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Metoro's ihe kuukuu at Aa1-11

indicates that he thought someone had died. Given my interpretation of the 8-glyph sequence as corresponding to the life cycle of the sun, it is the sun who has died, presumably after 9 * 28 = 252 days.

A big bird should be expected at the juncture between two solar periods. Maybe the yellow-nosed albatross is that bird, the Easter Island equivalent to the Tiahuanacuan great condor.

The yellow nose points at the sun. But the black-browed albatross is an equally good candidate - the black brow may be seen as a sign of the death of the sun (the sun being the eye).

Although I did not find any word kuukuu in Churchill or Vanaga, there was the possibility that I earlier somewhere may had mentioned the word in all these pages, I can no longer remember it all. Yes, I had mentioned kuukuu:

"The Road of the Spider, which is also referred to in Hawaiian literature as ala-kuukuu, suggests the path by which the Sun spirals north to the June solstice, rising higher and higher each day in the sky of the northern hemisphere, and thence south to the equinox and the December solstice attaining a lower altitude each day, i.e., a combination of its daily and yearly motions. The symbolism is not difficult to perceive if one visualizes the motion of the Sun as continuous from day to day." (Makemson)

Hawaiian l corresponds to Easter Island r and therefore ala means ara, i.e. road, and kuukuu must be the spider.

Though there is a problem here: Hawaiian k corresponds to Easter Island t and then we would have tuutuu as spider. But Metoro said kuukuu, not tuutuu. (The Tahitian has also t wher Hawaiian has k.)

Part of the solution is found in Wehewehe:

"Ku'u ku'u 1. Redup. of ku'u 1; to let down gradually, slack off a little at a time. See ala ku'uku'u. Ho'o ku'uku'u lenient, permissive; to pay out, as a fishline. Kī ho'oku'uku'u, slack key, as on a guitar (kī hō'alu is more common). Ua ho'oku'uku'u loa na mākua i keiki, parents are too lenient with children. (PPN tukutuku.) 2.Small, short-legged spider, so called because it lowers itself (ku'u) on a single string fiber. Ke alanui a ke ku'uku'u, the path of the spider (a name for the Equator). Ho'o ku'u ku'u, same as above. 3. Boomerang."

Another example of the word kuukuu (which I found in Translations) is:

"... The canoe continued its exploration and in a sweep sailed on to Hanga Te Pau. They went ashore and took the food with them. They pulled the canoe onto the beach and left it there.

Ira sat down with all the other (companions) and spoke to Makoi: 'You shall mark the land for me and make it known (by its names)!' After that, Ira spoke these words: 'This is the digging stick (? ko koko), Kuukuu. You shall work the land for me and plant the yam roots!'

Makoi named the place Hanga Te Pau, 'the landing site of Ira'. So that they would remember (? he aringa, literally, 'as face'), the open side of Hanga Te Pau was given this name. Ira got up. They all climbed to the top of the hill. They climbed up on the tenth day of the month of June ('Maro'). They reached the side crater (te manavai) and looked around carefully. Makoi said, 'This is the Manavai of Hau Maka'. They climbed farther and reached the top. They saw the dark abyss and the large hole (of the crater Rano Kau). They all said, 'Here it is, young men, the dark abyss of Hau Maka.'

They made camp and constructed a house. Kuukuu got up, worked the ground, and heaped up the earth for the yam roots.

Makoi got up and began to familiarize himself with the (new) land. (This took place) on the fifteenth day of the month of June ('Maro'). He went toward the sheer face of the rocks (titi o te opata), was astonished (aaa), came up to the middle (of the outer rim of the crater), and stood at the very edge. He looked down and saw the 'Pu Mahore of Hau Maka' (on the coast) and said, 'There it is, the hole of the mahore fish of Hau Maka!'

He turned his face and looked toward the back (i.e., in the direction of the crater). No sooner had he seen how the dark abyss opened up (below him), when a fragrant breeze came drifting by. Again Makoi said, 'This is the dark abyss of Hau Maka.' He turned around, walked on in utter amazement, and arrived at the house. He spoke to Ira, 'Hey you, my friends! How forgetful we (truly) are. This place is adequate (? tau or 'beautiful'), the dark abyss lies there peacefully!'

