BACK

The Rapanui Names of the Places and Statues

by Sergei V. Rjabchikov

1. The Rapanui place name Ahu tahu reue (Barthel 1962: 104) correlates with the Maori expression Kua tahu a Rehua (Best 1955: 56) denoting that Rehua (the star Antares) is the summer star (1). So the place name signifies 'The ceremonial platform 'The heat (associated with) Antares'' (2). Rapanui Reue, Maori Rehua, Rerehu may be connected with Maori rerehu 'heated; heating' and Niuean lefua 'chief'. One thing is abundantly clear: Rehua or Antares regarded as the sign of summer in the Maori astronomy corresponds to the star (Ariki) Mau 'Chief' (Antares) in the Rapanui folklore and rongorongo inscriptions (see my articles "The Rapanui Chant "He Timo te Akoako": Origin and Interpretation" and "Rongorongo: The Milky Way and Antares"). The following wordplay is possible for the name (Ariki) Mau 'Chief' (Antares): Tongan maafu 'chief' and maafu 'to burn; burning' (Polinskaya 1986: 319). The place name Mautu (Barthel 1962: 106) = (Ariki) Mau TUU 'The Chief STAR, Antares'. Besides, glyph 49b (ariki) mau 'king' is a fused one, it consists of two parts: 14 hau 'chief' and 41 ree 'winner' (see my article "Linguistic Evidence of Early Peruvian-Rapanui Contacts"; Rjabchikov 1998a: 278-9). The latter term is presented in the name Rehua indeed.

Now one can decode another place name, Rehu paihiihi (Barthel 1962: 107). Here Rehu is Rehua, i.e. Antares. The word paihiihi can be split into the two words pai and hiihi. The first term denotes the Paina feast (Rjabchikov 1999a), cf. also Tahitian pahi 'boat', and the second -- 'rays of the sun' (Maori hihi). So, it is safe to say that this feast was closely related with Antares' appearance.

The name of Antares (Rehue/Rehua) is also presented in the "Creation Chant": Vie Moko ki ai ki roto kia Tea, ka pu te kena. 'Goddess Moko by copulating with Whiteness produced the gannet' (3). Te Reheue ki ai ki roto Vie Raupa ka pu te raupa. 'Reheue (?) by copulating with Goddess-leaf produced the leaves' (Métraux 1940: 321).

mm1.gif

Figure 1.

Figure 1, the Santiago staff, reads: 26 26 26 6-(102)-30 6 27 26-(102)-4 Maa, maa, maa. Hana a Raumati 'The summer solstice. The heat of the summer' (4). Raumati corresponds to Maori Hina-Raumati 'personified form of summer' (Best 1955: 18). Another name of the summer, Aroaro-a-manu (Best 1955: 18) 'The Face/Day -- Bird', points to the big-eyed faces and bird cult in the Easter Island rock art (Métraux 1940: 313-4) (5). The term Raumati can be divided into rau (cf. Maori whakarau 'to multiply', Samoan malaulau 'to grow vigorously', Rapanui rau 'leaf', raua 'to form', and Tahitian rahu 'to create') and mati (cf. Maori Matiti 'a star indicating the summer; summer' and Tahitian mati 'dry'). It is possible that the star Matiti is Zuben Elschemali (Beta Librae). I have used the RedShift 2 computer program to look at the stars above Easter Island. E.g., data of December 12, A.D. 1835 are as follows: the beginning of dawn: 03:45, rising of Zuben Elschemali: 3:43. On the other hand, the star Matiti can belong to the Scorpious constellation; it is notable that names of several stars in Scorpio contain the word waka (Best 1955: 41) 'canoe'.

The terms mati and matiti compare well with Maori matua 'parent; placenta; hull or body of a canoe'. On the other hand, Rapanui koro and matua mean 'father'. Taking into account the wordplay: Maori komaru 'sun' and Rapanui komari 'vulva' (6), the figurative meaning of the month's name Koro is 'the sun; dry season' (7). Really, in the Rapanui language Koro means 'December (January)' (Métraux 1940: 51); Koro is "actually December and month of the summer solstice" (Barthel 1978: 50). The name of the eighth month, Tuaharo (cf. Maori month's name Haratua) means 'The return journey, i.e. the months after the summer solstice' (Tua hara) (8). The figure of a birdman at Orongo (Lavachery 1939: fig. 333) includes glyph 8 matua, and glyphs 30-30 anaana 'shining; bright; shine; to shine' and seven cupules alongside each other. This is description of Koro, the month of the summer solstice. It is the seventh month, since Maro, the month of the winter solstice, is the first month of the Rapanui calendar (9). Plainly, the birdman cult was united with the solar cult on Easter Island.

