next page

table of contents home

1. In the rongorongo 'vocabulary' there is a type of glyph which has 3 vertical 'strings', viz. hau tea:

hau tea

Hau means thread and tea means white, although there are other meanings too. As I once described it in my glyph type dictionary:

Hau = thread, line, string, ribbon, is the name of the fibres of the hauhau tree (Triumfetta semitriloba), formerly used to make twine, cloth, etc. However, several other - seemingly unconnected - meanings also adher to the word (e.g. government, contribute, blow freshly, dew).

Tea = light, fair, whitish; or to rise (of the moon, the stars); or to be proud, vain etc.

Hau, ha'u

Hau = Thread, line, string, ribbon; this is the name of the fibres of the hauhau tree formerly used to make twine, cloth, etc.; hau kahi, fishing line for tuna; hau here, line for eel trap; hau moroki, strong, tough line, thread; hau paka, fibres of the hauhau tree, which were first soaked in water, then dried to produce a strong thread. Ha'u = Hat. Vanaga.

Hat, cord; the tree Triumfetta semitriloba. Van Tilburg. Ta.: The tree Hibiscus tiliaceus. Henry.

Hau. 1 a. Hibiscus. b. Wick. P Pau.: fau, hibiscus. Mgv.: hau, id. Mq.: fau, hau, id. Ta.: fau, id. 2. To contribute. Ta.: aufau, to pay, to contribute, to subscribe. 3. Hat, cap, helmet; hakarere ki te hau, to take off the hat. Ta.: fauurumaa, war bonnet. 4. Dew; hakaritorito ki te hau, to bleach in the dew. P Mgv., Mq.,Ta.: hau, dew. 5. To blow freshly, coolness, zephyr, salubrious, breeze, wind (hahau, ahau); kona hauhau, kona hahau, a breezy spot; ahau ora, agreeable breeze; hakahahau, to hang out in the air; hakaahau, to blow. T Mgv.: hau, to blow, blusterous, to breathe. Haua, hoarse. (Hauha); araha hauha, to wait for, to look forward to. Hauhau, 1. dog (onomatopoetic). 2 a. To scratch, to scrape, to rub. b. Wood used in plowing fire. 3. (hau 5). Haumaru (hau 5 - marumaru) cool, cold. Hauł, to replace. Hauva, twin, cut T. Hauvaero (hau 3 - vaero) plume, aigrette, head ornament. Hauvarikapau (hau 3 - varikapau) plume, aigrette, head ornament. Churchill.

Pau.: Hau, superior, kingdom, to rule. Mgv.: hau, respect. Ta.: hau, government. Mq.: hau, id. Sa.: sauā, despotic. Ma.: hau, superior. Hauhau, to attack. Ma.: hau, to chop. Churchill.

Sa.: fau, to tie together, to fasten by tying, the tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus) whose bast is used for cord, the kava strainer made therefrom, strings in various uses; fafau, to lash on, to fasten with sennit; faufau, to fasten on, to tie together. To.: fau, to fasten up the hair, the name of the hibiscus, the kava strainer made therefrom; faufau, to fasten the outriggers of small canoes; hau, to fasten to; fehauaki, to tie. Fu.: fau, the hibiscus, the kava strainer; fał, fafał, fałfał, to attach, to tie. Niuē: fau, fafau, to make by tying. Fotuna: no-fausia, to tie, to fasten. Ta.: fau, the hibiscus; fafau, to tie together. Pau.: fau, the hibiscus. Nuguria: hau, id. Ma.: hau, to bind, to fasten together; whau, a shrub; whauwhau, to tie. Ha.: hau, name of a tree with a practicable bark. Mq.: hau, the hibiscus. Mgv.: hau, id.; hahau, to join or tie with cords. Nukuoro: hau, the hibiscus, a garland. Mg.: au, the hibiscus. Vi.: vau, the hibiscus; vautha, to bind together. Churchill 2.

Tea

1. Light, fair, whitish. 2. To rise (of the moon, the stars); ku-tea-į te hetu'u ahiahi, the evening star has risen. Vanaga.

