TRANSLATIONS
The last page from 'Excursion':
As our next step we
can include a beautiful double Rei (Pa3-4), the primary
viri glyph (Pb9-21) and a gnomon-like Pb10-1 which is connected by 29 glyphs
to the primary viri:
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Evidence point at the
rongorongo writers being acquainted with a numerical system based on ten
(9 digits + zero), which does not mean they borrowed the system from the
civilizations in the west. It was the predecessors of the Maya Indians who
'invented' zero long before it was known in India or Europe.
There is some resemblance between
the double Rei (Pa3-4) and the viri glyph type, but I do not
think they are opposites - our experience from G shows that.
Maybe the design of
the double Rei is influenced by viri. Counting in ordinary
manner there are 897 = 3 * 299 glyphs from Pa3-4 to Pb9-21. Maybe this
indicates 3 seasons in the light. We should take a look at the glyphs with
ordinal numbers 299 and 598 counted from the double Rei:
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298 |
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296 |
a3-3 |
Pa3-4 |
Pa7-40 |
Pa7-41 |
Pa7-42 |
115 |
116 |
415 |
416 |
417 |
- |
0 |
299 |
300 |
301 |
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297 |
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Pb4-15 |
Pb4-16 |
Pb9-21 |
Pb9-22 |
Pb9-23 |
714 |
716 |
1013 |
1014 |
1015 |
598 |
599 |
897 |
898 |
899 |
Certainly the glyphs indicate some kind of coordination. For
instance between manu rere in positions 598 and 898 (300
glyphs apart). Rei in Pa7-41 is 300 glyphs beyond the
double Rei. The measure is not 299 but 300, it seems. The
3 hanau (Pa7-42, Pb4-16 and Pb9-23) surely belong
together.
It is the pare glyph type
which is the opposite of viri. Pare is a figure with 'eyes',
viri is a figure without 'eyes'. When sorting glyphs I included for
instance Sa1-219 in the pare group:
The top has two mata, one
in each direction. The idea introduced at the beginning of the viri
part in the glyph dictionary about viri showing 'empty eye-sockets'
is quite reasonable. Metoro said vaha at Ab7-26:
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Ab7-24 |
Ab7-25 |
Ab7-26 |
i tona
henua |
kua mau ia - i
tona hue |
i te vaha |
Vaha means
'hollow':
Vaha
Hollow; opening; space between the fingers (vaha
rima); door cracks (vaha papare). Vahavaha, to
fight, to wrangle, to argue with abusive words. Vanaga.
1. Space, before T; vaha takitua, perineum.
PS Mgv.: vaha, a space, an open place. Mq.: vaha,
separated, not joined. Ta.: vaha, an opening. Sa.: vasa,
space, interval. To.: vaha, vahaa, id. Fu.: vasa,
vāsaà, id. Niuē: vahā.
2. Muscle, tendon; vahavaha,
id. Vahahora (vaha
1 - hora 2), spring.
Vahatoga (vaha
1 - toga 1), autumn. 3.
Ta.: vahavaha, to
disdain, to dislike. Ha.: wahawaha,
to hate, to dislike.
Churchill. |
Vahahora (spring) could be
the correct reading of Ka2-5 ('death' implies 'rebirth') and vahatoga
(autumn) could be the reading of Kb1-14:
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end of the 1st half year |
Pb9-21 |
Pb9-23 |
Kb1-14 |
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end of the 2nd half year |
Pb9-24 |
Pb9-26 |
Kb4-6 |
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end of the whole year |
Pb9-29 |
Pb9-32 |
Pb9-33 |
Ka2-5 |
But we must not
forget Pa7-42 and Pb4-16 - cfr above - which probably are to be coordinated
with hanau in Pb9-23 and Pb9-26.
Pb9-21 would then be thicker than
the other two because vahatoga implies a real vacancy where the head
of the sun
used to be. Maybe the beginning of August (Hora
iti) was new year time according to the rongorongo writers, and
maybe the beginning of February was vahatoga.
The agricultural year began in
Hora iti and in Tehetu'upú 'some sweet potatoes' were planted
'where there are a lot of stones' - a new generation of 'sweet potatoes' is
needed, the old ones have gone:
1st quarter |
2nd quarter |
3rd quarter |
4th quarter |
He Anakena
(July) |
Tagaroa uri
(October) |
Tua haro (January) |
Vaitu nui
(April) |
Same as the
previous month. |
Cleaning up of the
fields. Fishing is no longer taboo. Festival of thanksgiving (hakakio)
and presents of fowl. |
Fishing. Because of
the strong sun very little planting is done. |
Planting of sweet potatoes. |
Hora iti
(August) |
Ko Ruti
(November) |
Tehetu'upú (February) |
Vaitu poru
(May) |
Planting of plants
growing above the ground (i.e., bananas, sugarcane, and
all types of trees). Good
time to fish for eel along the shore. |
Cleaning of the
banana plantations, but only in the morning since the sun
becomes too hot later in the day. Problems with drought. Good
month for fishing and the construction of houses (because of the
long days). |
Like the previous
month. Some sweet potatoes are planted where there are a lot of
stones (pu). |
Beginning of the
cold season. No more planting. Fishing is taboo, except for some
fishing along the beach. Harvesting of paper mulberry trees (mahute).
Making of tapa capes (nua). |
Hora nui
(September) |
Ko Koró
(December) |
Tarahao
(March) |
He Maro
(June) |
Planting of plants
growing below the ground (i.e., sweet potatoes, yams, and
taro). A fine spring
month. |
Because of the
increasing heat, work ceases in the fields. Time for fishing,
recreation, and festivities. The new houses are occupied (reason
for the festivities). Like the previous month, a good time for
surfing (ngaru) on the beach of Hangaroa O Tai. |
Sweet potatoes are
planted in the morning; fishing is done in the afternoon. |
Because of the cold
weather, nothing grows (tupu meme), and there is hardly
any work done in the fields. Hens grow an abundance of feathers,
which are used for the festivities. The time of the great
festivities begins, also for the father-in-law (te ngongoro
mo te hungavai). There
is much singing (riu). |
I am writing this
(as if by chance) in the evening of December 31.
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