TRANSLATIONS

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The discussion about the meaning of koti at Ab4-36 begins with this page:

 

The Tahua text is not easy to comprehend. But we can begin with a 'global map' which we can recognize:

In G glyph numbers are counted from Gb8-30, in A from Ab8-41:
Te Pei

8 * 29.5 = 236
Gb1-6 (236) Gb1-7 Aa6-10 Aa6-11 (472) Aa6-12 Aa6-13
Te Pou

9 * 29.5 = 265.5
Gb2-10 (266) Gb2-11 Aa6-69 Aa6-70 (531) Aa6-71 Aa6-72
Hatinga Te Kohe

12 * 29.5 = 354
Gb4-33 (354) Gb5-1 Aa8-77 Aa8-78 (708) Aa8-79 Aa8-80
Hanga Te Pau
Gb5-12 (366) Ab1-16 Ab1-17 (732)
732 / 2 = 366

There are 2 days from Hanga Te Pau to the last of the 368 days:

732 596
Ab8-41 (1) Ab8-42 Ab1-20 Ab1-21 (736) Ab1-22 Ab1-23 Ab8-39 Ab8-40
day 1 366 736 / 2 = 368 day 1 298 300
(1334 + 2) glyphs = 668 days = 368 + 300

Koti in Ab4-36 comes after Hanga Te Pau, it is located among the 300 following days.

 

Next page (with underpage):

 

Next we will put Rogo (as he looks at winter solstice) into his proper place in the 'map' according to Tahua.

A separate page 'proves' he must be in day 361:

718 12
Ab8-41 (1) Ab8-42 Ab1-6 Ab1-7 Ab1-20 Ab1-21 (736)
day 1 359 361 6 736 / 2 = 368
596
Ab1-22 Ab1-23 Ab8-39 Ab8-40
day 1 298 300

The pure glyph at Ab1-7 at first seems to be out of place. Rogo is the 'god' of spring life but pure is the oppositte, the empty sea-shell from which all life has fled.

However, looking closer we will find a break at right in pure - by cause of which it cannot be an empty sea-shell, it must be its opposite. Maybe someone has moved in.

 
 

Among the 59 honu glyphs listed by me for Tahua I can identify 24 Rogo glyphs, 8 of which (redmarked) have legs (cannot be at a solstice):

Aa1-58 Aa1-80 Aa2-25 Aa3-67 Aa4-11 Aa4-13
Aa6-77 Aa7-50 Aa7-51 Aa7-69 Ab1-6 Ab1-45
Ab1-56 Ab1-68 Ab1-71 Ab2-62 Ab3-43 Ab5-53
Ab6-77 Ab6-82 Ab7-7 Ab7-25 Ab7-53 Ab8-62

After discarding those with legs and those which do not show both their mata, the rest are these:

Aa1-80 Aa3-67 Aa4-11 Aa7-50 Aa7-51 Ab1-6
Ab5-53 Ab6-82 Ab7-25 Ab7-53 Ab8-62

The three redmarked glyphs have holes, are 'empty', and cannot reasonably be at winter solstice. Therefore the end of side b is not at winter solstice, rather at the end of summer. This agrees with 300 days as a measure from winter solstice to Te Pei.

But side b must then be the 'front side' (which Metoro maybe understood because he began reading on side b). We should search for winter solstice where the 368 days are ending (close to Hanga Te Pau). Only Ab1-6 is possible:

glyph numbers are counted from Ab8-41
Aa8-85 Ab1-1 (716) Ab1-2 Ab1-3 Ab1-4 Ab1-5 Ab1-6 (721) Ab1-7
358 359 360 361

1-6 is the reverse of 61 (in 361), which could be a coincidence. Or not. 361 indicates 1 day beyond 360, a dark day, while 1-6 easily can be understood as 'the beginning of the first day of the recycled Rogo', a day of returning light.

Another, only slightly different, Rogo is at Aa3-67 (as if saying '1 more than 366'):

Aa3-53 Aa3-54 Aa3-55 Aa3-56 Aa3-57 Aa3-58 Aa3-59 Aa3-60
Aa3-61 Aa3-62 Aa3-63 Aa3-64 Aa3-65 Aa3-66 Aa3-67 Aa3-68 (288)

This Rogo is strongly supported by the glyph numbers. If both these Rogo glyphs are referring to winter solstice, then the solstice must stretch for at least 367 - 360 = 7 days:

718 12
Ab8-41 (1) Ab8-42 Ab1-6 (721) Ab1-7 Ab1-20 Ab1-21 (736)
day 1 359 361 6 736 / 2 = 368

Rogo at Ab1-6 has his bulbous body assymmetrically oriented towards right, Rogo at Aa3-67 towards left.

