Is this the canoe of the king? Perhaps, but I am far from sure of that. And, moreover, even if it should be the canoe of the king we will be in doubt as to what is meant - a real canoe or a symbol of some kind. In Small Santiago the corresponding (?) glyph, Ga-1-15, looks somewhat different:
Here it more looks like some kind of cap with feathers. Is it the king's head-gear? If so, then presumably the canoe in Eb-4 is not a real canoe but a royal sign. And there were very few real canoes on Easter Island. But the shape of the canoe was used in hare paenga and also in hats. Anyhow, I believe we can read 'red' in both glyphs. That is a consequence of the glyphs for Tuesday. And then I remember the red and yellow feathers used in the royal girdles of Opoa respectively Porapora. The method to indicate the colour red with short strokes may be a borrowing from China. One of the Chinese signs for red:
is a picture of a tree with the addition of little stroke (top left). This little stroke marks the stem of the tree, from which a red colour substance was acquired. (Lindqvist) |