SIGNS

Eb2-1:

Two big 'stones' presumably meaning two half-years (or possibly two quarters), the one at bottom bigger than the one at top, i.e. we are at winter solstice. The thread (maro) towards right signifies 'end'. We have reached the end of the old year (the top 'stone').

This thread has four marks. Four means the 'earth' on which we are living (in the light of the sun) and what is ending is the 'henua' of this year (because the time of the top 'stone' is ending). The four marks on the thread signify the four cardinal points (equinoxes and solstices).

Eb6-1:

Eb5-35 Eb6-1 Eb6-2

Here there is a pronounced gap (in the form of a missing henua) between the two periods, meaning that there are five nights (five marks on the string at right in Eb6-2) which belong neither to the old year and nor to the new year, nights which have no henua.

Solar double-months are counted as 30 days each, giving 360 days for a year and then 5 additional days are needed at the end before next year starts.

Notice that there are two different types of 'stones'. If we regard Eb6-1 as three (solar) double-month periods, stretching from autumn equinox to spring equinox, should the 'stones' be bigger at left or at right? Top and bottom 'stones' suggest one thing, the middle 'stone' something else.

Ca4-1--2:

These two glyphs presumably illustrate cardinal points in the form of small 'stones' or 'buds'. The first glyph (Ca4-1) has four such small 'buds' with different sizes and shapes; the sun has different magnitudes and qualities depending on when / where in the year we look. From left clockwise (as the sun moves north of the equator): winter solstice, spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equionox.

Although south of the equator the sun moves from right to left (anticlockwise), i.e. from east to west (and time in the east marks future and in the west marks was has passed), the text of rongorongo flows from left to right, which means that at left we find was has passed.

In Ca4-2 the picture becomes more complex. The bottom 'nut' is now white, not black, and has two 'eyes' which may illustrate the two half-years. These two half-years may also be seen in the two 'seeds' at top, each with two 'double-leaves' on their 'stems'. This double binary division leads to 180 / 4 = 45 days. The first half-year, as expected, is written smaller than the second.

Then there are three lesser 'seeds', two at left and one at right. The one at right has a maro with 7 marks and also the same kind of two 'double-leaves' as the half-years.

To complete the year we need 2 * 2 further days to reach 364, which explains the two 'double-leaves' on the 'seed' at right.

The two 'seeds' at left might then be those needed to reach 365 respectively 366.

Ab6-88:

Here the 'balls' are changed into rhombs, meaning three lunar double-months. Wheareas the solar double-months have 2 * 30 = 60 days, the lunar double-months have 30 + 29 = 59 nights.

There is no vertical straight line in the middle of the glyph. 59 is an odd number and cannot be divided into twins. Also there is no measurement, the moon is a 'clock' in itself.

The four corners in the rhomb marks where periods of 14 nights are completed. 4 * 14 = 56 = the number of nights in a two-month period when the moon is visible.

In a rhomb the 14 nights when the moon is waxing may be seen as the upwards going line at left, the apex being the time of full moon. The waning moon will then be represented by the downwards sloping line at right. At the time of new moon we turn the rhomb 180o similar to when we start to read a rongorongo tablet (though here clockwise instead of counter-clockwise), and after that we can start once again with the waxing moon of the new month.

Moon and sun are complementary. And the texts on the rongorongo tablets turn counter-clockwise only every odd turn, the even turns are clockwise. Right and left alternate, just like sun and moon. The sun is right, the moon is left.

The counter-clockwise movement seems to be connected with the sun (south of the equator) and the clockwise movement therefore with the moon. Consequently, the waning moon should be the downwards sloping line at right.

"The 'second list of place names' appears for the first time in Ms. E. The sequence of the places named runs opposite to Hau Maka's 'first list of place names'. Commencing on land at a point 'that can send signals' out to sea, the path turns to the right along the coastline so that the ocean is always on the left.

On the other hand, proceeding from the land of origin with the description of the route to the new land, Hau Maka's place names are intended to provide a route that starts from the ocean and along which the ocean is always to the right.

