A recently published book ... incl. the fairly unknown Mr. Makawa (2 Viewers)

Björn Bergenholtz · Aug 28, 2017

Following the footsteps of Constantine "Con" Benson I noticed the recently published book Birders of Africa: History of a Network, by Nancy J. Jacobs (2016), that apparently have a chapter called The Honor of Collecting that:

... presents the life of Jali Makawa, a celebrated collector whose grounding in the world of vernacular birding appears to have mitigated his experience of exclusion. He first met birds as a boy in rural Mozambique and Malawi, and as a young man demonstrated an exceptional interest and knowledge of them. ...

Full Abstract here.

He´s not "one of my guys" (i.e. not commemorated in any Swedish Common Bird name), but as today's HBW Alive Key has the following entry:

makawa / makawai
Jali Makawa (fl. 1965) Malawian hunter, taxidermist, collector for C. W. Benson ...

... I simply thought it was worth mentioning, for anyone interested, as I happened to notice that this book have been published.

Maybe this book gives us a better view of who this fairly unknown man was (and maybe even his full years, birth and death), who knows?

Either way; enjoy!

Björn

Taphrospilus · Aug 28, 2017

May also helpful for this thread in case there is still the intention to write this book.

James Jobling · Aug 28, 2017

Many thanks for pointing out this interesting book for the bird historian. I have ordered Nancy Jacobs 2016, and will also get another Yale Uni title: "Where Song Began: Australia's Birds and How They Changed the World", Tim Low 2016.

mb1848 · Aug 28, 2017

Jali Makawa [? -1995]: Jali was at first hired as a kitchen-boy but his exceptional skills with birds were soon noticed and put to good use.
The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook.
There is an obituary by Michael P. S. Irwin in the 1996 volume of The Honeyguide (42. 3).

Taphrospilus · Aug 29, 2017

Here a picture of Jali Makawa and here born around 1914. Another source here Rober J. Dowsett, Jali Makawa - A Profile, Zambia Museums Journal 4, 1973, p. 39-42.

Björn Bergenholtz · Aug 30, 2017

Same book, same links as in Martin's Posts in #5, but different views, here or here.

"The image is of Jali Makawa, a Mozambican-Malawian-Zambian who was perhaps the most-celebrated scientific assistant of colonial Africa ..."

Click to expand...

Born in northern Mozambique around 1914 ...

Click to expand...

Nancy C. Jacobs, 2016

Apparently a man beyound political borders!
---

Taphrospilus · May 25, 2021

The Eponym Dictionary of Birds claims:

White-chested Tinkerbird Pogoniulus makawai C. W. Benson & Irwin, 1965
Olive Bush-shrike ssp. Chlorophoneus olivaceus makawa C. W. Benson, 1945
Jali Makawa (fl.1968) was an African hunter, taxidermist and collector for C. W. Benson (q.v.) in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) (1932–1963) and accompanied him in WW2 in the Abyssinian campaign (1941), during which he made an outstanding collection of birds. Makawa, who came from Nyasaland (Malawi), stayed in Benson's employ until Benson retired (1965), after which he was after which he was recruited by others to collect in Madagascar and other Indian Ocean localities. He was based at the National Museum of Zambia, Livingstone (1968). Michael Irwin (q.v.) said to us in a letter 'Jali knew his birds better than anyone in Africa, white or black'. The tinkerbird is known only from the type specimen (1964) taken at Mayau, north-western Zambia.

PScofield · May 25, 2021

If he ever travelled to the US this could be him:
Birth
14 Jul 1932
Nyadiri S Rhodesia.

But (c.1914-1995) seems to be concensus.

A recently published book ... incl. the fairly unknown Mr. Makawa (2 Viewers)

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Björn Bergenholtz

(former alias "Calalp")

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James Jobling

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mb1848

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Björn Bergenholtz

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