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Overview
A mother instructs her daughter to feed the dog and her son to bathe it. The children take this as favouring the animal over them. They kill and cook it, gather their father’s betel nuts and leave the village with baskets of food, singing their grievance. Their parents search unsuccessfully; the mother’s early grief for the dog gives way to mourning the missing children.
The girl climbs a mountain while the boy passes around a cape, and each becomes a brush turkey. Their wings are weak and they fly poorly. The closing explanation associates that condition with nests made from leaves and earth on the ground, inviting attention to the trees of Mulawa. The children are not monsters before this transformation, and the account does not supply a named bird deity or further supernatural anatomy.
Origins & earliest records
Annie Ker, Papuan Fairy Tales (London: Macmillan, 1910), The Brush Turkeys, pp. 107–108.
Records & interpretation
Historical English collected narrative of bodily transformation and the origin of animal behaviour.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Papuan Fairy Tales: The Brush Turkeys, pp. 107–108
Full selected tale ending; specific transformation distinct from living zoological species record.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary collected narrativeKer 1910: The Brush TurkeysResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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