TRANSLATIONS
Let us leave our modern sun-oriented calendar for the moment, and instead focus on correlating the text on side b (of G) with kuhane stations:
I have redmarked glyphs which I have tried to explain, where I have imagined I understood the reasons behind the choice of signs. In Hua Reva - to take an example which I have felt uncertain about - the glyph could with its egg-formed oval give the message hua, but the takaure sign inside does not obviously and immediately refer to reva. 10 * 29.5 says the sun season is over (with moon counting). If a new star stands at the horizon (reva) it must therefore be the sun who just has left. It is not yet time for a new baby (tama). And then we have now learnt about the following Akahanga where the physical remains of old sun (Hotu Matua) lie buried. A takaure also at Akahanga could explain why there is one onboard the sun canoe of Hua Reva - at the rim of Orongo the old sun fell on his face, Orongo was a Reiga (spirit leaping place). The spirit left him before they buried his body. Taking a broader view makes sense here. Hatinga Te Kohe follows the burial at Akahanga, i.e. the kuhane breaks the old year one (lunar) month after the king has been buried. Going backward in time we can suspect Te Pou to be the new star on the horizon which represents the spirit of the sun, and the events may have started already at Te Pei (when old sun shines no more). The flow of time apparently takes lunar months, but these glyphs on side b may refer to how one year ends and a new one begins. When trying to explain Roto Iri Are and One Tea we should keep this in mind. Furthermore, all the kuhane stations took just one night to dream about - it is only the text of G which could make us believe time runs slower. The time of the gods is very much longer than our own time. My logic for explaining the Hua Reva glyph above lacks full convincing power. There must be more to it. Hua Reva sounds suspiciously similar to Hau Epa, with hua changed into hau, and the vocals are the same (e-a). Maunga Hau Epa is the last of the non-political stations, and from there sun (we are on the north coast) must go south to the dark side of the island. But the kuhane did not follow that path, she had already been on the south side. ... The dream soul came to Rangi Meamea and looked around searchingly. The dream soul spoke: 'Here at last is level land where the king can live.' She named the place 'Rangi Meamea A Hau Maka O Hiva'. The mountain she named 'Peke Tau O Hiti A Hau Maka O Hiva'. The dream soul moved along a curve from Peke Tau O Hiti to the mountain Hau Epa, which she named 'Maunga Hau Epa A Hau Maka O Hiva'. The dream soul went to the other side of the mountain Hau Epa. As soon as the dream soul looked around, she saw the sand (beach), which was very white and light ... The very white and light sand presumably refers to the moon, i.e. indirectly to the south side of the island. Old darkened sun leaves his white sandy beach on the north coast and traverses across the island towards Orongo. He travels in the sky in his canoe and seems to have gone to Hua Reva first, at least Hotua Matua did so: "Among Hotu Matua's last accomplishments were his attempts to dig wells (anga i te vai, TP:53) along the shore of Akahanga. My informants did not mention these endeavors, but since Easter Island has neither stream nor wells, the supply of fresh water, aside from the three crater lakes, presents a real problem (HM:281-292). Recent trial excavations in the area of Akahanga have shown that this area was ideal for the establishment of wells. The dying king has his foster child bring him his last drink of water (vai maunga mo unu) from neighboring Hua Reva, a sure indication of the success of his last efforts to better the lot of the settlers (TP:55). After leaving the residence at Akahanga, Hotu Matua goes to the northern rim of the volcano Rano Kau." (Barthel 2) At vai in the glyph dictionary I wrote:
We have now confirmed that the glyph type vai indeed probably means sweet water and at the same time the question mark at the glyph for Hua Reva has been removed. The journey of the sun towards Orongo goes via Hua Reva. The connection between Hua Reva and Akahanga is obvious, and together this pair constitute the second double-moon period on side b:
The takaure inside the vai sign refers to the sun (Hotua Matua), and he is still living we now can understand. I have earlier thought takaure is taka-ure (with taka equal to completing a cycle), but now I suspect it is a wordplay built on takau-re: and search in my wordlists for clues. Yes, I was right:
Ten pairs of half-months could once have been the measure for the sun. Reaching to the end of his measure, the sun's cycle is completed (taka):
At the end of a cycle it curls (taka), which explains why the kuhane moved 'along a curve' from Peke Tau O Hiti to Hau Epa: ... The dream soul moved along a curve from Peke Tau O Hiti to the mountain Hau Epa, which she named 'Maunga Hau Epa A Hau Maka O Hiva' ... Moving from Hau Epa to Hua Reva (two names ringing together) suggests hau in Hau Epa is referring to
Another version of takau is tekau, which makes me think te-kau and then on to Rano Kau. The rim of Ranu Kau (at Orongo) was the spirit leaping place, we can assume. Time begins each year at Orongo with the Birdman competition, and the cycle must therefore be completed there. A Marquesan word confirms:
The hole (pu) is the inside of the crater rim, the female. Rano Kau was alternatively named Rano Kao:
Horizontal poles are females (in contrast to vertical poles which are males). At the end of sun ('fire') there must be water of course, which is associated with Rano Kau: '... since Easter Island has neither stream nor wells, the supply of fresh water, aside from the three crater lakes, presents a real problem ...' The water theme begins already at Hua Reva. Of course we cannot stop here without trying to explain the end part of takau-re:
The connection to Reiga (spirit leaping place) means we should interpret it as re-î-ga, the place (ga) full of (î) departing spirits (re). Takaure is properly spelled takaúre (maybe to avoid misunderstanding it as taka-ure). When sun has reached the stage beyond haú (as in Hau Epa) only his spirit is left:
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