|
"... It was a mark of
distinction for a grown son or a brave young man to be referred to
as a 'rooster' (moa). One of the Rongorongo tablets and a petroglyph (Barthel 1962) indicate that the group of explorers of the immigrant cycle were known as 'roosters'. The same figurative meaning is found in a fragment of the Metoro chants:
The deeper meaning of this passage can be discovered by comparing it with the 'great old words' (Barthel 1959a:168). The 'one who beats his wings' refers to the best person, and the 'one who ties up the fruit' refers to the richest. The 'one who scratches diligently' must be a person who is industrious, so that we can interpret the praise of a promising young man." (Barthel 2) |