5. It is not certain, though, that the so-called Moon
calendar only reflects time as the cycle of the month. There
may be more to it. But such problems cannot be solved by
frontal attack, it must be done by observations 'at the
corner of the eye' - while our focus is somewhere else.
Metoro has given us another problem to consider, his words
at Aa1-24:
Te nuahine means 'the old woman' and ahi means
'fire'. Mamau is basically mau (to take or hold in the
hand) and ma-mau should be a duplication in order
to intensify or to twist the meaning somewhat.
In The Rapanui Speech and the Peopling of Southeast
Polynesia Churchill has given us the explanation
mamau = 'to arrest'. Probably this is indeed what Metoro
meant. 'The old woman' is making Sun stand still, she 'kills
him'.
This 'Old Woman' is no other than Moon. According to
Vanaga (an internet site now closed).
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. |