Ira replied, 'And what should that remind us of up here?' All arose and climbed up. They went on and arrived; they all had a good look (at the inside of the crater). They returned home and sat down. Night fell, and they went to sleep ..." (Barthel 2)

Via Index I also found how Alpers (The World of the Polynesians) had retold the story about the fate of Kuukuu:

"HOW HOTU MATUA FOUND THIS LAND 

'We of the Navel of the World narrate the deeds of our ancestors. How they came to this land, and how the quarrels were resolved. Our homeland Marae renga lay a distant journey to the west. There Hotu matua our king was one of the chiefs: Oroi was his rival. There was war between their tribes. 

Hotu matua's tattoer called Haumaka had a dream: that he went across the sea to a land with holes, with beaches also of fair white sand. There were six men in the dream who landed on that place. Haumaka told his dream to Hotu matua. Hotu matua thought. 'There is a promise in this dream of Haumaka's.' 

He therefore sent away six men to find that land. 'Look for a handsome country with sand for the king to live on.' They came, those six, across the sea in their canoe Te Oraora miro, bringing with them yams and breadfruit, coconuts and other things to plant. They found those rocky islets off the western headland, saw them first; jumped upon them, jumped off, came to this land here and landed at Te Pu. They searched the land, they looked for what the king desired. They found this open land of waving grasses, grasses rolling like the sea. 

There were no tall trees, nor any streams. They climbed the rocks, they came to Orongo. They came to Ana marikuru on the slopes of Rano kao and there they dug the ground, they mounded earth to plant their yams. When they had finished this work they climbed up Rano kao, they saw the crater there. They said, 'This is Haumaka's hole - the hole of which Haumaka dreamed.'

They came on again, they came to Te Manavai, to Canoe Bay, to Anavaero and all those places along the south coast. They came to Onetea where the white sand is, and said, 'This is the land for the ariki to live on.' But one said, 'No, this is poor land, our breadfruit and our coconuts will not grow here. Let us search, let us go.' Therefore they came on, they came to Anahavea, to Tongariki, to Big Bay, to Mount Parehe and all those places. They came around the eastern headland. 

They saw the fair sand of Taharoa. Said one, 'This is the king's land, here.' But the rest said, 'No, this land is not good.' Therefore they continued until they saw the good fair sand of Anakena: it was like the beaches of the homeland. Then all those young men said, 'Here the king will live in a handsome place.' They rested in the dry cave at that place and therefore called it Anakena.

On the sand at Turtle Bay they saw a turtle sleeping. Those six young men came on, they arrived at the turtle, they seized it. The turtle struck with its flipper, one was wounded. They carried; the turtle escaped. They carried a man instead of the turtle! They found the cave called Ihuarero and carried the man to that shelter, to wait for his wound to heal. The five kept watch - one day, two days, three days. They were ashamed to leave that man. One man grew bored. He said, 'What do you say, that we go on and leave this person!' 

So the five built cairns of stones. Each man brought stones, they built five things like men in cloaks outside the opening of the cave. They then said to the cairns, to the five things of stone like men: 'If the young man asks you questions, tell him lies, you five. If he asks again, tell him only lies.' Thus they left him cared for. They came out and went away, the five. 

They came to Rapanga, to Ira, to Ringiringi and all those places; and so they came to Mataveri. At Mataveri they met a young man in the middle of their way, and so again were six. 

They now had come around the land, completely round. Therefore they climbed the slopes of Rano kao to where their yams were planted. The grass was tall again, the place was full of weeds, of waving weeds like waves upon the beach. They said this word: 'Poor land, covered with weeds there.' They came on again, they came once more to Orongo - and on the sea they saw the king! They saw the double canoe of Hotu matua. There were two canoes - that of Hotu matua the ariki and that of Tu'u ko ihu the priest. 

When they came in close to shore the bindings that tied them were cut. Cried Hotua matua the king: 'What is it like inland?' His six men answered him: 'It is a poor land, mostly weeds and grass. If it were cleaned it would be clean. If it were weeded it would be weeded.' 

Said Hotu matua about those grasses waving like the sea: 'A poor land this. When the tide is low we die few. When the tide is high we die many.' Thus was the first occasion of the saying of those words. Then one of the six called out. 'Why do you speak that bad news over the surf, Hotu matua? Because of this there will be bad luck for us.'

