If the rongorongo writers were using a calendar which followed the stars rather than the path of the Sun, then the nakshatra positions - where the stars were visible - ought to have been primarily used rather than the heliacal positions. Te heke at the First Point of Aries (Ca2-1) could have been an exception, needed in order to coordinate the Sun with the stars, to define the effects of the precession of the equinoxes.
Because time flows Ca2-1 ought to refer to the preceding day, when Sun rose with Polaris - which easily could be imagined as the head of an octopus:
'March 19 |
'20 |
21 (80) |
'September 18 |
'19 |
20 |
April 15 |
16 |
17 (107) |
October15 |
16 |
17 (290) |
|
|
|
Ca1-25 |
Ca1-26 |
Ca2-1 (27) |
kiore ki te huaga |
kua moe ki te tai. |
Te heke |
no star listed (25) |
ANA-NIA |
Al Sharatain-1 / Ashvini-1 / Bond-16 |
POLARIS, Baten Kaitos (26.6), Metallah (26.9) |
Segin, Mesarthim, ψ Phoenicis (27.2), SHERATAN, φ Phoenicis (27.4) |
τ Bootis (208.2), Benetnash (208.5), ν Centauri (208.7), μ Centauri, υ Bootis (208.8) |
no star listed (209) |
Muphrid (210.1), ζ Centauri (210.3) |
Let's now look where in the text heliacal Porrima was placed. Counting 183 days ahead from te honu in Ca1-8 leads us to glyph number 8 + 183 = 191 viz. to Ca7-23:
'February 22 |
TERMINALIA |
24 (421) |
5 |
'March 2 (61) |
'August 24 |
25 (237) |
26 |
'September1 (244) |
March 21 |
22 (81) |
23 (448) |
29 (88) |
September 20 |
21 |
equinox (265) |
28 (271) |
no glyph |
|
|
|
Ca1-1 |
Ca1-2 |
Ca1-8 |
koia |
ki te hoea |
te honu |
Al Fargh al Thāni-25 |
Uttara Bhādrapadā-27 / Wall-14 |
χ Pegasi (2.1), θ Andromedae (2.7) |
DELTA (8.4), Schedir (8.6), μ Phoenicis (8.9) |
0h (365.25) |
Caph, SIRRAH (0.5), ε Phoenicis (0.8) |
ALGENIB PEGASI (1.8) |
Alchita, Ma Wei (183.1), Minkar (183.7), ρ Centauri (183.9) |
Pálida (184.6), Megrez (184.9) |
Hasta-13 / Chariot-28 |
Al Áwwā'-11 |
GIENAH (185.1), ε Muscae (185.2), ζ Crucis (185.4), Zaniah (185.9) |
ρ Virginis (191.4), PORRIMA, γ Centauri (191.5) |
8 days |
176 |
'August 26 |
27 |
28 |
29 (241) |
'February 24 (421) |
25 |
26 |
27 (58) |
Equinox |
September 23 |
24 |
25 (268) |
March 23 (448) |
24 |
25 |
26 (85) |
|
|
|
|
Ca7-17 (185) |
Ca7-18 |
Ca7-19 |
Ca7-20 |
tagata - marama |
tagata |
kua moe |
puhi te ahi - rave i te ika |
Hasta-13 / Chariot-28 |
Chang Sha (186.3) |
Intrometida (187.4), Acrux (187.5) |
γ Com. Berenicis (188.0), σ Centauri (188.1), Algorab (188.5), Gacrux (188.7) |
GIENAH (185.1), ε Muscae (185.2), ζ Crucis (185.4), Zaniah (185.9) |
χ Pegasi (2.1), θ Andromedae (2.7) |
ζ Tucanae (3.5), π Tucanae (3.7) |
no star listed (4) |
Ankaa, κ Phoenicis (5.0) Alphard
|
'August 30 |
31 (243) |
'September 1 |
2 (611) |
'February 28 |
29 |
'March 1 (61) |
2 (428) |
September 26 |
27 |
28 (637) |
29 (272) |
March 27 |
28 |
29 (88) |
30 (455) |
|
|
|
|
Ca7-21 |
Ca7-22 |
Ca7-23 |
Ca7-24 (192) |
te kava - erua marama |
e marama noho i tona nohoga |
te hare pure e tagata noho ki roto |
γ Muscae (189.0), Avis Satyra (189.3), Asterion (189.5), Kraz (189.7) Alderamin
|
