TRANSLATIONS
The flounder is
amazingly flat,
a strange
creature, a
natural point of
origin for the
pearls of myth.
"M783.
Makah. 'The war
against the
South Wind'
Formerly, the
land animals and
fish paid a
visit to the
South Wind. They
found him asleep
and thought they
would frighten
him. The
Cuttle-fish hid
under the bed,
the Flounder and
the Skate lay
flat on the
floor at the
foot of the bed,
and the Mouse
bit the sleeping
Wind's nose.
The latter
jumped out of
bed and, in so
doing, slipped
on the two
flat-fish and
fell. The
Cuttle-fish
twined its
tentacles round
the Wind's legs.
(Wikipedia:
striped pyjamas
squid.)
This so enraged
the Wind that he
began to blow
with such force
that the
perspiration
rolled down his
forehead and
formed rain.
Finally, he
succeeded in
blowing all his
tormentors home
again. But, out
of spite, he
came back down
to earth at
intervals to
torment his
enemies, for the
land animals are
very
uncomfortable in
rainstorms and
many fish are
thrown up on the
shore by the big
breakers and
perish ..." (The
Naked Man)
The fish are
floundering on
the reefs, so to
say.
... Did Maui
then as
Huahega told
him, did as his
mother said.
That wave fell
back, the great
wave of the
monsters soaked
away. The bottom
of the sea was
bare, and all
the monsters
floundered on
the reef, they
flapped in pools
...
In this story
there are 2
flat-fish, one
presumably at
each solstice.
The Mouse plays
the role of
biting, which we
recognize from
the how he
gnawed off the
rope from the
sky. He
generates the
action (the
wind), he is
the kuhane
which guides,
the Opener of
the Way (Upwaut).
The perspiration
explains why
drops are
falling beyond
summer solstice,
sweat not tears.
The role of the
flat-fish is to
be slippery, a
message
confirmed in the
next story about
battling the
winds:
"M784.
Nootka. 'The
origin of tides'
Formerly, the
wind blew
unceasingly; low
tide did not
exist, and it
was impossible
to gather
shell-fish. So
people resolved
to kill the
Winds.
Several animals
who had been
sent on ahead
failed in this
mission: one of
them was the
Winter Robin,
who succeeded in
entering the
Wind's house,
but forgot what
he was there for
as he warmed
himself in front
of the fire,
which burnt him
and gave him red
spots.
The Sardine was
no more
successful, and
came back with
his eyes closer
to his snout
than to his
gills.
Finally, the
Seagull, in
spite of his
weak eyesight
and his broken
arms, crossed
the cape swept
by violent winds
which guarded
the entrance to
the enemy
village. The
Skate and the
Halibut took up
their position
near the door;
the Winds, as
they came out,
slipped on the
Halibut, and
fell and tore
themselves on
the Skate's
barbs.
(Wikipeida:
Skate)
Only the West
Wind offered any
resistance; he
promised however
that, in future,
he would bring
fine weather
with gentle
breezes and
cause the tides
to ebb and flow
twice a day, so
that humans
could catch
edible
shell-fish. On
this condition,
his life was
spared ..."
"... The
Halibut's trick
of causing the
hostile wind to
fall by using
the contrast
between the two
sides of its
body, one rough,
the other
slippery, is
found in the
mythology of the
Kwakiutl, the
Bella Bella, the
Tsimshian, the
Haida and the
Tlingit ..."
(The Naked Man)
If flat-fish are
located at the
solstices, then
the slippery
side should (I
guess)
correspond to
the Rigi
side (eels are
slippery) and
the rough side
be the back side
(tu'a).
The dorsal fin (one)
side is rough
like a lance (óé).
The Winds seem
to be connected
with the winter
storms and
notable is the
fact that there
is a fire in
their house. It
may be the house
in which the new
year fire is
alighted, I
guess.
Next flat-fish
victory:
"M785.
Vancouver Island
Kwakiutl. 'The
pacified wind'
In order to put
an end to the
violent wind
which blew
unceasingly, the
animals waged
war on him,
although several
fell victim to
his stench.
Finally, the
halibut
stretched out in
front of his
door. When the
wind tried to go
out, he slipped
on the fish and
fell. The
animals took him
prisoner and
only released
him on condition
that he promised
to be more
gentle."
The door, at
which the
'cruxial' event
takes place, must
be the door
through which
time passes from
one of the
half-years to
the next. We
remember Ming
Thang:
... It is indeed
'the king
standing in a
gateway' and
Soothill (5), p.
62, makes the
suggestion that
it refers to the
emperor's
station on the
threshold
between one room
of the Ming
Thang
[Bright Palace,
'the mystical
temple-dwelling
which the
emperor was
supposed to
frequent,
carrying out the
rites
appropriate to
the seasons']
and another when
an intercalary
month intervened
in the normal
cycle of his
perambulation
...
The formidable
stench is the
nose equivalent
of a terrible
din for the ear,
similar to
fireworks for
the eye and the
turmoil of an
earthquake for
the sense of
balance.
Agitation for
the senses, as
in a gusty wind.
A window is like
a door for the
wind. We
remember: '...
As the two women
were bored, they
did what they
had been told
not to do and
broke the
celestial vault:
the wind rushed
through the
opening and they
saw their native
earth beneath
...'
The idea with a
window is to let
in the light,
not the wind,
yet the name
'window' means
'eye for the
wind'.
There seems to
be a hole at
winter solstice,
a hole because
the half-years
do not cover a
time-space
interval in
between them.
Quite in order,
then, that we
have a hole at
the 'root of the
tree' in Gb2-16:
"M786a,
b.
Nootka. 'The
duel between the
Raven and the
Skate'
The Raven wanted
to eat the Skate
and challenged
him to a duel.
However, the
latter avoided
the attacks by
turning
sideways.
According to M786b,
the Raven did
likewise by
jumping up and
down on the
spot; he
insisted that
the Skate should
lean forward,
but the latter
succeeded in
wounding the
Raven by doing
the unexpected
thing and
withholding his
fire until the Raven's feet had
touched the
ground again.
After being
pierced by his
opponent's
javelin, the
Raven gave up
the fight."
The Skate turns
sideways to
offer as little
area as possible
for the Raven to
aim at. The
Raven tries
another trick -
to jump up and
down instead of
standing still.
We can
understand that.
But why did
Raven insist of
the Skate
leaning forward?
The javelin
which pierced
the Raven
- when he
touched the
ground (probably
the western
horizon) - corresponds to
the lance (óé)
and to the barbs
of the Skate. I
imagine it may
correspond also
to the vero
glyph type:
The Raven and
the Skate may be
symbolizing
season beginning
at summer solstice
respectively
at winter solstice.
The Raven - we
know - is the
thirsty bird. If
the Raven is
being pierced by
the javelin of
the Skate, it
should be the
event of the
Raven's fall at
autumn equinox.
There is logic
in how when the
flat-fish turns
around at summer
solstice (from
showing her
'eel' side to
her 'dorsal'
side) -
remember: she is
a fish, i.e. a
female - her
apperance must
nearly vanish
for a while. I
suddenly realize
how this picture
may be the base
for a glyph type
we have
encountered a
few times
earlier.
Recently:
-24 and -12 tell
us about the
final
half-months of
the 2nd
respectively the
1st half-years,
I guess. This
idea agrees well
with how I have
interpreted
Gb2-13--18 as
summer solstice.
Both sun (19 in
Gb2-17) and moon
(6+4+19=29) meet
there.
Both in Gb2-9
and Gb2-11 there
are vero
signs - for the
sun (8) and for
the moon (7).
Gb1-22--23 and
Gb1-25 are
examples of
rau hei, the
'temporally
dead' (like
mimosa having
been touched a
moment ago).
