If we stand on
the equator and
observe the
stars rising in
the east, then
the
rectascension
describes the
order in which
they will
arrive. Tahiti
is not on the
equator (ca 17º
S). Yet, if the
observations are
done in the
evening at
winter solstice
Ana-mua
ought to be the
'entrance' star:
|
Right
ascension
values
plus
6 h
(evening
observations)
plus
6 h
(summer
solstice
N): |
|
1 |
Ana-mua,
entrance
pillar |
Antares,
α
Scorpii |
-26°
19'
04 h
26 m |
Rapa
Nui |
|
2 |
Ana-muri,
rear
pillar
(at
the
foot
of
which
was
the
place
for
tattooing) |
Aldebaran,
α
Tauri |
16°
25'
16 h
33 m |
Hawaii |
|
3 |
Ana-roto,
middle
pillar |
Spica,
α
Virginis |
-10°
54'
01 h
23 m |
Marquesas |
However, it is
Spica which
arrives first,
the 'middle'
(centre). Allen
remarks that
Virgo is the
only female sign
among the 12 in
the solar zodiac
(animal signs).
Given a model
with two sun
halves in the
year (and in the
day) - presence
and absence -
Antares and
Aldebaran could
be referring to
the dark phase
respectively the
light phase. Or
to be more
accurate: to the
pillars marking
the beginning
respectively the
end of the
presence of sun
light.
Daylight time is
in the tropics
in principle
independent of
latitude.
Yearlight time
is different:
summer time
north of the
equator excludes
summer time
south of the
equator (and the
reverse). The
rectascension
values for
summer time must
be reversed
south of the
equator and
therefore the
rectascension
values in the
table above
refer to winter
solstice on
Tahiti. Easter
Island is also
located south of
the equator and
Antares ought to
be a mark for
spring rather
than for autumn
both on Tahiti
and Easter
Island.
The difference
in rectascension
between
Aldebaran and
Antares is ca 12
hours.
Spica will then
be located in
the dark phase.
The middle of
the sun light
phase is at
rectascension 10
h 29 m and we
cannot but
notice how 10
here appears
together with 29
- the end of sun
respectively the
end of moon.
16 h at the rear
pillar we also
recognize as
relevant. 4 h at
the entrance
suggest a square
'earth' (above
the 'waters'), while
26 may be
regarded as
twice 13 (as
twice 13 weeks
in half a year).
If Ana-muri
is the place
for tattooing,
it should be
located at the
end of sun
light. We
remember how the
Inuit people imagined the
sun's legs were
lacerated by
kaikai
strings:
|
...
string
games
could
be
resumed
after
it
was
clear
that
the
Sun
had
managed
to
leave
the
horizon
and
was
rapidly
gaining
in
altitude:
'Before
the
sun
starts
to
leave
the
horizon
...
when
it
shows
only
on
the
horizon,
...
then
string
games
were
no
longer
allowed
as
they
might
lacerate
the
sun.
Once
the
sun
had
started
to
go
higher
and
could
be
seen
in
its
entirety,
string
games
could
be
resumed,
if
one
so
wished.
So
the
restriction
on
playing
string
games
was
only
applicable
during
the
period
between
the
sun's
return
and
its
rising
fully
above
the
horizon
...
(Arctic
Sky) |
|
...
I
knew
of
two
men
who
lived
in
another
settlement
on
the
Noatak
river.
They
did
not
believe
in
the
spirit
of
the
string
figures,
but
said
they
originated
from
two
stars,
agguk,
which
are
visible
only
when
the
sun
has
returned
after
the
winter
night.
One
of
these
men
was
inside
a
dance-house
when
a
flood
of
mist
poured
in
...
His
two
companions
rapidly
made
and
unmade
the
figure
'Two
Labrets',
an
action
intended
to
drive
away
the
spirit
of
the
string
figures,
uttering
the
usual
formula
...
but
the
mist
kept
pouring
in
...
...
Again,
in a
diary
entry
dated
18
December
1913
Jenness
notes
the
same
Alak
telling
him
that
'they
never
played
cat's
cradles
while
two
stars
called
agruk
were
visible,
just
before
the
long
days
of
summer...
They
played
other
games
then,
like
whizzer
[a
noise
maker]
...
...
Alak's
comments
indicate
that,
for
the
Noatak
area
at
least,
the
appearance
of
Aagjuuk,
rather
than
the
Sun,
signalled
the
end
of
the
string-game
season.
And
the
opinion,
expressed
in
the
first
passage,
that
string
figures
came
from,
and
are
therefore
related
to,
Aagjuuk
may
have
given
rise
to
the
prohibition
against
playing
them
after
the
solstice
appearance
of
these
stars.
It
is
also
possible
that
the
string
game
mentioned
by
Alak
-
'Two
Labrets'
-
rapidly
made
and
unmade
in
an
attempt
to
drive
off
the
'string
figure
spirit',
was
intended
to
symbolize
Aagjuuk's
two
stars
and
so
confound
the
constellation
with
its
own
likeness
or
spirit.
...