α Muscae (190.2), τ Centauri (190.5), χ Virginis (190.7) |
Al Áwwā'-11 |
ι Crucis (192.2), β Muscae (192.5), Mimosa (192.9) |
ρ Virginis (191.4), PORRIMA, γ Centauri (191.5) |
λ Phoenicis (6.3), β Tucanae (6.4) |
no star listed (7) |
DELTA (8.4), Schedir (8.6), μ Phoenicis (8.9) |
ξ Phoenicis (9.0), ρ Tucanae (9.1), Deneb Kaitos, η Phoenicis (9.4) |
In the times of Al Sharatain Porrima rose with the Sun in 'September 1. This is in the center of the Moon calendar, where inside the 'shell house' (te hare pure) someone is sitting down.
I am here assuming it was not possible to illustrates the character of 'September 1 until it was midnight, until the day had been measured out in full.
Pure Cowrie (Cypraea caput draconis); pure vaka, another type of cowrie, which can float on the sea like a diminutive boat (vaka). Vanaga.
1. To pray, to supplicate, invocation, prayer; hare pure, church, chapel; tae pure, irreverence; purega, prayer P Pau., Mgv., Mq., Ta.: pure, to pray. In Samoa, Tonga, Niuē, Futuna, Uvea, pule means to command. 2. A shell T. P Pau.: hakapurepure, to dye, to color. Mq.: pué, the porcelain shell. Ta.: pure, a mark. Purepure, spotted, dappled; ragi purepure, dappled sky. Purepurea, spotted. P Pau.: hakapurepure, to dye, to color. Mgv.: purepure, printed cloth; akapurepure, to paint in different colors. Mq.: puépué, covered with pale scars. Ta.: purepure, spotted, dappled. Churchill.
Pureva, rock, stone (small enough to be thrown by hand). Vanaga. Pureva, to throw a stone. Ta.: Pureva, to be on the eve of going. Ha.: puleva, to float here and there. Churchill.
Pau.: Pure-hiva, a butterfly. Mgv.: pure-rehue, id. Ta.: pure-hua, a moth. Mq.: pure-hua, id. Ma.: pure-hua, id. Churchill. |
Nuahine Nuahine. 1. Old woman. 2. Ko te Nuahine ká umu a ragi kotekote, ancient name of 'the woman in the moon' inspired by the resemblance of its landscape with the likeness of a woman sitting, lighting the fire of her oven. Vanaga.
Nuehine. Old woman. Churchill.
'[Englert 1948, 165:] '... se selia nombrar Ko te Nuahine káumu à rangi kote kote que significa: La vieja que enciende el curanto en el cielo kotekote. Puedo haber sido una personificación de la luna porque las viejos decían, comentando este nombre, que no es una montaña que seve en la luna, sino una mujer anciana que está suntada [sentada?] al lado un gran curanto umu pae (de piedras en circulo).' (Barthel) |
If the person inside the oval of the Full Moon depicts Porrima, then this star could represent 'the old woman sitting down to light a fire' (Ko te Nuahine káumu à rangi kote kote). At the beginning of March the woman who lighted a new fire (north of the equator) could have been young Andromeda but at the other side of the year (south of the equator) it would have been old mother earth. Female constellations are rare. Looking towards the Full Moon in 'September 1 it would have been Delta in Andromeda which was visible, not Porrima. This would visualize the opposite place where the Sun was.
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