I have deduced the horizon in the east is of paramount importance. It describes a line from which the stars will rise after being 'down in the earth' for half a cycle. We should notice the following cryptic statement in Hamlet's Mill (which work, however, is more focused on the whole framework than with precisely the significance of the horizon):

"It should be stated right now that 'fire' is actually a great circle reaching from the North Pole of the celestial sphere to its South Pole ..."

The stars rise - will 'fire' - in the order given by time (according to their right ascension numbers). Some come close together while other have no followers for quite a while. This perspective, 'the Chinese mill', ought to be basic one for the Polynesians, living on islands which are - with a few important exceptions - in the southern part of the tropical belt.

In the night the advance of time can be observed at the horizon in the east. If the text in G describes a complex kind of calendar, then it would not be strange to find the ordinal numbers of the glyphs to be in parallel with the right ascension numbers of prominent stars.

The other dimension, the declination, also carries meaning. The 'head' is according to the Eurasian view far in the north, with the 'navel' corresponding to the equator and the region 'below the belt' being in the far south. Ogotemmêli in Africa shared this opinion of a beginning in the north at the top end of Mother Earth:

"... The God Amma, it appeared, took a lump of clay, squeezed it in his hand and flung it from him, as he had done with the stars. The clay spread and fell on the north, which is the top, and from there stretched out to the south, which is the bottom, of the world, although the whole movement was horizontal.

The earth lies flat, but the north is at the top. It extends east and west with separate members like a foetus in the womb. It is a body, that is to say, a thing with members branching out from a central mass. This body, lying flat, face upwards, in a line from north to south, is feminine. Its sexual organ is an anthill, and its clitoris a termite hill ..."

Maybe this orientation of the parts of Mother Earth was common knowledge all over the world and then, presumably, the declination of the stars would follow the same pattern. Maui, we remember, was born from the topknot (tikitiki) of his mother.

Maybe the Maori Earth Mother (Papa-tu'a-nuku) is lying with her face down because New Zealand is south of the equator, on the back side:

"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 ... (Makemson, a.a.)

The Great Mountain ought to refer to the highest place above. Inside there is no light and therefore water - 'their eyes watered constantly'. The reason why Papa-tu'a-nuku had her face down is explained in another myth:

"... With the two axes, which were later brought by the Maoris from their far western homeland and used for 'felling' the tempests on some of their famous voyages, Tane severed the arms of his father Rangi. By the powerful incantations of another brother Tane raised Rangi high above the earth, where he still floats.

Then Rangi lamented for his wife and his tears fell incessantly while Papa, with her youngest godling still at the breast, moaned and stormed at the cruelty of her sons. Clouds, mists, rain, frost, and driving snow enveloped earth and sky to the great discomfort of the gods.

To remedy the situation they turned Papa over so that she faced the Underworld and could no longer look up at Rangi. Thus the youngest child grew up to manhood in the region beneath the earth and became the ruler of earthquakes and volcanic fires with which he still wages war on the upper world in revenge for the inhuman treatment of his parents." (Makemson. a.a.)