We seem to be dealing here with two possible inversions; turning 'toward the sea' vs. turning 'toward the land', while maintaining the same general direction, which is described by the common Polynesian contrast pair tai vs. uta, or turning 'toward the right' vs. turning 'toward the left', facing in the same direction at the start." (Barthel 2)

The 'first list of place names' (sun) seems to have been handed down in writing, the 'second list of place names' (moon) presumably was passed on with kaikai:

"While the 'first list of place names' is supposed to have been handed down explicitly in writing (ta ki runga ki te kaka), the 'second list of place names' was passed on with the aid of a mnemonic device in the form of recitations (patautau) accompanied by the string-figures (kaikai)." (Barthel 2)

 

Addendum:

Let us reason the other way around: 84 divided by 3 equals 28 (the number of nights in a month when moon is visible). 14 is twice the weekly number, and 28 = 2 * 14. A rhomb may therefore be understood as the period when moon is shining on the earth. Each side of the rhomb marks a week (not a fortnight which I earlier suggested).

Metoro's reaction to this type of glyph (inoino, bad-bad) maybe was because after 84 nights there was needed 6 nights intercalated to reach the sun triple-month period 90 days, a period corresponding to the time for moving from one of the 4 cardinal points (solstices and equinoxes) to the next.

Still the standard GD53 with ovals may continue to mean 6 solar months:

However, another solution is to see 3 solar months and an additional day (the vertical straight line) to reach 91 days. Instead of reading 3 solar double-months we may read 3 single solar months + 1 additional day. We now reach a kind of symmetry between the two glyph types:

  

They both mean a quarter, but the triplet of rhombs measures 3 * 28 = 84 days, whereas the triplet of balls measures 3 * 30 + 1 = 91 days. The difference is a week (7 days). We may then imagine a greater rhomb measuring the whole year (364 days). At each corner of this rhomb we have an extra week, while each side of the rhomb measures 84 days.

4 * (84 + 7) = 364

The solar year, on the other hand, is divided in two halves, with 2 * 91 = 182 days in each half. Such a half could be represented by a double GD53, as e.g. in Aa7-9--10:

Maybe the same sign was used to indicate the Pleiades. One half of the year they are 'above' and the other half of the year they are 'below'. I think this reading of the glyphs is better than what I suggested earlier.

Kb1-13:

Here we see a sunboat, left part being the hull and right part being two sails. The two sails perhaps means the two quarters (from midsummer to autumn equinox respectively from autumn equinox to midwinter).

That sails are called ra is not so strange because they signify the eyes of the sungod Ra. One eye for each half of the year or - with a more modern view - one eye for each half of the half-year.

Eyes have oval shapes, but only half of them are seen in this glyph. The other half, it may be argued, is only visible on the other side of the earth, at the time when we have night.

As Kb1-13 is located just after midsummer in the London Tablet calendar of the year the sails are oriented towards the right. A similar glyph located somewhat earlier' (Kb1-9) has its sails on the left side of the hull. The sunboat is changing its direction at midsummer (and also at winter solstice), possibly in a way similar to how the Polynesian canoe - when changing direction - had its stern converted into bow and bow converted into stern. 

Hb1-3:

In this glyph the 'stone' at bottom is smaller than the one at the top and the 'stones' are not divided by a vertical line, another line is instead located between the 'stones'. These 'stones' are half-years (not years because those are bigger). The gap between them illustrates the 5 dark nights between one year and the next; the time is winter solstice. This is another way of showing the 'gap' between the years than in Eb6-1 (see above).

The line between the 'stones' is similar to the flat real stones in this arrangement at the bottom of the sea at Bimini:

Qb3-107:

This glyph is parallel to Hb1-3 (see above). Here too there is space between the 'stones' as a way to show darkness and similarly to Eb6-1 (see above) there is assymetry in the 'stones'.

Pb3-5:

This glyph is also parallel to Hb1-3 (see above). Instead of showing a gap between the two years the string in the middle is bent, a sign that shows that the sun now is changing its direction (albeit slowly). Also there is assymetry in the 'stones'.