4. It is essential to find a 'firm foothold' before we move on, and Bishop Jaussen has noted down: "Les Mahigo (enfants) et les petites calebasses sont ici réunis. Dans leurs prières, en demandant à Makémaké de petits calebasses, c'étaient surtout des enfants qu'ils désignaient par ce mot." His comment refers to Aa2-7--8 and the words Metoro used there:
Ipu is the Tahitian word corresponding to hipu. Mahigo means 'children'. I can translate the words of Bishop Jaussen into: The children (Mahigo) and the small calabashes are here mentioned together. In their prayers, when asking Makemake for 'small calabashes', it was especially children who were meant. Children and calabashes, we have now arrived at the first common factor between our example text and the Hawaiian myth about Ulu and Mokuola - the importance of children, the 'offspring' (hua). |
