7. To conclude this chain of
reasoning we must also investigate what the word ua means.
Here we run into an obstacle raised
by the simpleminded Europeans (or by their inheritors all over the
world). There is no longer a single word ua, it has been
broken into pieces,
differentiated by diacritical siogns:
|
Ua |
1. Cause, reason why
something happens or is done; he ûa te ua, au
i-ta'e-iri-ai ki tooku hare, because of the
rain, I did not go home; ua kore, without
cause, without reason. 2. Ceremononial stave with a
human face carved at one extremity.
1. A long club T. 2.
Mgv.: ua, the genitalia. Ta.: hua, id.
Mq.: hua, id. Ha.: hua, testicles. 3.
Ta.: ua, the back of the neck. Ma.: ua,
id. Sa.: ua, the neck. 4. Ta.: ua, a
land crab which shears iron. Ma.: uka,
lobster. Sa.: uga, the hermit crab. |
|
Ûa |
Rain; 1. ûa
hakamito, persistent, but not strong, rain;
2. ûa kura, fine rain, drizzle; 3. ûa
matavaravara, strong rain; 4. ûa parera,
torrential rain; 5. ûa tai, rain
followed by fair weather at sea. Ehu ûa,
drizzle.
Ûaûa.
Tendons, muscles. 1.
Hau ûaûa kio'e, line made from rats'
tendons. 2. Ûaûa toto, vein, artery. 3.
Ûaûa piki, spasm.
1. Rain; hoa
mai te ua, to rain; mou te ua, to
cease raining. P Mgv., Mq., Ta.: ua,
rain. 2. Vein, artery, tendon (huahua
1) (uha
G); ua nene,
pulse; ua
nohototo, artery,
ua gaei,
pulse. Uaua,
vein, tendon, line;
kiko uaua, muscle T.
Hakauaua,
to mark with lines. P Pau.:
tare-ua,
tendon. Mgv., Mq., Ta.:
uaua,
vein, tendon.
|
|
U'a |
Of the tide, to
reach its maximum; tai u'a, high tide.
Wave, surge;
tai ua, high tide.
|
|
Uá |
Ata uá,
morning twilight.
Uáuá,
to reside; resident; noho uáuá to settle
somewhere; ina koe ekó noho uáuá, do not
establish yourself there. |
They decided that rain should be spelled
ûa. At the time of Bishop Jaussen such absurdities were not
yet used.
|