To grow, to sprout, to germinate, to come forth, to conceive, pregnant, germ; mea tupu, plant; tupu ke avai, of rapid growth; tupu horahorau, precocious; hakatupu, to produce, to stimulate growth, to excite. P Pau.: fakatupu, to raise up, to create. Mgv.: tupu, to grow, to conceive, to be pregnant. Mq.: tupu, to grow, to sprout, to conceive. Ta.: tupu, to grow, to sprout. Churchill.

Mgv.: Tupu, the best or worst, used of men or of bad qualities. Sa.: tupu, king. Ma.: tupu, social position, dignity. Churchill.

Pua, pu'a

Pua. 1. A zingiberacea (plant of which few specimens are left on the island). 2. Flower: pua ti, ti flower, pua taro, taro flower, pua maúku pasture flower; pua nakonako, a plant which grows on steep slopes and produce red, edible berries. 3. Pua tariga (or perhaps pu'a tariga), anciently, hoops put in earlobes. 4. The nanue fish when young and tender. Puapua, summit, top, upper part; te puapua o te maúga, the top of the mountain; te puapua kupega, the upper part of a fishing net. Vanaga.

Pu'a. 1. (Modern form of pu'o), to cover up something or oneself, to put on; ka-pu'a te ha'u, put on your hat; ka-pu'a-mai te nua, cover me up with a blanket. 2. To respond to the song of the first group of singers; to sing the antistrophe; he-pu'a te tai. 3. To help; ka-pu'a toou rima ki a Timo ite aga, help Timothy with the work. 4. Pu'a-hare, to help a relative in war or in any need; ka-oho, ka-pu'a-hare korua, ko ga kope, go, give your relative a hand, lads. 5. To speak out in someone's favour; e pu'a-mai toou re'o kia au, speak in my favour, intercede for me. Pu'apu'a, to hit, to beat. Vanaga.

1. Flower, ginger, soap; pua mouku, grass. 2. To grease, to coat with tar, to pitch; pua ei meamea, to make yellow. Puapua, a piece of cloth. Mgv.: pua, a flower, turmeric, starchy matter of the turmeric and hence soap. Mq.: pua, a flower, soap. Ta.: pua, id. Ma.: puapua, cloth wrapped about the arm. Churchill.

If we read the left part of Aa5-35 as a variant of the kava glyph type, then tupu te kaho might allude to 'September' (Akahotu on Mangareva):

Hotu

Ta.: hotu, to produce fruit, Sa.: fotu, id. Mgv.: akahotu, the September season. Churchill.

H.: Hoku, Night of the full moon. When this moon set before daylight it was called Hoku Palemo, Hoku that slips away. When it set after daylight it was called Hoku Ili, grounded Hoku. Ka mahina o Hoku, the full moon of the night Hoku. Cf. hōkū, star. Hō kū, star. (PPN fetu'u). Wehewehe.

Aka

1. Anchor: he-hoa te aka, to drop anchor. 2. Root of certain plants (banana tree, taro, sugar-cane). 3. To be paralyzed by surprise. Vanaga.

1. Root; aka totoro, to take root. P Pau., Mq.: aka, root. Ta.: aa, id. 2. (āka) anchor. 3. Causative (haka). Churchill.

The corresponding words of Metoro on side b are more straightforward - 'two bird tails' (manu vaero erua):


Ab7-51	Ab7-52	Ab7-53	Ab7-54	Ab7-55	Ab7-56
ko te tagata - kua vero ki te mago	ko te tagata mau - i te marama	ko te tagata nui	ko te tagata vaha erua	i te henua - i te manu vaero erua

Ab7-57	Ab7-58	Ab7-59
i te henua - o te manu - ki tona henua	kua oho te rima - kua hua ia	harehare matagi

The 2nd 'tail of the bird' is another possibility, which could mean that the 2nd half of the year also has ended (with Ab7-52 where 7 * 52 = 364). In summer the sky is so high that only birds can reach it.

The left parts in Ab7-58 and Ab7-59 (where 7 * 59 = 413 = 14 * 29.5) is vae. And at Ab7-58 Metoro said oho te rima - the 'fire' (5) is departing. He might have regarded the 5 feathers at right as 3 and 2 (spring and autumn) rather than 5.