders it. This tactic supposedly helps the pack to bring the blinded quarry down and kill it more easily.
The dhole is not an animal that is liked by the Mishmi because it is believed to kill livestock and also is a competitor of prey that is hunted by the community such as the muntjac, the sambar deer and the mishmi takin.
Photo credit to @Therabu.
Source: "TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE IDU MISHMIS: What do people say about wildlife?", Ambika Aiyadurai, 2014.
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Was very sad to hear about the death of "Baby" at Duisburg, how old was he ?
I am definitely getting round to the beliefs about the Don Juan Boto dolphins of the Amazon and they will probably feature in this thread in the new year.
Close to 47 years.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Almost half a century old, that is incredible. I know he was well loved by the visiting public too.
I actually read yesterday on this site about a female bonobo at Frankfurt zoo which is almost 70 years old !
I think the long lifespans of these animals speaks of the good husbandry in practice at many of the larger German zoos.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Across Papua New Guinea the cassowary is considered by most tribes to be an androgynous animal and a hemaphrodite and in fact male cassowaries are not believed to exist.
A belief that is widespread throughout the Sepik region of the country and present in the mythology of tribes such as the Boiken, Abelam, Arapesh and Paraik is that the world was in fact created by a cassowary who was also the mother of humanity.
The cassowary as a fierce mother goddess played a symbolic role in intitiation ceremonies that existed for young men in many tribes :
"Briefly, the cassowary symbolically devours the preadult novice, and then disgorges him, or gives birth to him, as an adult."
Such ceremonies incorporated the symbology of this bird and were designed to test the courage and mettle of young men before they could take on the mantle of becoming a warrior:
"Part of the ritual, throughout a great part of the Sepik area, was (perhaps is) the drawing of blood from the novice in order to eliminate from his body the "weak" or "bad" blood contributed by his mother during gestation. There were various ways of going about this; the best known way, because it was highly conspicuous, is the patterned and often very extensive scarification practiced by the middle Sepik River groups"
Some initiation ceremonies were truly agonizing:
"The most common procedure, however, appears to have been the drawing of blood from the penis"
The cassowary mother therefore played her part as a harsh and exacting mother goddess in judging of the worth and value of a young man as she oversaw the scarification rites which were performed by men impersonating her armed with sharpened cassowary bones:
"A number of methods were used, some of them carried out with cassowary bone implements. Actual bone daggers were used by the Boiken at the second stage of initiation. It is clear that during initiation not only was the whole process symbolic of "devouring," but the operators themselves to some degree impersonated the cassowary. To give a few instances, the (Nagum) Boiken initiator was actually termed amia, the "female cassowary"
As such the cassowary mother goddess figuratively through such initiation ceremonies was believed to continue to give birth / create young warriors with the ferocity of the bird itself:
"These few examples hint, even if lamely and disjointedly, at this extraordinary creature's role in Sepik life and imagination. To sum up, the cassowary in myth is the maker of men and their world. Men in turn become cassowaries in ritual and, generation by generation, replay the cassowary's role in creation. Besides, the cassowary not only "makes" men; it has the qualities of aggressiveness a Sepik man desires for himself."
A man who had become a warrior could then arm himself with amongst other weapons a stilleto sharp dagger made from the bone or toe of a cassowary with which he might dispatch his enemies in war.
Photo credit to @hmb_zoo.
Source: "Mother Cassowary's Bones: Daggers of the East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea", Douglas Newton, 1989 (Journal: Metropolian Museum Journal).
A belief that is widespread throughout the Sepik region of the country and present in the mythology of tribes such as the Boiken, Abelam, Arapesh and Paraik is that the world was in fact created by a cassowary who was also the mother of humanity.
The cassowary as a fierce mother goddess played a symbolic role in intitiation ceremonies that existed for young men in many tribes :
"Briefly, the cassowary symbolically devours the preadult novice, and then disgorges him, or gives birth to him, as an adult."
