3. The relationship between toa and rau hei glyphs have thereby been given a perspective - if they have the Y-sign, it means life has gone. These three glyphs from the Santiago Staff can serve as an illustration of the cycle of life:
At left a rising fish (with potential) probably refers to the 'season of leaf' and the following rau hei connected to a wilting sky (ragi) probably refers to the 'season of straw'. In the end the mouth (vaha kai) swallows what remains. Another glyph type necessary to take into consideration is tao:
It depicts a canoe, and the labels toa and tao (derived from frequency studies of the usage of Metoro) reinforce the impression given by the outlines of the glyphs. The word toa is like a perversed tao. The Y-sign has 'killed' the canoe. Next glyph type in this dictionary is tao, and we should wait until then with further comments. It is enough for the moment to 'read' tao as the opposite of toa and to draw the conclusion that a canoe is a 'living' being. Death is characterized by stillness, life by movement. |