1. To shine, be bright, brilliant, white; tea niho, enamel of the teeth; ata tea, dawn; teatea, white, blond, pale, colorless, invalid; rauoho teatea, red hair; hakateatea, to blanch, to bleach. P Pau.: faatea, to clear, to brighten. Mgv.: tea, white, blanched, pale. Mq.: tea, white, clear, pure, limpid. Ta.: tea, white, brilliant. 2. Proud, vain, haughty, arrogance, to boast; tae tea, humble; teatea, arrogant, bragging, pompous, ostentatious, to boast, to show off, haughty; hakateatea, to show off. Mgv.: akateatea, pride, vanity, ostentatious, to be puffed up. Ta.: teoteo, boastful, proud, haughty. 3. Mgv.: teatea, heavy rain. Ha.: kea, the rain at Hana and Koolau. Churchill.

1. White, clear; fair-complexioned person, often favorites at court; shiny, white mother-of-pearl shell, cfr. keakea, kekea, Mauna Kea. Po'o kea, towhead, gray-haired person. One kea, white sand (this is shortened to ōkea or kea, as in the expression kea pili mai, drift gravel - vagabond). (PPN tea). 2. Breast milk. See Nu'a-kea. 3. A variety of sugar cane, among Hawaiians one of the best-known and most-used canes, especially in medicine: clumps erect, dense, of medium height; pith white. Ua ola ā 'ō kō kea, living until kea cane tassels (until the hair turns gray). 4. Name listed by Hillebrand for kolomona (Mezoneuron kavaiense); see uhiuhi. Wehewehe.

"KEA. adj. Haw., also keo, keo-keo, white, lucid, clear; a-kea, openly, public; au-akea, at noon, midday. Sam.:  tea-tea-vale, be pale; ao-atea, forenoon; atea-tea, wide, spacious. Tah.: tea, white; teo-teo, pride, haughtiness; atea, clear, distinct, far off.

Marqu., tea, atea, white, broad daylight, also name of the principal god; light generally, as opposed to darkness. Fiji., cea-cea, pale, deathlike; cecea, daybreak, light of morning.

Malg., tziok, brilliant, snowwhite. Ceram (Mahai), teen, a star.

Greek, θεος, m. θεα, f. god, goddess, divinity generally. In Greek, θεος signified no god in particular, but was applied to almost all the gods, though perhaps more often to the sun. As the first gods were the sun, moon, &c., their brilliancy and whiteness were the underlying sense of the names given them. That primary sense was apparently lost in the Greek and the other West Aryan branches, though in the Polynesian both the primary and derivative sense has been preserved, as in the Marqu. atea, both god and light, in the Tah. tapu-tea, the rainbow, and the Sam. tapu-i-tea, the evening star..." (Fornander)

Moreover, I had already at that time identified a variant with 2 'eyes' (or faces, Janus faces looking in opposite directions) which I thought indicated a solstice. In G this variant occurs at the beginning of line b7:

Gb7-1 (*3) Gb7-2 Gb7-3 Gb7-4 Gb7-5 Gb7-6
          Delta (8.4)
'March 24 '25 (84) '26 '27 '28 '29
Gb7-7 (*9) Gb7-8 Gb7-9 Gb7-10 Gb7-11 Gb7-12
Schedir (8.6), Deneb Kaitos (9.4)   Achird (10.7) Cih (13.4)    
'March 30 '31 (90) 'April 1 '2 '3 '4
Gb7-13 (*15) Gb7-14 Gb7-15 Gb7-16 Gb7-17 Gb7-18
  Mirach (16.0) Anunitum (16.5)     Ksora (20.1)
1h (15.2) 'April 6 (96) '7 '8 '9 '10 (100)

In view of this I should take the opportunity to make an effort at resolving the evident contradiction between my view when creating the glyph type dictionary on one hand and on the other hand my recent ideas based on the dates of heliacal risings (combined with the bound bow signs in the sandals of Tutanchamon).