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Overview
The birds of Diriuna lose their fire after a night of dancing. Kokorereko flies to obtain another brand, landing so forcefully on a rock that his footprints remain in the tale. At Kaierara a girl falls in love with him, but he leaves with fire and tells her to seek the village where drum and conch sound.
She and her parents find Diriuna and watch the birds emerge at dawn. Kokorereko is identified as their chief. She offers coconuts and draws him toward the canoe, then traps him beneath a basket and carries him away. The account associates his capture with chickens living among people. His grieving followers scatter to different habitats, and Diriuna becomes Numa Pupu, Desolation. No modern bird taxonomy is inferred from the speaking community.
Origins & earliest records
Annie Ker, Papuan Fairy Tales (London: Macmillan, 1910), The Cockerel, pp. 77–80. Individual narrator unnamed.
Records & interpretation
Complete selected tale read in digitized transcription; bodily and narrative claims limited to that witness.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Papuan Fairy Tales: The Cockerel, pp. 77–80
Full selected narrative inspected.
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 textKer 1910: The Cockerel, pp. 77–80Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.