TRANSLATIONS

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*Ha9-42 is related to Hb9-42. They are both ariga erua glyphs and they have the same numbers (9-42) - they are located in the same positions on opposite sides of the tablet:

glyph numbers are counted from Ha1-4
681
Hb9-42 Hb9-43 Hb9-44 (1101) *Ha9-41 *Ha9-42 *Ha9-43 (489)
1101 / 3 + 64 = 431 227 489 / 3 + 64 = 227

Ariga erua at Hb9-42 stands at the beginning of the day, while ariga erua at *Ha9-42 stands in the middle of its day. Their positions in the day reflect their positions in the year - Hb9-42 represents the new year (with the following kava denoting the new fire), while 'Ha9-42 represents the midstation (with the following ua denoting the rain which seems to arrive at that time). The distance in days measures 229 (equal to the number of glyphs on side a of G).

In Hb9-42 we can see two faces (ariga) looking at each other, and ariga erua is an adequate name. *Ha9-42, on the other hand, is a strange glyph, without heads - or 'eyes' (mata) as in the other main variant of ariga erua.

The word mata means both 'eye' and 'face'. In *Ha9-42 there are no 'eyes' (mata) nor 'faces' (mata). Therefore the label ariga erua is here rather misleading - there are no 'faces' to be seen (maybe because rain darkens the sky). At *Ha9-42 we could 'read' mata erua kore (without two 'eyes').

But in the center of *Ha9-42 there is a henua sign, which complicates matters, and this will be discussed in a separate page.

 
 

Possibly the henua sign has here been used in order to indicate that the ariga erua glyph is not connected with the true phases of the sun but is instead dictated by the structure of the calendar.

The henua sign could refer to the 'front side' ('face' side) of the calendar. In G, for instance, side a is obviously the 'front side' ('ariga') and side b the 'back side' ('tu'a'). And the henua periods in G belong on side a.

This explanation is in harmony with the 229 days common to side a in G and the table below:

681
Hb9-42 Hb9-43 Hb9-44 *Ha9-41 *Ha9-42 *Ha9-43
229

Moreover, according to H the sun seems have reached his halfway mark at Ha9-2, 12 days before *Ha9-42:

36
Ha9-2 Ha9-3 Ha9-4 *Ha9-41 *Ha9-42 *Ha9-43
150 12 489 / 3 = 163

Counting days from winter solstice instead, would change day 150 into day number 150 + 64 = 214, a month after midsummer (214 - 183 = 31).

163 + 64 = 227 is only 2 days before day 229:

*Ha9-44 *Ha9-45 *Ha9-46 *Ha9-47 *Ha9-48 *Ha9-49
228 229

In *Ha9-48 the sitting down figure is turned around and looking back. His front 'fist' is held high, as if filled with promise about the future. A moon sign is used as 'elbow ornament', which seems to say that it is the back side (tu'a) which lies ahead.

9 * 48 = 432, presumably alluding to the 432 days ín the text. In *Ha9-49 the central gap in the glyph confirms that one 'chapter' has ended and another lies ahead. The sign resembles that in Eb6-1:

Eb5-29 Eb5-30 Eb5-31
Eb5-32 Eb5-33 Eb5-34
Eb5-35 Eb6-1 Eb6-2

I have not mentioned the burnt area which comes only 'around the corner':

Ha9-1 Ha9-2 Ha9-3 Ha9-4
Ha9-5 Ha9-6 Ha9-7
13 'missing' glyphs
Ha9-8
*Ha9-22 *Ha9-23 *Ha9-24 *Ha9-25
*Ha9-26 *Ha9-27 *Ha9-28 *Ha9-29

We have found that the 'deep gash' and other imperfections in the tablet were there already before the creator of the text incised his glyphs. We do not yet know if also the part of the tablet surface which has been destroyed by fire also was present before the glyphs were carved.

The parallel Q text has here (between Ha9-7 and Ha9-8) an inserted (redmarked below) 7-glyph long sequence (the first of three similar such):

Here we have a sequence of glyphs which occur only in the text of Small St Petersburg Tablet. But there this kind of 'interlude' recurs twice more later on (as can be seen below).
- -
Qa8-31 Qa8-32 Qa8-33 Qa8-34 Qa8-35 Qa8-36 Qa8-37
...
Qb3-26 Qb3-27 Qb3-28 Qb3-29 Qb3-30 Qb3-31 Qb3-32 Qb3-101
Qb4-35 Qb4-36 Qb4-37 Qb4-38 Qb4-39

This is a strong sign, but what does it mean? Counting glyphs we find Qa8-31 to be number 295 (the sum up to and including line Qa7) + 31 = 326. In days it means 326 / 2 = 163 (from the beginning of side a). We can add 64 and then we have 227, which we recognize from the H text:

glyph numbers are counted from Ha1-4
681
Hb9-42 Hb9-43 Hb9-44 (1101) *Ha9-41 *Ha9-42 *Ha9-43 (489)
1101 / 3 + 64 = 431 227 489 / 3 + 64 = 227

Qa8-37 will be the second half of day 230 (counted from winter solstice):

Qa8-24 Qa8-25 (320) Qa8-26 Qa8-27 Qa8-28 Qa8-29
320 / 2 + 64 = 224 225 226
Qa8-30 Qa8-31 Qa8-32 Qa8-33 Qa8-34 Qa8-35
227 228 229
Qa8-36 Qa8-37 Qa8-38 Qa8-39 Qa8-40 Qa8-41
230 231 336 / 2 + 64 = 232

Day 229 (Qa8-34--35) presumably indicates the end of ariga. 3 feathers at left and 3 at right in the preceding mauga we can understand.

In H we had to add 64 days in order to reach agreement with the number of glyphs on side a of G (229). In Q we also must do so. On the other hand, in G we usually count 230 days from Gb8-30 to the end of side a, and then we add 64 to calibrate after winter solstice, 230 + 64 = 284.

Anyhow, the last glyph before the fire damage in H is a peculiar hua poporo, which very well may have been intended to say that here comes a black part (blackended by fire) and a part (of the text) which is missing:

13 'missing' glyphs
Ha9-8