TRANSLATIONS
I stated 'then follows (in period 6) an overview':
I did not make clear what kind of overview. At first I thought, rather dimly, that it was the stages of the sun during summer, and I still believe it is some kind of overview with summer in the center. Yet, sun is born at winter solstice, not at spring equinox. Eb3-7--9 may be describing the 2nd half of winter, possibly a way to introduce the 10 periods of the sun. 420 nights stretches through two (30-day) months beyond midwinter, and then 10 months is enough to reach next midwinter. Counting with 28 nights in a month: 3 + 10 = 13 and 13 * 28 = 84 + 280 = 364. With spring equinox around the 21st of September, 31 + 30 + 21 = 82 is close to 84. Furthermore, I am inclined to believe there may be a description of the 'bacabs' ('corner staffs' of the 'house of the sun') in this sequence of glyphs:
I have used the imagined structure in Large Santiago Tablet with 5 * 2 'months' (see at the end of preceding page). The model is easy to applicate also at the beginning of side a in Tahua:
Aa1-1--2 will then correspond to Eb3-10 and Aa1-3--4 to Eb3-11, and ragi will arrive in the 2nd half of the 1st quarter (in time for spring equinox):
It is even possible to compare with how the days of the week appear, with Sunday followed by Monday and then by the day of Mars (whose peculiar change in intensity may well be thought of as a magical act proper for spring equinox):
The astrological sign for Mars resembles ragi: ♂ The strange 'uplifted' sign in Tuesday - Friday presumably means 'sky uplifted':
Venus spends part of her time 'inside the earth', only at times is she 'uplifted'. Though Sirius is presumably the primary ragi pillar: ... The Maori recognized two main divisions of the year: winter or takurua, a name for Sirius which then shone as morning star, and summer, raumati or o-rongo-nui, 'of the great Rongo', god of agriculture ...
Involving Mars (instead of Sirius as a ragi pillar) is no difficulty. The precedent of takurua is enough evidence: ... Several Tuamotuan and Society Islands planet names begin with the word Takurua or Ta'urua which Henry translated Great Festivity and which is the name for the bright star Sirius in both New Zealand and Hawaii. The planet names, therefore, represent the final stage in the evolution of takurua which was probably first applied to the winter solstice, then to Sirius which is the most conspicious object in the evening sky of December and January, and was then finally employed for the brilliant and conspicious planets which outshone even the brightest star Sirius. From its association with the ceremonies of the new year and the winter solstice, takurua also aquired the meaning 'holiday' or 'festivity' ... |