2. To 'see' (= understand) a picture it is necessary to perceive its basic elements. Therefore I had to present many of these at the same time, which becomes rather chaotic for someone who has not already grasped the picture.

Let us instead now go on with the adventure of little Maui, a story which - although with puzzling features - follows the path of the experienced story teller:

"Next morning Maui prepared to set off in search of his parents. Before he left, he astonished his older brothers once again by making quite a speech.

'Now you stay here,' said little Maui, 'and you'll be hearing something of me after I am gone. It is because I love my parents so much that I am going off to look for them. Listen to me, and say whether the things I have been doing are remarkable or not. Changing into birds can only be done by someone who is skilled in magic, yet here I am, younger than all of you, and I have turned myself into all the birds of the forest, and now I am going to take the risk of growing old and losing my powers because of the great length of the journey to the place where I am going.'

'That might be so,' said his brothers, 'if you were going on some warlike expedition. But in fact you are only going to look for those parents whom we all love, and if you ever find them we shall all be happy. Our present sadness will be a thing of the past, and we shall spend our lives between this place and theirs, paying them happy visits. What is there to be afraid of?'

Little Maui went on, very serious. 'It is certainly a very good cause that leads me to undertake this journey, and when I reach the place I am going to, if I find everything agreeable, then I shall be pleased with it, and if I find it disagreeable, then I shall be disgusted with it.'

The brothers kept straight faces, and replied: 'What you say is exceedingly true, Maui. Depart then, on your yourney, with your great knowledge and your skill in magic.' Then their brother went a little way into the forest, and came back in the shape of a pigeon once more, with his sheeny back and his white breast and his bright red eye. His brothers were charmed, and there was nothing they could do but admire him, as he flew away.

His back was 'sheeny' because that is the appellation proper for the light from Sun - in contrast to the white light of Moon. Cfr the expression withershins and the uplifted left shin of Orion. With a sheeny back it means the season of Father Sun is in the past, while the white breast tells about the season of Mother Moon in front.

Little Ma-ui was serious. Not even he with all his powerful magic could see (ui) what would happen - light is needed for that.

Ui

Ui. To ask. Vanaga.

Û'i. To look, to look at (ki); e-û'i koe! look out! Vanaga.

Ui. 1. Question, to interrogate, to ask (ue). Uiui, to ask questions. 2. To spy, to inspect, to look at, to perceive; tagata ui, visitor. Churchill.

One might speculate if not ui is to be understood as the opposite of ua, because once wordplay evidently was a determining factor of which words to use. Ui implies the dry land bathed in the rays from Sun (ebb), while ua implies the next season (flood), when the rain clouds changes everything.

Ua

1. Cause, reason why something happens or is done; he ûa te ua, au i-ta'e-iri-ai ki tooku hare, because of the rain, I did not go home; ua kore, without cause, without reason. 2. Ceremononial stave with a human face carved at one extremity. Vanaga. Cfr toko.

1. A long club T. 2. Mgv.: ua, the genitalia. Ta.: hua, id. Mq.: hua, id. Ha.: hua, testicles. 3. Ta.: ua, the back of the neck. Ma.: ua, id. Sa.: ua, the neck. 4. Ta.: ua, a land crab which shears iron. Ma.: uka, lobster. Sa.: uga, the hermit crab. Churchill.

Ûa. Rain; 1. ûa hakamito, persistent, but not strong, rain; 2. ûa kura, fine rain, drizzle; 3. ûa matavaravara, strong rain; 4. ûa parera, torrential rain; 5. ûa tai, rain followed by fair weather at sea. Ehu ûa, drizzle. Vanaga.

Ûaûa. Tendons, muscles. 1. Hau ûaûa kio'e, line made from rats' tendons. 2. Ûaûa toto, vein, artery. 3. Ûaûa piki, spasm. Vanaga.

1. Rain; hoa mai te ua, to rain; mou te ua, to cease raining. P Mgv., Mq., Ta.: ua, rain. 2. Vein, artery, tendon (huahua 1) (uha G); ua nene, pulse; ua nohototo, artery, ua gaei, pulse. Uaua, vein, tendon, line; kiko uaua, muscle T. Hakauaua, to mark with lines. P Pau.: tare-ua, tendon. Mgv., Mq., Ta.: uaua, vein, tendon. Churchill.

U'a. Of the tide, to reach its maximum; tai u'a, high tide. Vanaga.

Wave, surge; tai ua, high tide. Churchill.

Uá. Ata uá, morning twilight. Uáuá, to reside; resident; noho uáuá to settle somewhere; ina koe ekó noho uáuá, do not establish yourself there. Vanaga.

But there is more to this Sign of uncertainty. Before the beginning of a new 'year' (halfyear) it is not yet determined what will come. According to the Babylonian view there was a chamber of hazard where the sky roof meets earth:

At the letter i there is 'der Versammlungsraum mit der Schicksalskammer' (assembly hall with room for deciding the outcome). The picture and information is from Peter Jensen, Die Kosmologie der Babylonier.

My parents taught me once, now a long time ago, how at new year it was a custom of old to pour melted lead (or tin) into a pot with cold water. The forms of the resulting small metal figures would predict - if you used your imagination - what would come in the new year.