I prefer kotikoti before Englert's kotekote:
Koti

Kotikoti. To cut with scissors (since this is an old word and scissors do not seem to have existed, it must mean something of the kind). Vanaga.

Kotikoti. To tear; kokoti, to cut, to chop, to hew, to cleave, to assassinate, to amputate, to scar, to notch, to carve, to use a knife, to cut off, to lop, to gash, to mow, to saw; kokotiga kore, indivisible; kokotihaga, cutting, gash furrow. P Pau.: koti, to chop.Mgv.: kotikoti, to cut, to cut into bands or slices; kokoti, to cut, to saw; akakotikoti, a ray, a streak, a stripe, to make bars. Mq.: koti, oti, to cut, to divide. Ta.: oóti, to cut, to carve; otióti, to cut fine. Churchill.

Pau.: Koti, to gush, to spout. Ta.: oti, to rebound, to fall back. Kotika, cape, headland. Ta.: otiá, boundary, limit. Churchill.

The midsummer (or noon) sun is loosing his 'head', it is 'lopped off' to stop him from growing more - he is threatening the whole world by his fire. This will kill him, but his 'head' is 'planted' - used for engendering next sun.

In the evening sun goes down in the west, as if plucked by the grasping hand (manik) which the Maya indians used in their sign for west (Chikin):

Close to the equator sun disappears rather quickly at the western horizon, a fact which probably influenced the concept of midsummer (and noon) sun abruptly being 'finished'. The season of the sun cannot go on for more than half the diurnal cycle (or the cycle of the year).

Englert's kotekote maybe alludes to ko teko, 'the giant' - meaning the standing tall sun.

Teko

Giant (noun). Vanaga.

Pau.: Tekoteko, vain, proud, conceited. Ta.: teóteó, haughty. Ha.: keo, proud. Churchill.