TRANSLATIONS

TRANSLATIONS

In the Mamari moon calendar there are 8 periods evenly divided into two halves (36 + 36 glyphs), and in each of the periods a complex glyph has sun (hetuu) at left and moon (ika) at right (excepting the special Ca7-1):


Ca6-21	Ca7-1	Ca7-12	Ca7-20

Ca7-29	Ca8-7	Ca8-15	Ca8-26

The moon fishes are moving upwards during waxing and downwards during waning. The rima aueue signs are all of the same general kind (with 'knee').

At the time of full moon (inserted at the end of period 4) Metoro said te kava when commenting Ca7-21:


Ca7-21	Ca7-22	Ca7-23	Ca7-24 (36)

The form at left (another entity than marama at right) I once identifed as rima aueue when classifiying all glyphs. It is different from the other 8 rima aueue signs, it is an extension downwards from waxing moon (left). Sun is not involved.

Waxing moon is drawn to be in a higher position than waning moon, which is necessary when a fluid should run from waxing to waning.

The transfer from waxing to waning occurs after 32 glyphs, where 32 probably is expressing the final of 'multiplication' (growth). After 32 glyphs full moon is reached, a time when moon does not grow any more (but still has not begun to wane).

It is rather strange, I think, that waxing moon and waning moon not are drawn as a single entity. It gives the impression of fluid not coming over from waxing to waning. Maybe that was the intention. Without any input waning moon must wane.

I must add this thought:

... A transfer from waxing to waning cannot occur before 33 glyphs, because 32 probably was the number used to express the last phase of 'multiplication' (growth). After 32 full moon has been reached, a time when moon does not grow any more (but still has not begun to wane).

Although the Easter Islanders certainly knew that waxing and waning moon were just the two sides of a single 'coin', the left and right sides of Ca7-21 are drawn as two separate entities. The idea may have been to illustrate how the flow is blocked, that there is no input to waning moon and that therefore she is bound to wane.

Tagata in Ga1-29 has the appearance of a ghost, no head, and open both at the neck and at the end of rima aueue:


Ga1-26	Ga1-27	Ga1-28	Ga1-29	Ga1-30

It is like a mirror image of tagata at day 359, and if the right arm there indicates sun has reached to his limit, then the ghostly reversed aueue left arm in Ga1-29 should mean that sun has not yet been born, so far being only in the dark (like a figment of the mind):

side a			side b
28		200	128		*112 = 4 28**
	Ga1-29			Gb5-5 (359)

4 * 28 = 112 glyphs remain beyond Gb5-5 to the end of side b and 28 glyphs come on side a before Ga1-29, together 5 * 28 = 140 glyphs. Another numerical sign proving that Ga1-29 and Gb5-5 really belong together is 129 (as in Ga1-29) glyphs on side b up to and including Gb5-5.

200 + 100 = 300 is a reasonable guess, and we can indeed find a kind of confirmation, a curious upside down 'person' as the 300th glyph (counted beyond Ga1-29):

	200	99			27
Ga1-29			Gb4-9	Gb4-10		Gb5-5
	300			29

What this table tells us is that 472 (the total number of glyphs in the G text - with Gb8-30 counted twice) can be regarded as 300 (the number of days allotted to the sun) + 30 (Gb8-30--Ga1-29) + 30 (Gb4-10--Gb5-6) + 112. 472 = 12 * 30 + 4 * 28.

Gb4-9 is one of the few glyphs in G which I was unable to classify into one of the defined glyph types:


Ga1-1	Ga6-5	Gb1-21	Gb2-16	Gb3-3	Gb3-6

Gb3-16	Gb4-9	Gb6-3	Gb6-7

Presumably the creator of rongorongo texts used unique eye-catching odd glyphs to focus attention, in which case e.g. Ga1-1 was constructed to inform the reader where to begin:


Ga1-1	Gb1-1

Gb1-1 then comes as an affirmation, the first (8-feathered) creature is 'wilting', but a new is rising from its 'beak'. Ga1-1 is bent in the other direction and has an open 'mouth'.

In Gb4-9 the left arm of the person going down is ghostly, although it looks as if it is at right because of the rotation.

⅔ of 300 glyphs are on side a. We should locate the middle:

98 98

Ga1-30 (31) Ga5-19 Ga5-20 Ga8-26

100 100

5 * 20 (in Ga5-20) = 100 is a sign of confirmation, 100 days have elapsed. The time is the ominous 19th period:

19
19	Ga5-17	Ga5-18	Ga5-19	Ga5-20	Ga5-21

A spear (vero) threatens to kill the king (maybe henua here - both at Ga5-18 and Ga5-20 - alludes to the wooden staff of the spear):

"A vestige of the practice of putting the king to death at the end of a year's reign appears to have survived in the festival called Macahity, which used to be celebrated in Hawaii during the last month of the year.

About a hundred years ago a Russian voyager described the custom as follows: 'The taboo Macahity is not unlike to our festival of Christmas. It continues a whole month, during which the people amuse themselves with dances, plays, and sham-fights of every kind. The king must open this festival wherever he is.

On this occasion his majesty dresses himself in his richest cloak and helmet, and is paddled in a canoe along the shore, followed sometimes by many of his subjects. He embarks early, and must finish his excursion at sunrise.

The strongest and most expert of the warriors is chosen to receive him on his landing. The warrior watches the canoe along the beach; and as soon as the king lands, and has thrown off his cloak, he darts his spear at him, from a distance of about thirty paces, and the king must either catch the spear in his hand, or suffer from it: there is no jesting in the business.

Having caught it, he carries it under his arm, with the sharp end downwards, into the temple or heavoo. On his entrance, the assembled multitude begin their sham-fights, and immediately the air is obscured by clouds of spears, made for the occasion with blunted ends.

Hamamea (the king) has been frequently advised to abolish this ridiculous ceremony, in which he risks his life every year; but to no effect. His answer always is, that he is as able to catch a spear as any one on the island is to throw it at him.

During the Macahity, all punishments are remitted throughout the country; and no person can leave the place in which he commences these holidays, let the affair be ever so important.'" (The Golden Bough)

The last comment suggests a connection with solstice.

We should also locate the 400th day:

	98			100
Gb1-1		Gb4-9 (330)	Gb4-10		Gb6-17 (430)	Gb6-18
100			100

Fists held high without letting any light out seems to be the sign of the season beyond 300. But the 400-mark can be of no significance for the sun, because he cannot reach to 400.