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1280 for Aa8-31 is not a coincidence - it was planned to be so. To understand why is to find out the meaning of the kava glyph type.

1280 = 256 * 5 suggests we should add one more set of 5 fingers to reach 261 = 9 * 29. Not only did we find viri glyphs connected with 29, but also 261 has popped out more than once, e.g. in the distance between Gb1-6 and Ga1-26:

261 = 9 * 29
Gb1-6 Ga1-26

Fingers are symbols for fire. After 256 hands the fire is finished (8 is the 'perfect number' and measures out the maximum number of 'doublings'). Add one more hand and we will be in darkness, symbolized by 261 (9 * 29).

261 is one more than 260. We can add 4 fingers to 256 (the number equal to 8 'doublings' of one finger) and still be in the light. I think this is the reason why once a long time ago 260 became the total number of days in calendars (e.g. the Maya tzolkin).

Using this frame of reference it is obvious that Aa8-30--31 are located at a crucial point in the calendar, where the old light (year) is in need of regeneration:

3 53 520 752
1279 1280 1334 1 522 1275
2 * 29 522 = 18 * 29 754 = 26 * 29
Naturally we expect the rest of the glyphs in the G text to amount to 260 - the number equal to the time in the light. However, Small Santiago Tablet offers too small a surface to enable carving 261 (dark) + 260 (light) = 521 glyphs on it. The total number of glyphs is 229 (side a) + 242 (side b) = 471:
208
Ga1-26 Gb1-6
210

210 should therefore be read as 42 * 5, where 42 = 3 * 28 (three months with 28 luminous moon nights in each). 5 represents fire (as in the sun). The message is light (in contrast to absence of light, 261).

As a confirmation that we have understood the message we can compare with the number of glyphs on each side. 229 on side a is a number which ends in 29 and 242 on side b ends in 42. (Reading 210 as 6 * 35 will not give any such confirmation.)

The 9 + 9 'feathers' on the 'back side' (tu'a) of the viri sign in Ga1-6 obviously can be read as those 90 + 90 = 180 days of the year during which sun rules. Those days are gone (at the back) when Gb1-6 is reached.

Then follows 261 glyphs representing the rest of the year. There often is no direct arithmetical relationship between number signs in the glyphs and the number of nights (or days) in the real world. Probably 261 should be read as 26 weeks + 1. 26 * 7 = 182 and if we add 1 we reach 183.

180 + 183 = 363 < 365. The reason for not reaching 365 is that we have counted together two different sorts, 'sun' and 'moon'. If we count 'according to moon' in summer too we will have twice 26 weeks + 1 = 365. Moon can be seen also in the summer nights.

 Ga1-26--Gb1-6 ought to be the light part of the year. What, then, lies before the light part?

Ga1-1 Ga1-2 Ga1-3 Ga1-4 Ga1-5 Ga1-6
Ga1-7 Ga1-8 Ga1-9 Ga1-10
Ga1-11 Ga1-12 Ga1-13 Ga1-14
Ga1-15 Ga1-16 Ga1-17 Ga1-18
Ga1-19 Ga1-20 Ga1-21
Ga1-22 Ga1-23 Ga1-24 Ga1-25

Light lies ahead according to henua in Ga1-3, maybe illustrated by vaha mea in Ga1-4 and the 3 feathers in front in Ga1-5.

Otherwise the 5 * 5 = 25 glyphs do not give any sure messages as yet. We need to know more.

Stimulated by the success in understanding 261 + 210 = 471 in G it may be worth some effort to once again count in K:

a1 *24 b1 *22
a2 22 b2 *18
a3 21 b3 16
a4 16 b4 19
a5 14 b5 *20
sum *97 sum *95

97 + 95 = 192. The viri glyphs according to my glyph catalogue:

Ka1-202 Ka1-204 Ka2-5 Kb1-14 Kb3-9 Kb4-6
21 23 29 111 146 159
184 = 4 * 46 and Kb3-9 (with a similar but opposite orientation compared to Kb5-301) is 146.

192 - 146 = 46

 146 + 13 = 159

146 - 29 = 117 = 9 * 13

159 - 29 = 10 * 13
Kb4-7 Kb5-301
160 184

192 = 146 + 46 = 4 * 46 + 8. 192 - 184 = 8.

21 (Ka1-202) + 8 = 29. Ka1-202 has a viri oriented as viri in Gb1-6 but with no 'feathers'. Possibly it means winter solstice.

Kb3-9 also has viri oriented as in Gb1-6, but the sign is in the background. Some kind of bird is the main person. 9 * 13 (= 146 - 29 = 117) glyphs into the season beyond viri at Ka2-5 a new bird must be generated. Maybe.

The 'egg' inside has the form of a citrus fruit, exactly as we have seen in for instance some vai glyphs:

Kb5-305

Kava - we must not forget - is at Ka3-11 (glyph number 57). Note how the glyphs in the first two glyph lines add up to 46 (24 + 22).

Ka3-11 Ka3-12 Ka3-13 Ka3-14
57 58 59 60

Maybe the puzzle is constructed so we should read the 2 last ciphers, i.e. 11 instead of 111 (Kb1-14), 60 (Kb4-7), 84 (Kb5-301). Kb4-6--7 is obviously a pair (with 4 * 6 = 24 respectively 4 * 7 = 28):

Kb4-6 Kb4-7
159 160

No definite solution emerges. Therefore, can we use the help system in G? The 2 last ciphers in 229 and 242 suggested 29 respectively 42.

In K a similar system suggests 9 + 7 = 16 and 9 + 5 = 12. Or maybe 9 * 7 = 35 and 9 * 5 = 45.

Or maybe 9 + 9 = 18 and 7 + 5 = 12? 192 = 180 + 12. Possibly the message is that only half the year is covered by the text.

192 - 184 (Kb5-301) = 4:

Ka1-1 Ka1-2 Ka1-3 Ka1-4 Ka1-5 Ka1-6

There seems to be a 'fire generator' in Ka1-5. We can imagine 8 dark glyphs on side b and 4 on side a:

*Kb5-12 *Kb5-13 *Kb5-14 *Kb5-15 *Kb5-16
*Kb5-17 *Kb5-18 *Kb5-19 *Kb5-20

*Kb5-12 (5 * 12 = 60) would be the last of 180 glyphs in the light. *Kb5-13 is only drawn half-heartedly - a ghost. A 'feathered mauga' appers in *Kb5-18 (5 * 18 = 90). The old year has lost his head (*Kb5-17). It figures, a moon oriented text should have ordinal number 17 at this point. In *Kb5-14 (notice 14) the number of 'feathers' is 8. *Kb5-14 and *Kb5-18 are drawn as if to illustrate that they have something in common.

184 at *Kb5-12 (Kb5-301) probably indicates 364 - 180, i.e. the time when sun is north of the equator.

When sun is 'absent' moon is the ruler. Twice in twice 36 glyphs in the Mamari moon calendar can possibly be understood as alluding to the 2nd ruler.

Twice 184 = 368, where 8 agrees with the number of periods in the moon calendar. And moon is present throughout the year.

Basically, it seems, the K text can be read as a calendar for the winter half of they year, using the 184 glyphs from the beginning of the text up to *Kb5-12.

The 8 glyphs following *Kb5-12 to the end of side b can either refer to the 8 periods of the moon (according to the moon calendar in Mamari) or to the 'octopus' (heke) presumably inhabiting the polar area in the sky.

Another alternative is to add together the 8 glyphs at the end of side b with the first 4 glyphs on side a to reach 12 as in the number of months in a solar calendar for the year:

 
*Kb5-13 *Kb5-14 *Kb5-15 *Kb5-16
*Kb5-17 *Kb5-18 *Kb5-19 *Kb5-20
Ka1-1 Ka1-2 Ka1-3 Ka1-4

The redmarked glyphs are 'living' while the black are 'ghosts'. The table is not a very convincing picture of a solar year.

A better solar calendar would be to start with the 'fire generator' at Ka1-5 and continue to *Kb5-12:

 
23 81 34 12 24
Ka1-5 Ka2-5 Kb1-14 Kb3-9 Kb4-6 *Kb5-12
1 25 107 142 155 180

Such a calendar ought to show divisions into periods, 2 * 90 = 180 or 3 * 60 = 180 (or possibly both):

 
58 29 29 58
Ka1-5 Ka3-18 Ka5-11 Ka5-12 Kb2-6 *Kb5-12
1 60 90 1 60 90

Clearly it is possible to combine a lunar perspective with a solar one. Between the 29-period distances it is easy to add 1 glyph to reach 30. In the middle of summer we have to add 2 glyphs, which presumably explains why both July and August have 31 days.

Interesting is the appearance of a semi-repetition of Ka1-3 at Kb2-6:

 
Ka1-3 Kb2-6

Ka1-3 has its figure high, while in contrast Kb2-6 has its figure low. And 1-3 is doubled into 2-6.

Kb2-6 is glyph number 125 in the K text and maybe it signifies the end of sun (summer) by way of 5 * 5 * 5 (which we have had reason to point out several times earlier when discussing the structure of the K text). The suggestion could then be that we should divide summer into 5 parts with 25 glyphs in each, and begin from the beginning, leaving 192 - 125 = 67 glyphs for 'winter'. But 67 cannot be intended. Subtracting those 8 glyphs at the end of the text results in a more reasonable result with 59 glyphs. 192 = 125 + 59 + 8. 125 - 29 (viri at Ka2-5) = 96 = 8 * 12.

Another interpretation is to regard Ka1-3 and Kb2-6 as the 'posts' within which 'summer' is located in the calendar. Number 124 should be the last glyph of summer and number 4 the first. That would give 121 glyphs for summer (120 + 1).

 
118 ...
Ka1-3 Ka1-4 Kb2-4 Kb2-5 Kb2-6
71 1 120 121 1

Interestingly, the vanished glyph (Kb2-5) maybe never was incised on the tablet - it could be te pito, immediately beyond the end of summer (which could be measured out as 12 * 10 glyphs or as 10 * 12 glyphs or as 5 * 24 glyphs or as 24 * 5 glyphs etc). Kb2-5 could mean 2 * 5 = 10 = end of sun. Already Kb2-4 seems to illustrate his weakness.

We have to wait until we understand more.