TRANSLATIONS

TRANSLATIONS

How can I know what is rubbish and what is good readings of the rongorongo texts? Time will tell, must be the answer.

The Maya Indians had a system based on 13 and 20:

"The 260 days of the sacred year were formed by pre-fixing the numbers 1 to 13 inclusive to the twenty Maya day-glyphs, the names of which are given below, beginning with Ik, one of the Old Empire year bearers ...

↓	Ik	Manik	Eb	Caban
	Akbal	Lamat	Ben	Eznab
	Kan	Muluc	Ix	Cauac
	Chiccan	Oc	Men	Ahau
	Cimi	Chuen	Cib	Imix

(Midonick)

Maybe the Easter Islanders had a system basen on 13 and 28. 13 times 28 reaches 364.

28, I have explained, is the number of nights moon potentially is shining, i.e. a measure which accomodates both sun and moon.

Maybe the Easter Islanders did as the Maya Indians, connect numbers 1 to 13 to twenty-eight names of nights according to the lunar calendar?

↓	Ohiro	Kokore ono	Omotohi	Matua
	Oata	Maharu	Kokore tahi	Orongo
	Kokore tahi	Ohua	Kokore rua	Orongo Tāne
	Kokore rua	Otua	Kokore toru	Maúri-nui
	Kokore toru	Maúre	Kokore ha	Maúri-kero
	Kokore ha	Ina-ira	Kokore rima	Omutu
	Kokore rima	Rakau	Tapume	Tireo

It would be impractical because the kokore nights come in doubles.

Yet, maybe in olden times there were distinctive names on all 28 nights? No, not according to the lists of names assembled earlier. They point at ca 20 as a more reasonable number of names. In the table below I have deleted not only kokore nights (and other duplicates) but also such which repeat a name (with added qualifications). Furthermore I have simplified names wherever they contain more than one word:

	MAORI	MORIORI	HAWAIIAN	TAHITIAN	MARQUESAN	RAROTONGAN
1	*Whiro*	*Mutu*	*Hilo*	*Hiro*	Tu	*Iro*
2	*Tirea*	*Whiro*	*Hoaka*	*Hoata*		*Oata*
3	*Hoata*	*Otere*	Ku	*Hami*	*Hoata*	*Amiama*
4	*One*	*Ohewata*			*Mahea*
5	*Okou*	*Oua*				*Tamatea*
6	*Tamatea*	*Okoro*
7		*Tamate*
8				*Tamatea*	*Poipoi*
9				*Huna*	*Huna*	*Vari*
10	*Huna*			*Ari*	Ai	*Una*
11	*Ari*	*Ohua*	*Huna*	*Maharu*	*Huka*	*Maaru*
12	*Mawharu*	*Owaru*	*Mohalu*	*Hua*	*Mehau*	Ua
13	*Maurea*	*Hua*	*Hua*	*Maitu*	*Hua*	*Atua*
14	*Atua*	*Mawharu*	*Akua*	*Hotu*	*Atua*	Tu
15	*Turu*	*Outua*	*Hoko*	*Mara`i*	*Hutu*	*Marangi*
16	*Rakau*	*Ohotu*	*Mahealani*	*Turutea*		*Oturu*
17		*Maure*	*Kulu*	*Raau*	*Tuu*	*Rakau*
18	*Takirau*	*Oturu*	*Laau*		*Aniwa*
19	*Oika*	*Rakau*			Ms
20					*Kaau*
21		*Takirau*			*Kaekae*
22		*Oika*			*Waena*
23	*Tangaroa*			*Taaroa*		*Tangaroa*
24			*Kaloa*		*Hanao*
25					*Wawena*
26	*Tane*	*Tangarò*		*Tane*		*Tane*
27	*Rongo*		*Kane*	*Roo*	*Puhiwa*	*Rongo*
28	*Mauri*		*Lono*		*Tane*	*Mauri*
29	*Mutu*	*Tane*	*Mauli*	*Mutu*	*Ona*	*Mutu*
30	*Mutuwhenua*	*Rongo*	*Muku*	*Teriere*		*Otire*
sum	21	21	16	18	22	19

Given 20 original night names (similar to the Mayan system), it will be 260 nights before the cycle has ended. 260 = 13 * 20.