Etalook
refers
to
the
'aagruuk'
as
'labrets'
(the
circular
lower-lip
ornaments
of
some
Western
Arctic
Eskimo
groups,
certainly
evoke
an
astral
image
if
we
recall
that
early
Inuit
gaphic
representations
of
stars
were
usually
circular
...)
giving
them,
it
seems,
an
alternate
name,
ayaqhaagnailak,
'they
prohibit
the
playing
of
string
games':
They
[the
aagruuk
stars]
are
the
ones
that
discourage
playing
a
string
game...
That's
what
they're
called,
ayaqhaagnailak,
those
two
stars...
When
the
two
stars
come
out
where
is
no
daylight,
people
are
advised
not
to
play
a
string
game
then,
but
[play
instead]
with
hii,
hii,
hii...
toy
noisemakers
of
wood
or
bone
and
braided
sinew...
Our
parents
tell
us
not
to
play
the
string
games
anymore... |
The labrets are
lower-lip
ornaments, i.e.
belong to the
dark phase (I
imagine). The
Two Labrets
figure
presumably
referred to the
two stars of
Aagjuuk,
which discouraged
playing string
games. The two
stars are not
Antares and
Aldebaran:
|
...
While
the
stars
Altair
and
Tarazed
can
be
seen
during
the
fall
months,
late
in
the
evening
to
the
southwest,
they
are
only
recognized
as
Aagjuuk
by
Inuit
following
their
first
morning
appearance
on
the
north-eastern
horizon,
usually
around
mid-December.
Throughout
January,
February,
and
March
they
are
seen
during
the
pre-dawn
hours
but
thereafter
are
rapidly
taken
over
by
sunlight
as
the
days
lengthen
...
...
By
all
accounts,
Aagjuuk
was
for
Inuit
everywhere
one
of
the
most
important
constellations.
It
seems
to
have
been
known
by
this
name,
or a
variant
of
it,
across
the
entire
Arctic
...
...
The
linking
of
Aagjuuk's
stars
with
dawn
and
solstice
were
the
characteristic
feature
of
this
constellation
recognized
as
well
by
other
Arctic
peoples,
in
particular
the
Chukchis:
'The
stars
Altair
and
Tarazed
of
the
constellation
Aquila
are
singled
out
by
the
Chukchis
as a
special
constellation,
Peggittyn.
This
constellation
is
considered
to
bring
the
light
of
the
new
year,
since
it
appears
on
the
horizon,
just
at
the
time
of
winter
solstice
...
...
An
emphatic
and,
in
our
context,
attractive
explanation
of
the
constellation's
name
is
found
in a
legend
from
Noatak,
Alaska.
Here
agruks
(Aagjuuk)
are
said
to
be
'the
two
sunbeams
of
light
cast
by
the
sun
when
it
first
reappears
above
the
horizon
in
late
December'
...
The
legend
...
then
goes
on
to
recount
how
these
two
sunbeams
were
transformed
into
stars
and
so
confirms,
from
the
Inuit
point
of
view,
the
various
and
widespread
connections
between
the
Aagjuuk
stars,
winter
solstice,
daylight,
and
the
return
of
the
Sun
...
...Many
of
the
elders
interviewed
recalled
as
children
being
sent
outside
in
the
dark
winter
mornings
to
see
if
Aagjuuk
were
visible.
The
term
'aagjuliqtuq'
('it
is
making
the
sign
of
Aagjuuk')
implied
that
the
day's
activities
should
begin:
'These
stars
were
used
to
determine
the
passage
of
time.
Before
the
break
of
dawn
we
would
visit
our
elder
and
he
would
ask
if
it
was
'Aagjulirtuq'.
Aagjuuk
are
located
above
the
daylight
... |
The Polynesians
have another
'geography', but
the double-star
(sunbeams)
concept surely
could have been
the same. The
double ragi
glyphs at the
beginning of the
year, in for
instance
Aa1-1--8, may
stand for how
the two sunbeams
were
'transformed'
into two stars
defining the
coming presence of the
sun:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Aa1-1 |
Aa1-2 |
Aa1-3 |
Aa1-4 |
Aa1-5 |
Aa1-6 |
Aa1-7 |
Aa1-8 |
The parallel
glyphs in H/P/Q
give additional
information:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ha5-26 |
Ha5-27 |
Ha5-28 |
Ha5-29 |
Ha5-30 |
Ha5-31 |
Ha5-32 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Pa5-8 |
Pa5-9 |
Pa5-10 |
Pa5-11 |
Pa5-12 |
Pa5-13 |
Pa5-14 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Qa5-16 |
Qa5-17 |
Qa5-18 |
Qa5-19 |
Qa5-20 |
Qa5-21 |
Qa5-22 |
Ha5-27--28 could
be interpreted
as showing 2 + 1
= 3 stars (by
way of 'flames'
on ragi).
The single
'flame' in
Ha5-28 could
refer to
Ana-roto
(the season
ruled by Spica).
The double
'flames' in
Ha5-27 could
refer to the
twin sunbeams
converted into
Ana-mua
(Antares) and
Ana-muri
(Aldebaran), at
the beginning
respectively the
end of the
season when
kaikai would
be forbidden.
