Pipit
Among the Kendayan (Dayak Kenayatn) people of West Kalimantan province, Borneo, Indonesia, the star ν Pup is identified as "Pipit".
Etymology and History
ν Pup (then ν in Argo Navis) was identified as "Pipit", or sparrow, by ethnographer M.C. Schadee in a paper on time reckoning amongst the Kendayan ("Landak Dayak") people published in 1914. It is one of a pair of stars (the other being ζ Pup) forming an asterism whose name was recorded by Schadee as Ensoelit. This is also the name of a bird -- "one that often causes great damage to rice in paddy fields". "The [two] rice thieves are close to Sirius".[1]
Ensoelit is the Dutch ethnographer's transcription of a Kenyatan name which has not been found elsewhere. "Pipit", or "Burung Pipit" in Indonesian, has also been identified as Lonchura striata, i.e., the white-rumped munia or striated finch.[2]
Mythology
Naik Dango (also known as Gawai Dayak), a ceremony of the Dayak Kanayatn people, is a form of local wisdom that is a legacy of the ancestors of the Dayak people. It is an expression of gratitude and ritual to God (Jubata) so that the harvest in the coming year will also be abundant and free from pests and disasters.
The traditional Naik Dango ceremony originates from a myth among the Dayak Kanayatn people regarding the origin of the rice plant which comes from a stalk of rice belonging to Jubata on the Bawang mountain. One day, a sprig of Jubata's rice was stolen by a sparrow and fell into the hands of Ne Jaek, who was headhunting at the time. Since then, humans called Talino began to recognize rice as their staple food.[3]
The Dayak Simpakng Community avoids four kinds of birds as a sign of bad luck: owl (oleng kuap/burung hantu), sparrow (burung pipit), rock magpigie bird (gagurak/murai batu) and paddy kareo bird (keruak/kareo padi). This particular community believes that if those birds enter their house at night, a bad event will follow: they are a message from Satan or the devil who wants to disturb the people. In order to prevent the oath from coming true, they have to kill any birds that come in; otherwise they have to leave the house for three days. If they want to come back to the house, it must be ritually cleansed by a shaman using a chicken and rice as well as reciting mantras.[2]
IAU Working Group Star Names
While "pipit" is a Western bird name it also appears to be a local (Kenyatan) name for a bird, whether a sparrow or munia/finch. It is clearly identified by Schadee with ν Pup.
Weblinks
Reference
- ↑ Schadee, M.C. (1914). “De Tijdrekening bij de Landak-Dajaks in de Westerafdeeling van Borneo”. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, 69, 130–139, p. 132
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=e13ab04f64b1a5a8JmltdHM9MTcyMDA1MTIwMCZpZ3VpZD0wM2VmMzFiNS02OTU5LTZlM2QtMDliOS0yM2RlNjhmNTZmZWQmaW5zaWQ9NTIwNw&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=03ef31b5-6959-6e3d-09b9-23de68f56fed&psq=hubungan+suku+dayak+dan+burung+pipit&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9qdXJuYWwudW50YW4uYWMuaWQvaW5kZXgucGhwL2ptZmtoL2FydGljbGUvZG93bmxvYWQvMzMyOTgvNzU2NzY1ODE0NDc&ntb=1
- ↑ https://kebudayaan.kemdikbud.go.id/ditkma/upacara-adat-naik-dango/