Just for fun we can construct an Easter Island name group:

↓	Ohiro	Maúre	Matua	Tireo
	Oata	Ina-ira	Orongo	Maúri-nui and Maúri-kero combined into one night: Maúri
	Maharu	Rakau	Tāne
	Ohua	Omotohi	Maúri
	Otua	Tapume	Omutu

Interestingly, we get 16 (as in haú). This indicates a pattern with 13 * 16 = 208 nights for a cycle. Each 'quarter' will then have 52 nights. 364 - 208 = 156 = 13 * 12 (another cycle).

↓	Ohiro	Otua	Omotohi	Tāne
	Oata	Maúre	Tapume	Maúri
	Maharu	Ina-ira	Matua	Omutu
	Ohua	Rakau	Orongo	Tireo

Involving number 3 it becomes possible to arrange 12 nights in for instance this pattern.

↓	Ohiro	Otua	Matua
	Oata	Maúre	Maúri
	Maharu	Omotohi	Omutu
	Ohua	Tapume	Tireo

The explorers stayed 7 days at Haga Takaúre and 5 at Haga Hônu. If Haga Hônu corresponds to autumn equinox, maybe Haga Takaúre corresponds to summer solstice - not spring equinox as I earlier have suggested.

Indeed, the map agrees with the new conclusion, because Haga Takaúre is about halfway the distance from Haga Hônu to the eastern tip of the island.

Spring equinox would - according to the pattern - be located at Hanga-te-tenga, whatever that name (probably disfigured) may mean.

The eastern tip of the island would, then, not correspond to summer solstice. But maybe the tip would correspond to where the calendar 'tips around', i.e. to the beginning of the 2nd 'year'.

In the moon calendar there is a distance between a possible end at 21 (Maúre) and the calendrical turnpoint beyond 24 (Omotohi):

3rd period
	Ca7-8	Ca7-9	Ca7-10	Ca7-11	Ca7-12

	Ca7-13	Ca7-14	Ca7-15	Ca7-16
	*Maharu*	*Ohua*	*Otua*
4th period
	Ca7-21	Ca7-22	Ca7-23	Ca7-24
	*Maúre*	*Ina-ira*	*Rakau*	*Omotohi*

If - as I have assumed - there are structural resemblances between the different calendars (day, week, month etc), then we ought to compare Omotohi with Hatinga Te Kohe:

*Vaitu nui*	1	*Nga Kope Ririva Tutuu Vai A Te Taanga*	13	*Tama*	*Tagaroa uri*
*Vaitu nui*	2	*Te Pu Mahore*	14	*One Tea*	*Tagaroa uri*
*Vaitu poru*	3	*Te Poko Uri*	15	*Hanga Takaure*
*Vaitu poru*	4	*Te Manavai*	16	*Poike*	*Ko Ruti*
*He Maro*	5	*Te Kioe Uri*	17	*Pua Katiki*	*Ko Ruti*
*He Maro*	6	*Te Piringa Aniva*	18	*Maunga Teatea*	*Ko Koró*
*He Anakena*	7	*Te Pei*	19	*Mahatua*	*Ko Koró*
*He Anakena*	8	*Te Pou*	20	*Taharoa*	*Tua haro*
*Hora iti*	9	*Hua Reva*	21	*Hanga Hoonu*
*Hora iti*	10	*Akahanga*	22	*Rangi Meamea*	*Tua haro*
*Hora nui*	11	*Hatinga Te Kohe*	23	*Peke Tau O Hiti*	*Tehetu'upú*
*Hora nui*	12	*Roto Iri Are*	24	*Mauga Hau Epa*	*Tehetu'upú*
*24 15 = 360**
4 quarters with 6 half-months + 4 extraordinary (lunar) halfmonths = 28 stations. *3 haga* stations and 1 hatiga (magenta).**			25	*Oromanga*	*Tarahao*
			26	*Hanga Moria One*	*Tarahao*
			*26 14 = 364**
			*Paepae:*
			27	*Papa O Pea*	residences for the future and the abdicated kings
			28	*Ahu Akapu*	residences for the future and the abdicated kings
			*28 15 = 420**