Such ceremonies incorporated the symbology of this bird and were designed to test the courage and mettle of young men before they could take on the mantle of becoming a warrior:
"Part of the ritual, throughout a great part of the Sepik area, was (perhaps is) the drawing of blood from the novice in order to eliminate from his body the "weak" or "bad" blood contributed by his mother during gestation. There were various ways of going about this; the best known way, because it was highly conspicuous, is the patterned and often very extensive scarification practiced by the middle Sepik River groups"
Some initiation ceremonies were truly agonizing:
"The most common procedure, however, appears to have been the drawing of blood from the penis"
The cassowary mother therefore played her part as a harsh and exacting mother goddess in judging of the worth and value of a young man as she oversaw the scarification rites which were performed by men impersonating her armed with sharpened cassowary bones:
"A number of methods were used, some of them carried out with cassowary bone implements. Actual bone daggers were used by the Boiken at the second stage of initiation. It is clear that during initiation not only was the whole process symbolic of "devouring," but the operators themselves to some degree impersonated the cassowary. To give a few instances, the (Nagum) Boiken initiator was actually termed amia, the "female cassowary"
As such the cassowary mother goddess figuratively through such initiation ceremonies was believed to continue to give birth / create young warriors with the ferocity of the bird itself:
"These few examples hint, even if lamely and disjointedly, at this extraordinary creature's role in Sepik life and imagination. To sum up, the cassowary in myth is the maker of men and their world. Men in turn become cassowaries in ritual and, generation by generation, replay the cassowary's role in creation. Besides, the cassowary not only "makes" men; it has the qualities of aggressiveness a Sepik man desires for himself."
A man who had become a warrior could then arm himself with amongst other weapons a stilleto sharp dagger made from the bone or toe of a cassowary with which he might dispatch his enemies in war.
Photo credit to @hmb_zoo.
Source: "Mother Cassowary's Bones: Daggers of the East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea", Douglas Newton, 1989 (Journal: Metropolian Museum Journal).
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
In the Gir forest of Gujarat, India, both the last wild population of Asiatic lions and a tribe known as the Maldhari live alongside one another (as they have done for over two centuries).
The Maldhari are pastoralists and so rely upon their water buffalo and cows for their livelihoods though these occasionally are killed by lions (which are called "Sinha" in Gujarati).
However, despite the considerable economic losses sustained in these infrequent attacks the herders are largely tolerant towards the lions.
At least part of this tolerance may stem from the Hindu faith of the Maldhari in which the lion is a recurring symbol of the divine.
Most Hindu temples in the region feature leonine imagery prominently including dieties such as the sinister "Chamunda" who is a form taken by the mother goddess Chandi and who rides upon the back of a lion and "Narasimha" who is a lion incarnation of the god Vishnu.
Photo credit to @demonmoth.
Source: -"Evaluation of human attitudes and factors conductive to promoting human-lion coexistance in the Greater Gir landscape, India", Venkataraman Meena et al, 2020 (Journal: Oryx).
-https://www.fabianvonposer.com/wp-content/uploads/LoewenTM_en_klein.pdf
The Maldhari are pastoralists and so rely upon their water buffalo and cows for their livelihoods though these occasionally are killed by lions (which are called "Sinha" in Gujarati).
However, despite the considerable economic losses sustained in these infrequent attacks the herders are largely tolerant towards the lions.
At least part of this tolerance may stem from the Hindu faith of the Maldhari in which the lion is a recurring symbol of the divine.
Most Hindu temples in the region feature leonine imagery prominently including dieties such as the sinister "Chamunda" who is a form taken by the mother goddess Chandi and who rides upon the back of a lion and "Narasimha" who is a lion incarnation of the god Vishnu.
Photo credit to @demonmoth.
Source: -"Evaluation of human attitudes and factors conductive to promoting human-lion coexistance in the Greater Gir landscape, India", Venkataraman Meena et al, 2020 (Journal: Oryx).
-https://www.fabianvonposer.com/wp-content/uploads/LoewenTM_en_klein.pdf
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The other male specimen that lived together with "Baby" till his death in 2006 even made it to 50 years of age.
Not in the eyes of PETA & Co. that are celebrating his death as an act of liberation. Much to the anger of the zoo staff.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
So they are celebrating the death of an animal ?
Regardless of what people believe about cetaceans in captivity (and I know that there is a very heated debate surrounding the topic) I have no idea why it would be seen as "liberation".
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
I'd be curious to see what PETA are saying about the death but I am getting this message :
What happened?
The owner of this website (www.peta.de) has banned the country or region your IP address is in (BR) from accessing this website.
From what I see, it basically recounts the events of the death, with the attached message of how cetaceans should not be kept in captivity, and that the zoo should invest in a robotic dolphin.