Going backwards
in time, we
should remember:
We
are
now
prepared
to
look
at
the
Tahua
text:
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Aa2-1 |
Aa2-2 |
Aa2-3 |
Aa2-4 |
Ko te ohoga |
i vai ohata |
eko te nuku erua - no te tagata |
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Aa2-5 |
Aa2-6 |
Aa2-7 |
Aa2-8 |
vero tahi |
ma te hupee |
ka pu te ipu |
ka pu - i te mahigo |
Immediately
we
can
see
that
my
earlier
efforts
to
put
Metoro's
words
and
the
glyphs
in
parallel
have
not
been
fully
successful
here.
The
uncertainty,
I
thought,
was
only
at
Aa2-3--4,
not
at
Aa2-5.
But
we
now
know
that
a
suitable
appellation
for
Aa2-4
is
vero.
Aa2-5
I
have,
hesitantly,
classified
as
belonging
to
GD48
(tao):
... The border line between GD48 and GD86 is, though, hard to define. Aa2-5 (which I initially classified as GD86, but now have reclassified as GD48) is an unusual glyph because it has not so sharp ends as other GD48 glyphs:
Furthermore it is shorter than normal. Possibly there is an influence from the preceding glyphs (Aa2-3--4):
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When
looking
for
a
suitable
label
for
GD48
it
was
far
from
self-evident
what
name
to
choose.
Several
possible
labels
competed.
The
most
frequent
word
was
huki
(45
examples),
but
regarded
in
relation
to
the
total
number
of
huki
(220)
it
was
not
relevant,
only
20 %
of
the
220
were
associated
with
glyphs
which
I
had
classified
as
GD48:
Total number in: |
B |
A |
C |
E |
sum |
at GD48 |
% |
hoko |
28 |
24 |
44 |
48 |
144 |
40 |
28 |
huki |
60 |
38 |
56 |
66 |
220 |
45 |
20 |
tao |
5 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
12 |
7 |
58 |
tino |
1 |
6 |
2 |
4 |
13 |
2 |
15 |
vero |
17 |
18 |
11 |
2 |
48 |
10 |
21 |
sum |
111 |
92 |
113 |
121 |
437 |
104 |
24 |
Vero
was
one
of
the
candidates.
Luckily,
though,
it
became
tao,
which
means
I
can
use
the
label
vero
for
the
new
glyph
type
we
now
have
become
accustomed
to
call
vero.
Indeed,
I am
just
about
to
add
it
as a
new
GD
in
the
glyph
dictionary.
We
must
learn
more
about
the
words:
Tao
1. To cook in an oven, to sacrifice. P Mgv., Mq., Ta.: tao, to cook in an oven. 2. To carry away. 3. Abscess, bubo, scrofula, boil, gangrene, ulcer, inflammation, sore. Mgv.: taotaovere, small red spots showing the approach of death. Mq.: toopuku, toopuu, boil, wart, tumor. Ta.: taapu, taapuu, scrofula on neck and chin. 4. Mgv.: a lance, spear. Ta.: tao, id. Sa.: tao, id. Ma.: tao, id. 5. Mgv.: taotaoama, a fish. Sa.: taotaoama, id. 6. Ta.: taoa, property, possessions. Ma.: taonga, property, treasure. Churchill.
Sa.: tao, to bake; taofono, taona'i, to bake food the day before it is used; tau, the leaves used to cover an oven. To.: tao, to cook food in a oven, to bake. Fu.: taò, to put in an oven, to cook. Niuē: tao, to bake. Uvea: tao, to cook, to bake. Ma., Rapanui: tao, to bake or cook in a native oven, properly to steam, to boil with steam. Ta.: tao, the rocks and leaves with which a pig is covered when cooking; baked, boiled, cooked. Mq., Mgv., Mg., Tongareva: tao, to bake in an oven ... The word refers to the specific manner of cookery which involves the pit oven. The suggestion in the Maori, therefore, does not mean a different method; it is but an attempt more precisely to describe the kitchen method, a very tasty cookery, be it said. The suggestion of boiling is found only in Tahiti, yet in his dictionary Bishop Jaussen does not record it under the word bouillir; boiling was little known to the Polynesians before the European introduction of pottery and other fire-resisting utensils ... Churchll 2. |
The
idea
of
tao
=
spear
is
presumably
not
what
comes
first
to
mind
for
a
Polynesian.
