TRANSLATIONS

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The next chapter is nuku:

 

A few preliminary remarks and imaginations:

1. The missing arms could be a sign of the same category as vae kore (missing legs):

vae kore

nuku

Arms are, like hands and fingers, called rima and without arms it would be rima kore.

Rima

1. Hand, also, but improperly, fingers, forearm; te ko mu'a o te rima, palm of the hand; te ko tu'a o te rima, back of the hand; rima hakaturu, generous, liberal, munificent; tagata rima pu'a, helper; rima hakakau, generous hands, open-handed person; rima matu'a neanea, thumb. 2. Fifth; e-rima, ka-rima, five. Vanaga.

1. Five. P Mgv., Ta.: rima, id. Mq.: ima, id. 2. Arm, hand; rima atakai, obliging, kind, generous, a gift, rima tuku, elbow, rima omo, infidelity, faithless, unfaithful, rima o te kahu, sleeve, kakari rima, wrist. P Pau.: rima, hand, arm. Mgv.: rima, hand, arm, paw, finger. Mq.: ima, hand, arm. Ta.: rima, arm, hand, finger. Rimahakaviriviri, fist, to clench the fist, a blow of the fist. Rimahati, one-armed. Rima ko manaroa, little finger T. Rimamatua neanea, thumb. Rimaroaroa tahaga, middle finger T. Rimatitiri, to walk with the hands behind the back. Rimaruru, to clasp hands. Rimatuhi henna (?) index finger T. Rimatuhi a hana, finger ring T (? ring finger). 3. To lead into error; rimaetua, supernatural, Mq.: imaima, that which returns after a man's death, Ta.: rimaatua, plague, dissension, mortal illness. Churchill.

Rimatitiri is to walk with the hands (and the arms too of course) behind the back. When there are no arms visible, it could be a way to say that there is no fire (i.e. no sun). Rima also means 5, and a closed fist evidently can be used to indicate the beginning of 5 sun doublemonths:

Aa8-26 Aa8-27 Aa8-28 Aa8-29 Aa8-30 Aa8-31

No arms (rima kore) will then be the beginning of the season thereafter, autumn.

 

 

2. Another sign to consider in nuku glyphs are the legs. They suggest moving.

The solstices are times of no movement, presumably expressed by haga rave:

*Qa7-17 (271) *Qb5-17 (591)
Hanga Takaure Hanga Hoonu

Here both glyphs are number 17 in their glyph lines, which probably indicates that movement is about to begin again. Haga rave is at left. But neither nuku nor honu have yet developed legs.

The day numbers can be counted as 271 / 2 + 64 = 199.5 respectively 591 / 2 + 64 = 359.5

When honu moves he may be swimming (kau), that is what Metoro sometimes said:

*Ca14-19 *Ca14-20 *Ca14-21 *Ca14-22 *Ca14-23
te henua honu kau te mata te honu kua heheu

Though kau also means to 'multiply'.

At winter solstice the land is as if submerged - light is so poor - but when in high summer the horse-fly (takaure) arrives, there is land to walk on.

A wordplay may be involved, because takau means 10 pairs, and if we count with a year measuring 20 * 20 = 400 days, 10 pairs of 20 is equal to 200. *Qa7-17 will then be the first part of the 'zero day' in the middle of the year:

*Qa7-15 *Qa7-16 (270) *Qa7-17 *Qa7-18 *Qa7-19 *Qa7-20
199 = 270 / 2 + 64 0 1

 

To which can be added that takau-re can suggest that 'myriads' of souls are departing (rere):

Re

Pau.: victory. Ta.: re, prize in any contest, prey. Mgv.: Re-mai, to emerge from prison, to recover from illness, delivered from evil. Mq.: ee, to go, to escape. Sa.: lele, to go out (of the passing soul). Ha.: lele, to depart (of the spirit). Churchill.

The time to leave this earth should coincide with the time when sun is leaving.