cuckoo (1 Viewer)

[kokila]

Hullo,
It's ironic that cuckoos which are free-loaders in other birds' nests are highly valued for their song. Beethoven used the cuckoo call in the Pastoral Symphony to express peaceful feelings after a storm.

The Oz expression 'coo-ee' is probably from the cuckoo, koel or kokila in India and Indonesia. 'The loud, repetitive 'coo-ee' song of the male Pacific Koel is a familiar sound of spring and early summer in eastern Australia.'

'Toowong is four km south-west of central Brisbane. It is thought that the name was derived from an Aboriginal word describing the call of a bird, possibly the Koel as the local Indigenous people referred to the bird as tu-wong'.
Toowong | Queensland Places.
'..in 1832 one of his men came unexpectedly upon a native camp, wrote that 'his debut was outrageously opposed to their ideas of etiquette, which imperatively required that loud cooeys should have announced his approach before he came within a mile of their fires.'
Cooee - Wikipedia

Do you have any info about Aboriginal coo-ee? It may be linked with a further connection in culture.

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum.

I was going to suggest that you ask in the Australia forum, but I see you have found it.

 

[kokila]

Indonesia had Old Java language 700 years ago which was partly Sanskrit from India. The Old Java word kokila 'cuckoo' was from Sanskrit 'the kokila or koil, black or Indian cuckoo; frequently alluded to in poetry, its musical cry being supposed to inspire tender emotions'. There was a title given to Vidyapat 600 years ago who was Maithil Kavi Kokil (the poet cuckoo of Maithili) of north India.
Sanskrit has the words vaca 'speech. parrot' and vacana 'teaching' which are waca and wacana in Old Java. West of Sydney there was a waganna ceremony recorded in 1835 with songs and commands from a god. In that language wagun means 'crow'. These words are the source of the name Wagga Wagga town. Across east Australia there are wag- names for several bird species like the Sanskrit vaca 'parrot'.
In India:
'The messengers’ journeys are also undoubtedly representations of pilgrimage routes and the parrot and koel are asked to participate in
precisely described temple worship and observe the religious practices taking place in the temples they pass along the way'.
https://www.iias.asia/event/mapping-out-world-construction-literary-landscapes-sanskrit-messenger-poetry-
d%C5%ABtak%C4%81vya
'Animals and birds play a considerable part in the mythological religious ideas of the Veda. Birds are primarily the epiphanies of gods ['manifestations'] and spirits, but they also appear as messengers of the heavenly divine. They foretell new happenings to occur in the near future. At times birds symbolize man's spirit as it is released from the body in ecstasy. Hence, a bird is associated with divinity'.

 

[kokila]

The Aboriginal wag- names are for crow, raven, noisy friarbird, butcher bird and cockatoo. All are known for loud calls but only butcherbird is musical. This suggests that the strength of the call is the notable feature.
Skt vaca 'parrot. speak', OJ waca 'speak'. Skt vacanda 'kind of talking bird. thrush'. vacara 'cock'.
Wiradjuri (central west NSW) wagara 'butcherbird'. waga, waganna 'dance with song from god Baiame'.
Gandanguura (Blue Mountains NSW) wugara 'devil woman who became white cockatoo'. waga 'dance'.