If
we
look
at
neighbouring
words
the
sense
is
not
spear
either:
Taohi Mgv.: To preserve, to take care of. Mq.: taohi, to take, to keep, to preserve. Sa.: taofi, to keep, to retain. Ha.: kaohi, id. Churchill.
Taomi Mgv.: To squeeze, to press down. Sa.: taomi, to press down. Ha.: kaomi, to press, to squeeze. Churchill.
Taora Convulsive, convulsion. Churchill.
Taota Pau.: Taste, savor. Ta.: taota, taste. Churchill. |
I
notice:
'...
Mgv.:
taotaovere,
small
red
spots
showing
the
approach
of
death
...'
a)
tao
is
repeated
b)
vere
is
similar
to
vero
c)
approach
of
death
d)
red
spots.
If
sun
(Kuukuu)
'dies'
at
autumn
equinox,
then
he
must
show
signs
of
sickness
before
that,
and
presumably
red
spots
appears
in
his
face.
At
sundown
the
sun
is
changing
colour
towards
red.
Checking
what
vere
means
a
veritable
gold-mine
of
associations
become
knitted
together,
and
we
can
begin
to
understand
why
kao
(in
henua
kaoa?)
means
not
only
'side'
but
also
'cloth'
-
spiderwebs
and
cloth
are
similar:
Vere
1. Beard, moustache (vede G); vere gutu, moustache; verevere, shaggy, hairy, tow, oakum. Mgv.: veri, bristly, shaggy, chafed (of a cord long in use). Mq.: veevee, tentacles. Ta.: verevere, eyelash. 2. To weed (ka-veri-mai, pick, cut-grass T); verevere, to weed. P Mgv.: vere, to weed. Mq.: veéveé, vavee, id. 3. Verega, fruitful, valuable; verega kore, unfruitful, valueless, contemptible, vain, futile, frivolous; tae verega, insignificant, valueless; mataku verega kore, scruple. Mgv.: verega, a design put into execution; one who is apte, useful, having a knowledge how to do things. 4. Ta.: verevere, pudenda muliebria. Ma.: werewere, id. (labia minora). Churchill.
Sa.: apungaleveleve, apongaleveleve, a spider, a web. To.: kaleveleve, a large spider. Fu.: kaleveleve, a spider, a web. Niuē: kaleveleve, a cobweb. Nukuoro: halaneveneve, a spider. Uvea: kaleveleve, a spider. Mgv.: pungaverevere, a spider. Pau.: pungaverevere, cloth. Mg.: pungaverevere, a cobweb. Ta.: puaverevere, id. Mao.: pungawerewere, puawerewere, puwerewere, a spider. Ha.: punawelewele, a spider, a web. Mq.: pukaveevee, punaveevee, id. Vi.: lawa, a fishing net; viritālawalawa, a cobweb; butalawalawa, a spider. Churchill 2. |
Sun
becomes
entangled
in
the
web.
That
means
he
is
not
the
spider. |
1 |
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Aa2-3 |
Aa2-4 |
Aa2-5 |
eko te nuku erua - no te tagata - vero tahi |
2 |
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Aa8-26 |
Aa8-27 |
Aa8-28 |
Aa8-29 |
kua viri |
i to vero hia |
e tapamea |
ma te hokohuki |
...
The
tapamea
and
hokohuki
we
recognize
from
the
day
calendar.
The
meaning
here
seems
to
be
similar:
a
way
to
account
for
how
the
'red
cloth'
from
the
sun
behaves
at
crucial
moments.
Only
Aa1-34
of
the
reversed
glyphs
has
an
odd
number
of
'feathers':
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Aa1-32 |
Aa1-33 |
Aa1-34 |
ka puhi hoki ki te ahi |
ma te toga tu |
te tapamea |
Like
43
and
61
number
5
appears
to
be a
sign
of
'finito'.