Mea ke at Aa3-68 'proves' two important things for us. First, that the hardly noticeable koti sign at right in pure (Ab1-7) is no coincidence, because a similar 'break' can be observed at left in Aa3-68. Mea ke means the maximum of darkness at winter solstice, but when the glyph is 'broken' it means these 'shadows' are broken. Light is returning.

Secondly, the ordinal number of Aa3-68 (scounted from Aa1-1) is equal to 36 * 8. This reinforces my suggestion of 1336 as the length of the Tahua text cycle: 13 * 36 = 468, and 46 * 8 = 368, and 36 * 8 = 288.

 

Next page:

 

Now, we can try to identify in which day (counted from winter solstice) koti at Ab4-36 is located.

glyph numbers are counted from Ab8-41
Ab4-33 Ab4-34 Ab4-35 Ab4-36 (995) Ab4-37 Ab4-38
Ab4-39 Ab4-40 Ab4-41 (1000) Ab4-42

995 / 2 = 497.5 > 368. Therefore we can begin counting days from the 1st of those 300 (which apparently stretch from winter solstice to Te Pei). Ab4-36 will then be glyph number 995 - 736 = 259:

glyph numbers are counted from Ab1-22
Ab4-32 Ab4-33 (256) Ab4-34 Ab4-35 Ab4-36 (259) Ab4-37
128 129 day 260 / 2 = 130
Ab4-38 Ab4-39 Ab4-40 Ab4-41 (264)
131 132

Let us compare with G, to see how day 130 (counted from winter solstice) is described in that text:

2
Ga3-6 (66) Ga3-7 Ga3-8 Ga3-9

The season is early spring. Both 3-6 and 66 are significant and we can conclude that day 130 is special. There is a 'break in time' from day 130 to day 131:

day 130 manu rere tagata day 131
Ab4-37 (260) Ab4-38
Ga3-6 (66) Ga3-7

The 'fists' are closed. Ua (Ab4-40) is still in command, and tapa mea is reversed.

 

66 + 64 = 130. Maybe the curious top sign at right in Ab4-38 illustrates the topknot from where Maui will emerge. If so, then the remarkable manu rere in Ab4-37 could be Tuna.

And he could be illustrated in Ga3-4 too, with Maui like a flame-formed moa triumphantly shouting out his victory:

Ga2-27 Ga2-28 Ga2-29 Ga3-1
Ga3-2 Ga3-3 Ga3-4 Ga3-5

Ga3-3 is the 3rd glyph from manu kake, as if to say '3' is the number of the season which is beginning:

296
Ga3-1 (61) Gb5-4 Gb5-5 Gb5-6 (360)
300

The view from the Tuna perspective is rather that with 260 days (the ordinal number for Tuna in Ab4-37) and he is a kind of fish of night:

258
Ga4-21 (105) Gb5-10 (364)
260
360 4 * 15 = 60 20 * 15 = 300 24 * 15
364 4 * 26 = 104 10 * 26 = 260 14 * 26

Vaha kai at Ga5-10 is oriented diametrically opposed to that in Ca3-10, and formed like an ear rather than a mouth:

Gb5-10 Ca3-10 Ca3-11 Ab4-34

Maybe this reversed orientation is connected with Tuna rather than with Maui. Ears are used in the night.

The last and summary page for koti:

 

 

The koti glyph type probably illustrates a broken egg-shell, meaning that a new little 'chicken' has been released, for instance:

Ca3-12 Ab4-36
 
In typical Polynesian manner several allusions should be understood. The 'chicken' is a new season which is arriving. The top and bottom 'shells' are in Ca3-12 and Ab4-36 drawn in different sizes, in order to illustrate what half of the year has 'been born'.
 
In Ca3-12 it is winter which has arrived, and the top ('cap') of koti is like the 'sky roof' in winter low and compressed. The bottom ('cup') is the high summer sky, which has been turned upside down.
 
In Ab4-36 (130 days after winter solstice) the reverse situation is described. The high summer roof is the cap and the low winter sky has been turned upside down, forming a cup.