In Pa5-9--10
another picture
is given. The
twin eye-ears in
tagata
seem to reappear
as twin 'flames'
(stars) in the
two identical
ragi signs.
The left
tagata (in
Pa5-9) is drawn
with an open
contour line -
possibly
indicating the
dark half of the
year. Ordinal
number 9
suggests one
beyond the
living 8 periods
of the sun,
while 10
suggests the
last phase of a
solar calendar.
Likewise
Qa5-17--18 has
twice 2
'flames'. A, P,
and Q seem to
agree in this
picture, while
in H room is
given for Spica.
The ordinal
numbers in A, P,
and Q may also
concur:
4 is the last
(dark) quarter.
10 is the last
(dark) 'month'.
18 is the last
(dark?) 20-day
period. In H, on
the other hand,
ordinal number
28 could be the
last sun-lit
moon.
From Spica (28)
to Antares is
about half a
quarter:
...
The distance in
the sky between
for instance
Antares and
Spica will be 16
h 26 m minus 13
h 23 m.
Converting to
minutes: 16 * 60
+ 26 = 986
respectively 13
* 60 + 23 = 803.
986 - 803 = 183
and the ratio
between 183 and
24 * 60 (= 1440)
is 0.127, i.e.
the stars are
about 0.127 *
360 = 46º apart
from each other.
You can see both
at the same
time. (If none
of them are
below the
horizon in the
north or south.)
This fact
implies a
division of the
year into 8
equal parts, 4
in the sun-light
and 4 in his
absence.
When we can see
the 'face' of
the 'sun'
tagata seems
to be the
appropriate
glyph type,
while in his
absence ragi
may signify how
two of his six
flames shine
behind the
'mountain'. 4 of
his 'flames' are
located in broad
day-light:
|
1 |
Ana-mua,
entrance
pillar |
Antares,
α
Scorpii |
δ =
-26°
19' |
|
2 |
Ana-muri,
rear
pillar
(at
the
foot
of
which
was
the
place
for
tattooing) |
Aldebaran,
α
Tauri |
δ =
16°
25' |
|
3 |
Ana-roto,
middle
pillar |
Spica,
α
Virginis |
δ =
-10°
54' |
|
4 |
Ana-tipu,
upper-side-pillar
(where
the
guards
stood) |
Dubhe,
α
Ursae
Majoris |
δ =
62°
01' |
|
5 |
Ana-heu-heu-po,
the
pillar
where
debates
were
held |
Alphard,
α
Hydrae |
δ =
-08°
26' |
|
6 |
Ana-tahua-taata-metua-te-tupu-mavae,
a
pillar
to
stand
by |
Arcturus,
α
Bootis |
δ =
19°
27' |
|
7 |
Ana-tahua-vahine-o-toa-te-manava,
pillar
for
elocution |
Procyon,
α
Canis
Minoris |
δ =
05°
21' |
|
8 |
Ana-varu,
pillar
to
sit
by |
Betelgeuse,
α
Orionis |
δ =
07°
24' |
|
9 |
Ana-iva,
pillar
of
exit |
Phaed,
γ
Ursae
Majoris |
δ =
53°
50' |
|
10 |
Ana-nia,
pillar-to-fish-by |
North
Star,
α
Ursae
Minoris |
δ =
89°
02' |
While the
triplet at the
beginning may
refer to the sun
presence the
triplet at the
end may refer to
sun in Hiva.
Number 9 is
Ana-iva and
nine is iva,
alluding to
Hiva. The
very high
declinations in
9-10 also
suggest Hiva.
Betelgeuse is
the 8th pillar
and evidently
marks the
entrance of the
Hiva
season.
1 + 7 = 8,
varu, and 2
+ 7 = 9,
(h)iva, the
rear (muri)
mirrored by exit
(iva). 3
+ 7 = 10,
ni(k)a, with
the middle
pillar (roto)
mirrored by the
coconut palm,
ni(ka)u.
The entrance (mua)
seems to be
equal with
sitting down
(setting) - both
are borders -
and varu
(8) alludes to
varua
(spirit) -
Ana-varu
(Betelgeuse) is
the place of
being
transformed into
a spirit. The
spirits will, I
imagine, fly up
to the pillar in
the north.
We should
compare with how
the day calendar
in Tahua
is structured:
In the centre we
have 5 ahi
(1+3+1)
mentioned. 5
uhi (3+1+1)
also appear. 3
hetu(u)
are localized to
a.m. before
ahi begins.
Tapamea
without uhi
seems (together
with henua
in the middle)
to suggest times
when sun is
turning his face
around. In the
year calendars
we usually see
Rei
glyphs at the
turning points.
Hokohuki
appear at
ordinal numbers
4 and 7, maybe
suggesting final
phases. 28 ín
Aa1-28 is = 4 *
7.
10 = (1+4) +
(1+2) + (1+1) =
5 + 3 + 2. The
last 2 suggests
takurua
and Aa1-36
indicates the
last phase of
the solar cycle.
Light is
returning again,
maybe indicated
by the two
'Aagjuuks'
(Antares and
Aldebaran).
There seems to
be no obvious
numerical
resemblance
between the
structures for
the day and
summer.