In
Aa8-28
and
Aa8-29
there
are
7
'feathers',
presumably
because
the
glyphs
are
located
in
the
moon
'year'.
We
can
see
the
harmony
between
the
glyphs
and
their
ordinal
numbers
in
the
line:
28
is
the
last
sun-lit-moon
night
of
the
month
and
29
is
the
dark
new
moon
night.
In
Aa2-5
there
are
no
'feathers'
at
all.
In
water
there
is
no
fire.
A
flip
around
of
the
watery
world
makes
no
difference.
Earlier
we
have
'determined'
that
the
reading
should
start
on
side
b
(as
Metoro
indicated).
Beyond
the
end
viri
at
Aa8-26
and
the
start
viri
Ab1-1
there
are
61
glyphs
(counted
long).
We
can
guess
that
the
extra
1
beyond
the
solar
60
double-month
days
represents
the
kernel
of
the
new
beginning.
The
'currency'
for
the
number
of
glyphs
in
Tahua
seems
to
be 2
glyphs
per
day
(1,334
/
314
= 4
+
78/314).
60
glyphs
'in
the
dark'
therefore
corresponds
to a
month.
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Aa8-77 |
Aa8-78 |
Aa8-79 |
Aa8-80 |
te moa nui - kua rere te manu |
ki te kahi no te ragi |
ko te vae kua oho |
ki to hatu huri |
Aa8-78
looks
similar
to
Aa8-27
and
their
distance
(counted
long
the
short
way)
is
52
glyphs
(26
nights).
The
sky
is
once
again
uplighted,
it
seems.
Metoro's
kahi
may
have
something
to
to
with
the
hidden
tuna
fish
(kahi
piko):
Piko
1. To twist (vi); twisted, bent; haga piko, bend formed by part of the coast. 2. To hide (vi); hidden; kahi piko, tuna fish meant as a gift for someone, and which is kept hidden away from others. 3. Slip knot (used with fishing lines). Vanaga.
1. Post; moa tara piko, cock with long spurs. 2. Crooked, tortuous; piko mai piko atu, sinuosity; hakapiko, pliant, to bend; pikopiko, crooked; hoe pikopiko, pruning knife; veo pikopiko, arrow that flies ill. 3. To hide oneself, to lie in wait, to set a trap, to take refuge, to withdraw, to beat a retreat, security, ambush, padlock; piko reoreo, false security; piko etahi, to withdraw one after another; pikoga, asylum, receptacle, refuge, retreat, snare. Churchill.
H. Piko Umbilical cord. Hawaiians are connected to ancestors (aumakua), as well as to living kinsmen and descendants, by several cords emanating from various parts of the body but alike called piko, 'umbilical cord'. Islands of History.
H. Piko 1. Navel, navel string, umbilical cord. Fig. blood relative, genitals. Cfr piko pau 'iole, wai'olu. Mō ka piko, moku ka piko, wehe i ka piko, the navel cord is cut (friendship between related persons is broken; a relative is cast out of a family). Pehea kō piko? How is your navel? (A facetious greeting avoided by some because of the double meaning.) 2. Summit or top of a hill or mountain; crest; crown of the head; crown of the hat made on a frame (pāpale pahu); tip of the ear; end of a rope; border of a land; center, as of a fishpond wall or kōnane board; place where a stem is attached to the leaf, as of taro. 3. Short for alopiko. I ka piko nō 'oe, lihaliha (song), at the belly portion itself, so very choice and fat. 4. A common taro with many varieties, all with the leaf blade indented at the base up to the piko, junction of blade and stem. 5. Design in plaiting the hat called pāpale 'ie. 6. Bottom round of a carrying net, kōkō. 7. Small wauke rootlets from an old plant. 8. Thatch above a door. 'Oki i ka piko, to cut this thatch; fig. to dedicate a house. Wehewehe. |
In
Aa8-77
a
moa
nui
at
left
maybe
generates
the
new
sun
bird.
He
is
stretching
out
a
limb
which
ends
with
a
little
flame.
Counted
long
from
the
end
viri
the
distance
is
52. |
|