In Tahua several variants of hau tea appear, for instance in Aa4-70:
To begin with noting the deviations from the normal hau tea: Of the three vertical lines only the central one is straight, the other two are tending outwards, expanding. The meaning is probably 'spreading out' (meaning growth). A comparison with the other hau tea glyphs in Tahua gives an unequivocal result: those with this 'spreading out' sign are located exclusively on side a (the side where sun has a prominent place). Sun generates growth. Another important sign is how the left vertical line is a separate entity, thereby becoming not real, only a fiction (in the same way as the central line is only theoretical). The horizon in the west is no reality during spring. What does youth care about saving for their retirement? |