User:Gnangarra/Noongar Birds of South, Western Australia. Ngolak Ngolyenok and Karrak

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Noongar Birds of South, Western Australia.

Baudin' black cockatoo (Ngolak), Carnaby' black cockatoo (Ngolyenok) and Redtail black cockatoo (Karrak)

Albany, Western Australia

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Ngolak or Baudins black cocky, showing long top bill

On 26th of September 2017 at approximately 09:00, an excursion group from the Indigenous Studies unit 2700 of 2017 arrived at Mt Clarence, Albany, Western Australia. This group comprised of 19 students, unit coordinators Dr Joe Dortch, Professor Len Collard and 3 Elders from the Menang Noongar's of Albany. One of the first things that I happened upon was a single Baudin’s white-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus baudinii) . Mt Clarence was under attack from the elements, wind, rain and cold. The bird seemed to be tired. battered and trying to rest from the constant barrage of the elements, as he/she was in no hurry to fly away from my presence, although only 12 feet away. Also strangely, the bird was alone.There are 2 species of white-tailed cockatoo in the South West of Australia, the aforementioned Baudin’s Cockatoo and a short-billed version named Carnaby’s Black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris). there is also a Red-tailed subspecies, the Banks Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii).

Whilst on this excursion, Prof Len Collard informed me that the Baudin’s Cockatoo was known in Aboriginal Noongar as a “Monarch” and that during the colonial overthrow of the Nyungah nation in the 1800’s, the Police or Copper’s of the day were also referred to a Monarch’s. This was primarily because of their similar appearance and the Police are still known as such to this day by Nyungahs and lingo savvy Wadjellas (white men). The Copper’s uniform from that period consisted of a black jacket and trousers with a black Bobby style custodians helmet, white sometimes for officers. The zoomorphic qualities of the Police and or the anthropomorphic traits of the cockatoo are truly apparent. I am not convinced that the correct name has been applied to the Black-tailed cockatoo on this occasion and could be a misnomer handed down orally, over generations to this day. This I shall look into, along with other Nyungah insights and white men out sights and the possible demise or non-demise of the White and Red-tailed black cockatoo.

Entomology

The word Monarch is recorded by that spelling in the book “Australian Aboriginal Words in English, their origin and meaning” . The bird that is listed as the owner of this name is the Western long billed Corrella (Cacatua pasinator) . There are numerous spellings and variations of the Nyungah name for this bird that were recorded by white post-colonial naturalists. Daisy Bates in 1914 recorded a few variations from the different districts of the South West, Manitch, Mannaitch, Manitch, Mannitch, Minnaitch, Monaitch and Monytche to name a few.

Ngolyenok or Carnaby' black cockatoo, showing short top bill

Thomas Carter in 1920 recorded Mannich and Mennich. Rose Whitehurst in her Noongah Dictionary named the White long billed Corella as a Manatj. The list of ornithologists, anthropologists, adventurists, settlers, naturists down on record, with varying spellings of this name is extensive and cannot be dismissed out of hand. Baudin’s black-cockatoo' Aboriginal name is recorded as Ngolak There are numerous spellings, some being slightly similar to the Monarch bird previous. Daisy Bates records Ngoolak, Mou-lack, Kngòlock and Nkol-luk and once again many recordings by different people with Rose Whitehurst writing it as Ngorlak just to cite a few historians. Carnaby’s Black-cockatoo is recorded as Ngolynok and the pair collectively is described as Ngoolya. Up until 1938, it was generally thought by the white population that there was only one type of black cockatoo, the Baudin. They are both similar in size and weight, as the book by Mulwaka notes. They weigh on average, “520 to 790 grams (18.3 oz. to 28 oz.), measuring 53 to 58cm (20–22.5") in length, its wingspan as approximately 110 cm (42")”. It was in 1933 the naturalist Ivan Carnaby made a distinction between the two birds. It is probably because of lack of identification by the settlers and others, that they held the belief that the Nyungah people lacked the same identification skills and did not have distinctive names for the two. This is hard to believe that after 38 thousand years of land occupation in the Perth area and the South West, one would think that the odd injured or dead white-tailed cockatoo would have presented for the people to clearly make a distinction and give different names. But it is evident that they did have separate names, Ngolak and Ngolynok being the 2 main spellings of each.

