Here there are 32 lines, and the numbers of the lines and items possibly suggest Moon. In the last nights of her cycle she is 'bathing' in the rays from Sun and cannot be seen. Therefore, I guess, items 30-31 have been 'made invisible'. Ra'a (Sun, day) is not mentioned on this page. But Ohiro (the first night of the month) is mentioned in item 20. Hanga Ohiro could be the end station of Moon, similar to how the 16th kuhane station Hanga Takaure apparently is the end station of winter ('takaure'). According to the Gilbert Islanders the month should be counted only up to 20 nights, and if the first night is Ohiro, then the 20th should be Hanga Ohiro. Haga is a bay for anchorage. Mahina in item 24 means Moon. The 4th item on this page (number 17) begins with a capital letter (Opata roa a mana aia.) and so does the 4th item on the preceding page (Okahu a uka ui hetuu.) Certainly this is a sign, but what does it mean? The preceding number 16 should be the last of its kind, and it is also a hanga item:
The meaning of haga becomes more and more certain, it indicates the 'end station' of some season. An overview of the geographical distribution of the main 'anchorage' places of the island shows there are quite many:
Hanga Roa ('Long Bay') is the capital of the island and Hanga Piko ('navel' in Hawaiian) lies not far to the south from there. Hanga Ohio (item 20) is in northeast, close to Anakena, and Hanga Ho'onu is further to the southeast, close to Te Pito te Kura (another 'navel' place). Hanga Nui ('Great Bay'), mentioned in item 27, lies in the southeast, close to Tongariki. Page 39 seems to go from the cape in the north down to Poike in the southeastern corner, ending in Rano Raraku. Hanga Kuokuo is not to be seen on the map, but according to Barthel 2 it lies to the west of Hanga Oteo (at the top of the map). Hanga Maihiku, to the west from Hanga Nui, is item 33 (cfr on page 40 of the manuscript) and Hanga Tetenga (item 36) lies even further to the west. It is evident that there is a correlation between the 3 pages and the 3 sides of the island:
Hanga O Uo is located (according to Barthel 2) 'a short distance north of Apina Iti' (i.e. a little to the south of Hanga Roa). This place must be special because it has 2 lines of text, maybe to suggest a division of time. Vave renga occurs at the beginning of page 39 too. The symmetry in the hanga table above is clear: 2 + 3 + 2 = 7, in all (not counting the obviously special akahanga 'station'), and the journey goes clockwise around the 3 sides of the island. There is no room for a 4th side of the island, yet there are hanga items also on pages 41-42:
Hanga Te Pau (item 50 and divided in 2 lines) we recognize, presumably it is 'where the light has gone out', i.e. at the end of the year:
Geographically speaking it is in the 'vicinity of Vinapu' (Barthel 2). Hanga Rikiriki (47) and Hanga O Maru (48) are located 'in the area east of Hanga Pau Kura' (which bay is located between Vinapu and Akahanga), respectively in a place not identified. Page 41 contains the geography of the southwestern part of the island, i.e. the coast line in the south has been divided in 2 parts somewhere to the west of Hanga Tetenga (item number 36, significantly). With page 42 we have rounded the corner in the southwest and Hanga Piko is number 57 on the list. Popohanga 'morning shadow', according to Barthel 2, evidently is different. If we have moved with the moon - from west to east at the beginning of the journey - then the morning light will end the night (domain of Moon) and also the journey, I suppose. |