The ordinal number (24) for Omotohi suggests an allusion to the end of the solar calendar (360 = 24 * 15, and - as we remember - the ordinal number in the calendar is 360 for Omotohi).

The ordinal number (15) for Otua suggests an allusion to Hanga Takaúre (15). And 16 (Ohotu?) will then correspond to Poike (16).

The ordinal number (21) for Hanga Hoonu suggests an allusion to Maúre (21).

Disregarding the waning phase, number 20 (Taharoa) is the last station, 4 beyond the final 16 (Ohotu?).

'... The Egyptian year was divided into three seasons of four months each: the time of waters, the season of vegetation, and the period of harvest. The months were numbered according to their positions in the seasons as First of Waters and so on. They also had popular names, being called after the particular god who governed them. Each month was divided into three decades presided over by a star of small group of stars known as decani. Among the Polynesians a single conspicious star reigned supreme for an entire month, except in the Gilbert group and the Marquesas where systems resembling the Egyptian decanates prevailed ...'

"The Gilbert Islanders are Polynesians, having emigrated, according to their traditions, from Upolu, Samoa, which they look upon as te buto (Maori pito), the Navel of the World. They never counted the nights of the Moon beyond the twentieth, so far as Grimble was able to ascertain, and in the vagueness of their lunar calendar bore no resemblance to their Micronesian neighbors of the Carolines.

The Gilbertese tiaborau or astronomers conceived of a system of imaginary lines drawn on the sky by means of which they could estimate altitudes of stars within a degree or two. They thought of the sky as the 'roof of voyaging,' the ridgepole of which was the meridian, a line running from the north point on the horizon through the zenith to the south point. The horizon was te tatanga, 'the roof-plate'.

One of the names for east, Makai-oa, was said to be the name of a far eastern land, not an island, which their navigators had visited in ancient times. Tradition called this great land 'the containing wall of the sea, beyond the eastern horizon, a continous land spreading over north, south, and middle, having a marvelous store of all sorts of food, high mountains and rivers'. It was also called Maia-wa (wa being 'space, distant').

This is a clear reference to ancient voyages to the American coast from which the Polynesians are thought to have introduced the sweet potato into the Pacific area. The similarity of Maia to Maya may be more than a coincidence." (Makemson)

Number 10 may have been a base for counting the lunar nights, because 10 (Akahanga) and 20 (Taharoa) are followed by cardinal kuhane stations.

One Tea (14) - preceding the cardinal Hanga Takaure - on the other hand, points to fortnights as a base for counting lunar nights. Twice 14 is 28.

7 * 2 = 14 and 6 * 2 = 12.

The difference (1) between 7 and 6 increases when we double the lunar 7 and solar 6:

14 - 12 = 2

Number 13, then, becomes a 'dark' character - from where did this 'odd' one come?

Beyond 24, similarly, there appear more such 'dark' numbers:

28 - 24 = 4

Half of the added 4 ought to belong to a 1st half and the other 2 to a 2nd half:

*24 15 = 360**
25	Oromanga	Tarahao
26	Hanga Moria One
*26 14 = 364**
Paepae:
27	Papa O Pea	residences for the future and the abdicated kings
28	Ahu Akapu
*28 15 = 420**

28 * 15 = 420 = 24 * 15 + 4 * 15.