Then Hotu cut the bindings of those two canoes. His ship went along the south and his relation Tu'u ko iho went to the north, they both went round the land. When the king's ship came again and passed the headland Vai mahaki, Hotu matua saw the navigator's ship at Veronga. Tu'u ko iho was going to land at Anakena, to be the first chief to stand on this land.

Therefore Hotu matua said a word which made his own ship speed to shore and Tu'u ko ihu's be delayed. This was his word, his word that was filled with the mana of Hotu matua: Ka hakamau te konekone! 'Stay the paddling!' Thus the canoe of Hotu matua came on and was the first one to touch this land. As it was being beached at Hiramoko the child Tu'u ma heke, son of Hotu matua, was born. The mother gave birth there at the beach.The ship of Tu'u ko ihu came on also, and as it was beached at Hanga ohio there was born the girl Avareipua, daughter of the priest and navigator Tu'u ko iho.  

Then Hotu sent a messanger to his relation Tu'u ko iho: 'Come and cut the son's navel cord. Make ceremonies for this chief Tu'u ma heke.' Tu'u ko iho came, he spoke the chants, the red chiefly halo then was around the child's head. Then Tu'u ko iho bit the navel cord, he cut it with his teeth. It was placed in a gourd and sent out to sea. When this ceremony was properly concluded Tu'u ko iho returned to his own people at Hanga ohio, tied the navel cord of his chiefly daughter Avereipua. He bit it, he sent the cord to sea, he finished. Then all the people came ashore; they landed from the two canoes, and stretched their legs, and rested - Tu'u ko iho's people at Hanga ohio, Hotu matua's at Hiramoko.

There came to this land on those canoes the man, the fowl, the turtle, the banana plant; the aute tree whose bark gives tapa cloth; the crayfish, the gourd, the kumara and the yam. These things all came with Hotu matua the king. Hundreds and hundreds were the people, the mahingo who came to this land on that canoe of Hotu matua the king."

Although Kuukuu (the yam planter) not is mentioned, we learn from Barthel 2 that it was he who was struck by the flipper of the turtle:

"... They all sat down and rested, when suddenly they saw that a turtle had reached the shore and had crawled up on the beach. He [Ira] looked at it and said, 'Hey, you! The turtle has come on land!'

He said, 'Let's go! Let's go back to the shore.' They all went to pick up the turtle. Ira was the first one to try to lift the turtle - but she didn't move.

Then Raparenga said, 'You do not have the necessary ability. Get out of my way so that I can have a try!' Raparenga stepped up and tried to lift the turtle - but Raparenga could not move her.

Now you spoke, Kuukuu: 'You don't have the necessary ability, but I shall move this turtle. Get out of my way!' Kuukuu stepped up, picked up the turtle, using all his strength. After he had lifted the turtle a little bit, he pushed her up farther.

No sooner had he pushed her up and lifted her completely off the ground when she struck Kuukuu with one fin. She struck downward and broke Kuukuu's spine. The turtle got up, went back into the (sea) water, and swam away.

All the kinsmen spoke to you (i.e. Kuukuu): 'Even you did not prevail against the turtle!'

They put the injured Kuukuu on a stretcher and carried him inland. They prepared a soft bed for him in the cave and let him rest there. They stayed there, rested, and lamented the severely injured Kuukuu.

Kuukuu said, 'Promise me, my friends, that you will not abandon me!' They all replied, 'We could never abandon you!'

They stayed there twenty-seven days in Oromanga. Everytime Kuukuu asked, 'Where are you, friends?' they immediately replied in one voice, 'Here we are!'

They all sat down and thought. They had an idea and Ira spoke, 'Hey, you! Bring the round stones (from the shore) and pile them into six heaps of stones!'

One of the youths said to Ira, 'Why do we want heaps of stone?' Ira replied, 'So that we can all ask the stones to do something.'

They took (the material) for the stone heaps (pipi horeko) and piled up six heaps of stone at the outer edge of the cave.

Then they all said to the stone heaps, 'Whenever he calls, whenever he calls for us, let your voices rush (to him) instead of the six (of us) (i.e., the six stone heaps are supposed to be substitutes for the youths).

They all drew back to profit (from the deception) (? ki honui) and listened. A short while later, Kuukuu called. As soon as he had asked, 'Where are you?' the voices of the stone heaps replied, 'Here we are!' All (the youths) said, 'Hey, you! That was well done!'"