The Red-tailed cockatoo or Banks' cockatoo has the Nyungah name of Karrak (Calyptorhynchus banksii). This bird was first categorised by John Latham in 1790 in honour to botanist Sir Joseph Banks These are very similar in looks and size to the white-tailed cockatoo but the red tail and yellow dots on the face that sets them apart, which leads us into the next part of Aboriginal lore.

A Noongar yarn

The following is a traditional story on how the Karrak (Red-tailed cockatoo) received its red tail and was brought into existence, as told by Minang maam (Minang man) Lindsey Dean. The players in this Noongah story are a Djitty Djitty or Willy Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys), a Dwert (Toort in the Minang tongue) or Dingo/wild dog (Canis lupis dingo) and a Mulal/Kwirlman or Swamp Hen (Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus)

One day Ngolak was in a tree minding his business when he noticed that Dwert (Dingo) was below him and was being a bit cheeky, giving Djitty Djitty (Willy wagtail) a hard time. Ngolak put himself between Dwert and Djitty Djitty, defending off Dwert. Mulal the swamp hen whom was feeding on Sedge water plants (Cyperaceae) a plant from which red sap oozes from the roots. Mulal struck Ngolak across the back with a Sedge reed. Ngolak raised its wings in its own defence and Mulal threw lumps of red sap on Ngolaks tail. Ngolak who was screeching so much during the fight, that his voice got sore and raspy. The normal “weeloo weeloo” of the Ngolak changed to a “Karrak Karrak”. So was born the Karrak with the red tail. This story is also transcribed in the Aboriginal Wikipedia website, noongarpedia.com, which also has the Nyungah names for these birds in it.

What does this story say to us? At first, it seems like a simple child’s yarn, explaining the differences of the two birds and how the Karrak obtained his identifying call, being achieved the best way that the orator can, without any scientific analysis. Or is it a carefully constructed instructional story of the hero, Ngolak, being so focused on doing the right thing in protecting the Djitty Djitty that he failed to be mindful of his own back, of his own safety. He is then attacked from behind by another bird, which should have been on his side fighting against the dog. The other pointer is, no matter how much you yell, scream, puff yourself up and make your presence bigger to the enemy, you have exposed yourself and when least expected, there is always danger behind. To me a yarn like this could be a training story, being given to a young man, in the art of warfare. Being passed on an experienced warrior on how to be inconspicuous, keeping your body target to the smallest possible and always be aware of your surroundings. Without a pen or pencil, book or tablet, using the surrounding flora and fauna would be akin to watching an information survival video, but having the information surrounding you, with you all the time. Every day, every week, every season, when you are seeing the animals behaving in a certain way, it will remind you of a special story that you have been told for your survival and possibly that of your family.

Sir Arden-Clarke looking like a right Monarch

Future

Beautiful female Karrak and male at the rear

One hundred years ago, give or take a decade; flocks of 10,000 white-tailed black cockatoo’s were reported but it is not known if they Ngolak or Nygolyenok or mixed flocks of the 2. Soon after the distinction was made by Carnaby, an estimated count in 1948 of Carnaby’s of about 4 to 5 thousand birds in one flock. In 2016 the annual Great Cocky Count was conducted by Bird Life Australia with the help of 700 volunteer counters. The following are numbers taken from that count

• 16,392 white-tailed black cockatoos recorded at 100 occupied roosts.

• 1,907 forest red-tailed black cockatoos recorded at 66 occupied roosts

• 4,897 Carnaby’s black cockatoos were found at a single roost site

They estimate in this paper that it is 27% of the total population of black cockatoo’s in the South West region. Just on these numbers, a mega flock of 10 thousand 100 years ago are now down to approximately 5 thousand. As mega flocks of 10 thousand birds would be hard to miss, with 700 volunteers all over the south-west looking out for them, but 100 years ago just a few people taking down numbers, I find this one factor disturbing. There is a flock of about 30 red tail cockatoos, nesting on a small horse property on Viveash Rd, Swan View, that I have my horses on. It is a beautiful block which has Jane Brook running through it and backs on to the John Forrest National park. A small enough flock of that size could be easily missed in the count. Are the numbers getting worse? It is estimated by Garner and Crowley that 50% of the bird’s natural habitat has been wiped out and other stands are fragmented and the birds only have some coastal reserves that are of habitable size. Some remnants that are used for nesting are on the road verges next to cleared farms and all birds are heavy casualties from this scenario. In the 1920’s pine plantations that sprung up around the South West gave the white-tailed cockatoo’s an alternative food supply of which they adapted to. This new supply of food is now under threat with the mass clearing of the pine plantations that have matured and are to be used as wood products. These foreign wood plantations could all be cleared by 2030. Conclusions The name Monarch was correctly attributed by early naturists and adventurists to the Long-billed Corrella and I believe was the first name given by indigenous people to their white oppressors. Possibly to do with white hats and white feathered plumes that usually sprouted outrageously from the military head wear of high officials

