4. The glyph type henua is important in the rongorongo system because it evidently was used to denote periods (or seasons) when Sun is shining:
One way to interpret the picture is to see a wooden staff in it. But henua means 'earth', which at first is puzzling. However, we know that 'land' (earth) can be understood as the season when Spring Sun is shining (cfr Mokuola, the 'living (is)land'). Possibly henua is short for he-nuahine, i.e. 'the old woman' (Mother Earth). At the beginning, when I had understood the general meaning of the glyph type henua, I discovered an interesting parallel among the Mayas: 'He [Eric Thompson] established that one sign, very common in the [Mayan] codices where it appears affixed to main signs, can be read as te or che, 'tree' or 'wood', and as a numerical classifier in counts of periods of time, such as years, months, or days. In Yucatec, you cannot for instance say ox haab for 'three years', but must say ox-te haab, 'three-te years'. In modern dictionaries te also means 'tree', and this other meaning for the sign was confirmed when Thompson found it in compounds accompanying pictures of trees in the Dresden Codex.' (Coe, a.a.) Thus we must accept that Metoro said henua at this type of glyph, although the picture probably is that of a wooden staff. |
