|
3.
There could be an
orifice (a
hole, pu) in the centre of vaha kai. Holes are dark,
cold and often filled with water. A hole could be the entrance to
the world below.
There are holes around the horizon, through which the winds, the
celestial bodies, and ships must find their way. At the horizon in
the northeast sun emerges every morning. At the opposite horizon sun
leaves in the evening. Morning 'birth' and evening 'death' are then
transposed to the year, with sun reappearing around spring equinox
and leaving again half a year later.
Sun is reborn through an orifice (a 'birth canal') which seemingly
leads him back to our world after having being recycled, 'eaten', by
the opening in the west. Down he went into the underworld, through
which he must travel during the night to reappear fresh again in the
east in the morning.
... 'My child', said
Makea now in a tone of deep sorrow, 'there has been a bad omen
for us. When I performed the tohi ceremony over you I missed
out a part of the prayers. I remebered it too late. I am afraid this
means that you are going to die.' 'What's she like, Hine nui te
Po?' asked Maui. 'Look over there', said Makea,
pointing to the ice-cold mountains beneath the flaming clouds of
sunset. 'What you see there is Hine nui, flashing where the
sky meets the earth. Her body is like a woman's, but the pupils of
her eyes are greenstone and her hair is kelp. Her mouth is that of a
barracuda, and in the place where men enter her she has sharp teeth
of obsidian and greenstone ...
This idea may have guided the creator of the G text when he decided
to put a
vaha kai at the end of the year:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Gb5-6 (360) |
Gb5-7 |
Gb5-8 |
Gb5-9 |
Gb5-10 |
Gb5-11 |
Gb5-12 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Gb5-13 |
Gb5-14 |
Gb5-15 |
Gb5-16 |
Gb5-17 |
Gb5-18 |
Gb5-19 |
The 4 fishes which then will rise evidently are
connected with vaha kai because we saw them also in the text
on the Paris Snuff Box:
|