Then after the first instance, the name Monarch was given to the regular troops or Police but they happened to look more like Ngolak, the white-tailed cockatoo than a Long-billed Corrella, Monatj. These are only my observations and possible reason of the naming anomaly. The survival of the 3 black cockatoo species in the South West region does not look very bright. Although the Karrak has many subspecies across Australia and can adapt to most agrarian food types, their breeding habit is shrinking. Unless there is a major halt to the expansion and flooding of people to the South West and land clearing to be ceased with a program of reafforestation, I cannot be too hopeful for the survival of the species. As long as there is capitalism and greed, flora and fauna are expendable.

Another lesson can be learnt from the oral story of the Ngolak and Karrak. While modern society is being big, bold, loud and spreading it wings over everything and everybody. While only focusing on what is in front of it, while not seeing what is around or behind it, while ignoring its own indifference and blind ambition. It will all come around the back and kick humanity in the butt.

Gary Nicol

Mulal	Djitty djitty's	Djitty djitty	Dwert/Toort [1]
Juvenile Karak to the left, mature female center and mature male Karrak on the rightJM	Sedge	3 Karrak looking Monarch's, all males. 18th century Aussie coppers.	Big mature female Karrak having a drink from a hoses water trough.[2]

References

, Wp/nys/Ngolak (White tailed black cockatoo) - Wikimedia Incubator, https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/nys/Ngolak_(White_tailed_black_cockatoo), 2017.

Abbott, I, 'Aboriginal names of bird species in south-west Western Australia, with suggestions for their adoption into common usage', Conservation Science Western Australia, vol. 7, no. 2, 2009, pp. 213-278.

Bates, Daisy M, 'A Few Notes on Some South-Western Australian Dialects', The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 44, 1914, pp. 65-82.

Carnaby, IC, 'Variation in the white-tailed black cockatoo', Western Australian Naturalist, vol. 1, 1948, pp. 136-138.

Carter, Thomas, 'On some Western Australian Birds collected between the North‐West Cape and Albany (950 miles apart)', Ibis, vol. 62, no. 3, 1920, pp. 679-719.

Chapman, Tamra, Forest Black Cockatoo (Baudin's Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus baudinii and Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii naso) recovery plan, Department of Environment and Conservation, 2008.

Dixon, Robert MW, Bruce Moore, William Stanley Ramson, and Mandy Thomas, Australian Aboriginal words in English: their origin and meaning, Oxford University Press, 2006.

Garnet, ST, and GM Crowley, 'The Ac {on Plan for Aus‐tralian Birds', Canberra: Environment Australia, 2000.

Glover, John Edmund, 'The geological sources of stone for artefacts in the Perth Basin and nearby areas', Australian Aboriginal Studies, no. 1, 1984, p. 17.

Government, Australian, 'Carnaby, Ivan Clarence - biography', 2006.

kym_jefferies, 'Great cocky count update', 2016.

Latham, John, Index ornithologicus sive systema ornithologiae0: complectens avium divisionem in classes, ordines, genera, species, Leigh et Sotheby, 1790, Vol. 1.

Mulawka, Edward John, The Cockatoos : A Complete Guide to the 21 Species, Jefferson, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2014.

Saunders, DA, 'The effect of land clearing on the ecology of Carnaby's Cockatoo and the inland Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo in the wheatbelt of Western Australia', Acta XX Congressus Internationalis Ornithologici, vol. 1, 1991, pp. 658-665.

Shah, Bansi, Conservation of Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo on the Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia, Birds Australia, Western Australia, 2006.

Whitehurst, Rose, Noongar Dictionary: Noongar to English and English to Noongar, Noongar Language and Culture Centre, 1997.