TRANSLATIONS

TRANSLATIONS

Dare we now look at the Tahua text? If so, we must look for the solstices and we must look for both honui glyphs and honu glyphs with holes, a formidable task indeed.

These are the honui glyphs, they are 7 (side a) + 5 (side b) = 12 in number:


Aa3-35	Aa3-46	Aa4-21	Aa4-22

Aa4-68	Aa4-72	Aa5-24

Ab2-16	Ab5-5	Ab5-10	Ab7-21	Ab7-45

Then there are 23 glyphs of the type of honu which seems to have a tendency to appear at solstices, 10 on side a and 13 on side b. 4 of the 23 have holes (redmarked below), 2 on side a and 2 on side b:


Aa1-58	Aa1-80	Aa2-25	Aa3-67	Aa4-11

Aa6-77	Aa7-50	Aa7-51	Aa7-69	Aa8-25

Ab1-6	Ab1-45	Ab1-56	Ab1-68	Ab1-71

Ab2-62	Ab3-43	Ab5-53	Ab6-77	Ab6-82

Ab7-7	Ab7-25	Ab8-62

Let us insert the ordinal numbers for the 16 glyphs we should take a primary interest in:


Aa3-35 (210)	Aa3-46 (221)	Aa4-21 (272)	Aa4-22 (273)

Aa4-68 (319)	Aa4-72 (323)	Aa5-24 (357)

Ab2-16 (768)	Ab5-5 (999)	Ab5-10 (1004)	Ab7-21 (1187)	Ab7-45 (1211)


Aa6-77 (493)	Aa8-25 (610)	Ab7-25 (1191)	Ab8-62 (1312)

There is only one example where a honui glyph comes close to a honu glyph with a hole (redmarked). We have encountered Ab7-25 earlier.

		258			258
Ab1-1	Ab1-2		Ab4-17	Ab4-18		Ab7-25	Ab7-26
1	2		261	1		260	261

Looking at the glyphs surrounding Ab7-25 we can find an allusion to a hole in the internal parallel Aa5-6 which is a tagata - in other words very close to a honui glyph:


Ab7-24	Ab7-25	Ab7-26


Aa5-4	Aa5-5	Aa5-6	Aa5-7

The time for Aa5-6, according to our viri investigations, seems to be the beginning of the 2nd cycle of the sun (just after midsummer). Hau tea in Aa5-5 shows the 'spreading out' ('multiplying', spring) season is at left (in the past). 14 glyphs earlier an important honui glyph (Aa4-72) indicates a gap in time:

		15			270
Aa4-71	Aa4-72	15	Aa5-6	Aa5-7	270	Aa8-26
*290 = 10 29**

To count the ordinal numbers of the glyphs we should presumably beging not at Aa1-1 but from the earlier pito glyph (Ab8-43), we have found earlier (at vae kore).

With 2 glyphs per day (the assumption we have used for locating kuhane stations in Tahua) ordinal number 365 for Aa4-72 is to be read as half that number in days:


Aa4-70	Aa4-71	Aa4-72	Aa4-73	Aa4-74	Aa4-75
363	364	365	366	367	368
182		183		184

If we reduce 183 days with the 3 weeks from pito at Ab8-43 to the end of side b, we will have 183 - 21 = 162 days left, equal to 9 * 18, which could be a way to say that sun (18 as in 180) has reached his limit (9). Furthermore, 4-72 can be read as 4 * 72 = 288, and with 2 glyphs per day that means 144 = 12 * 12 - a sun square is finished.

... The break between the left and right parts of Aa4-72 confirms the interpretation of Aa4-71 as the 364th day of the year:


Aa4-70	Aa4-71	Aa4-72	Aa4-73	Aa4-74
363	364	365	366	367

Hanga Te Pau ought then to be at Aa4-73, and the little bulb at bottom right could mean pau, while the general bent form possibly alludes to haga rave. We can compare with G:


Gb5-12	*haga rave*	inverted haga rave	Aa4-73

We should notice the possible connection between Aa4-73 and the likewise with 6 'feathers' adorned Aa8-31:

		290
Aa4-72	Aa4-73		Aa8-30	Aa8-31
365	366		657	658

In Aa8-31 the hua sign is up, in Aa4-73 down. In Aa8-31 it is drawn as the sail (Raá) of a moon crescent canoe, in Aa4-73 it is drawn - it can be imagined - as if it was the anchor stone at Hanga Te Pau (the 'rest in peace' bay for the 365-day long sun year) ...

The 'bulb' at bottom is a hipu sign. Once in a while we see two such, one at left and one at right, as in e.g. pare glyphs:


Ha3-11	Ha10-31

I guess double hipu signs are used much as the double moe glyphs in manu kake, i.e. indicating that one part of a season is ending and another part of the same season is beginning: