| Rona Figure made of wood, or stone, or painted, representing a bird, a birdman, a lizard, etc. Vanaga. Drawing, traction. Pau.: ronarona, to pull one another about. Churchill. While the rongorongo signs (rona) are generally 'carved out, incised' (motu), ta implies an incision ('cutting, beating') as well as the process of applying signs to the surface with the aid of a dye ... Barthel 2. |
| "After naming the topographical
features of Easter Island with names from their land of origin, the
emissaries went from the west coast up to the rim of the crater
Rano Kau, where Kuukuu had started a yam plantation some
time earlier. After they had departed from Pu Pakakina they reached Vai Marama and met a man. Ira asked, 'How many are you?' He answered, 'There are two of us.' Ira continued asking, 'Where is he (the other)?' To that he answered, 'The one died.' Again Ira asked, 'Who has died?' He replied, 'That was Te Ohiro A Te Runu.' Ira asked anew, 'And who are your?' He answered, 'Nga Tavake A Te Rona.' (E:46) After this, the emissaries and Nga Tavake went to the yam plantation." (Barthel 2) |
| "... RAP. rona means
primarily 'sign' (an individual sign in the Rongorongo script or a
painted or carved sign made on a firm background, such as a
petroglyph), but also 'sculpture' (made from wood or stone,
representing animals of hybrid creatures) ... ... rona (lona) implies the idea of 'maintaining a straight line' with ropes and nets and also the maintaining of a steady course (in MAO. and TUA.). Te Rona is the name of a star in TUA., which Makemson (1941:251) derives from the mythical figure of 'Rona', who is connected with the moon and is considered to be the father of (the moon goddess) Hina (for this role in MAO., see Tregear 1891:423). From west Polynesia come totally different meanings. Interesting perhaps is FIJ. lona, 'to wonder what one is to eat, fasting for the dead.' ..." (Barthel 2) |