6. When Sky and Earth were forcefully separated - an original event which is repeated in the spring sky each year - Papa, a Polynesian myth says, became so sad that she had to be turned around face down so she no longer could see her husband Rangi: ... Originally the highly born family of the Sun, Moon, and stars dwelt in a cave on the summit of Maunga-nui, Great Mountain, in the ancient homeland. They were not at all comfortable in their gloomy home for they could not see distinctly and their eyes watered constantly. After the Sky-father had been elevated to his present eminence Tane decided that the celestial family would be happier in the sky, where they would serve the double purpose of ornamenting the naked body of Rangi and giving light to the Earth-mother. Since Papa had already been turned with her face toward the Underworld it is difficult to see how she would benefit by the illumination ... The Sky can be illustrated with the cap-sign and the other half (his 'wife') with a cup-sign, cfr at Koti:. ... The sky is 'divided' (koti) into a sky dome (Ç) and a bottom cup (È), with the 'smiling' cup formed like a liquid container. Presumably there is a kind of correspondence between Ç and † on one hand and between * and È on the other - 'death' respectively 'birth' ... If we turn Papa upside down her sign will be changed from cup to cap. This illustrates how in early spring 'land' will rise again from the 'sea'. It also illustrates how down on earth it is time to plow the earth again, in order to plant the seeds of next generation. The right hand of Pachamama gives us this sign:
Her right hand has been twisted around to resemble a left hand. A hand has a cupformed inside and a capformed outside. The right hand of Pachamama has been designed to show the inside. The outside (the facial side) has been turned around and is no longer visible. Yet, this inside clearly is no part of a right hand, it is a left (female) hand. It is the spring hand of Mother Earth, after having been turned around. The hand is closed, it has received the seeds. I suggest the all-important season in an agricultural society must be the time of plowing, forcing Mother Earth to open up and receive the seeds. |
