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tankhughes commented on the word verbal statues
In an article about decolonizing bird names - not calling them the name of the white European ornithologist associated with them - they refer to these names as verbal statues, monuments to colonizers new to the area.
"The Bird Names for Birds movement argues that these names are like “verbal statues” and that the moment has come for the birding community to take a long, hard look at the institutions and systems that perpetuate white colonial ideals."
https://birdsconnectsea.org/2021/08/19/names-are-power-lets-talk-about-decolonizing-bird-names/
March 21, 2024
bilby commented on the word verbal statues
Bird names are a bin fire anyway.
March 21, 2024
bilby commented on the word verbal statues
In Australia what was once known as the jabiru is now the black-necked stork. Apparently the name comes from the Tupi–Guaraní language and means 'swollen neck'. I have no idea how the name arrived in northern Australia.
But supposedly the objection was that the jabiru proper is the only bird in the genus Jabiru so it wasn't acceptable for a bird from another genus like the Australian black-necked stork to have the name as well.
Yeah too late, in a way, there's already a town called Jabiru in the Northern Territory, named after you-know-what.
Aand locals like me who lived in the NT for 25 years just liked the name jabiru better so continue to use it.
March 21, 2024