In the light of the new data the word 26-4 matua recorded among the Rapanui petroglyphs (Rjabchikov 1997a) can be interpreted as the month Koro, dry season, symbolic boat, star Matiti as well. The picture of the hillside site, Papa te Kena (Lee 1999: 47, fig. 8) contains several motifs. The central designs are two fish and combination 26-4 matua/mati 'father, placenta, Atua-Matua, month Koro, dry, summer, the star Matiti'. Notice that Fish is a symbol of the god Tangaroa in the Maori religion (Buck 1966: 439). Besides, the vulva sign (cf. glyphs 1 tiko 'menstruation', Tiki and 64 mea 'red; genitals') is displayed on a stone as a fish god (Thomson 1891: 537; Métraux 1940: 264; Rjabchikov 1999b: 14). Another vulva sign is engraved on a fish net weight (Ayres and Ayres 1995: 127-8). Therefore it is likely that both fish stand for the sun god. Glyphs 41-4 17 Retu tea 'The White Face' are inscribed below. This text is analogous to the name of the summer, Aroaro-a-manu, in Maori (see above) and describes the sun deity (Rjabchikov 1997b: 42). The place name Retu (Barthel 1962: 107) 'Tattooing of the forehead' is registered. The elements of the calendar are distinguished in the upper part of the picture. The water sign (cf. glyph 33 vai, ua 'water, rain') denotes the first night Hiro of the old Rapanui calendar (see my article "Some Remarks on Rongorongo": fig. 6). Below the water sign there are 13 lines and 4 shorter lines which may be the signs of the nights/days (cf. Rapanui tika 'landmark', titika 'direct; direct line', Maori totika 'direct', whakatika 'to direct').

W. Geiseler recorded the names of several statues in 1882: "The old Rapanui man was able to name each of these idols. Kimati-tuhi-matitoe was the name of one group of three idols standing at the very top, then the names ko hiavi, kerimuti, kopo, ko kona heroa were given..." (Ayres and Ayres 1995: 25). The first name, Kimati-tuhi-matitoe, is Ki mati tuhi mati toe indeed. Notice that the word mati is written down twice. The word tuhi means 'star' in Rapanui, cf. also Maori tuhi 'to shine; to glow; to gleam'. The preposition ki 'toward, to, for, at' (kia 'toward, to, for, according to') is same as in the rongorongo text about the stars (see my article "Guy's Reviews Examined"). Hence mati and toe may be the stars' names. Really, Mati accords with Matiti 'the star Zuben Elschemali, or a star in Scorpio', and Toe is ko Toe 'a star in the Auriga (Charioteer) constellation, perhaps Capella (Alpha Aurigae)'. Let us study the names of the neighbouring statues. Ko kona heroa means 'The bright spot' and correlates with the name of Halley's Comet (Rjabchikov 1999a: 18). Indeed, this comet was slightly brighter than the stars Antares or Aldebaran on October 19, A.D. 1835 (Belyaev and Churyumov 1985: 76).

I started up the RedShift 2. For instance, data of October 19, A.D. 1835 are as follows: the moon's age: 27 (crescent), illuminated: 5%; sunsetting: 18:27, end of twilight: 19:48; Halley's Comet: setting: 20:58, it is situated in the Ophiuchus constellation, near the star Antares (Alpha Scorpii); setting of Zuben Elschemali: 19:55. That is the reason that the star's name Mati is inserted in the statue's name Kimati-tuhi-matitoe.

The moon was invisible on that day, and the statue's name Kerimuti (*keremutu) signifies 'Last (dark) nights of a month' (Rjabchikov 1998b: 65). The statue's name Kopo is Ko po 'Night' (a generic determinative). The statue's name Ko hiavi is Ko hi avi 'The light is nearby' (10); it is another description of Halley's Comet.

According to N.A. Belyaev and K.I. Churyumov (1985: 76) this comet moved from the Auriga constellation. Really, the computer shows the comet situated in this constellation on October 2, A.D. 1835. That is why the star's name Toe is inserted in the statue's name Kimati-tuhi-matitoe.

2. Geiseler collected the following statues' names: "Another group of three tipped over idols was called hogotoru; the names of three statues lying together farther along were hakataha, moi poutu, and ko hagata. A somewhat smaller idol ... was called na ivitu" (Ayres and Ayres 1995: 25). The term moi is moai 'statue'. The name Hogotoru is Hogo (= honohono) toru 'the three united (statues)'. The word Poutu is a key to these names. It can be split into Rapanui Pou 'the star Sirius' and Old Rapanui tuu 'star'. There is the name of a star, Poutu-te-rangi, in Maori (Best 1955: 41, 59). Interestingly, the words tu 'star' and rangi 'sky' occur in the Maori name just as they do in the rongorongo map of the stars (see my article "Guy's Reviews Examined"). The statue's name Hakataha signifies '(Sirius) turned away', and Ko hagata (ko hanga Ta(h)a ) -- 'the time of the Frigate Bird (the sun, a day)'. I started up the RedShift 2 again. For instance, data of February 6, A.D. 1835 are as follows: the beginning of dawn: 04:31; setting of Sirius (Alpha Canis Majoris): 04:30. The event of this sort was reflected in the three names. The statue's name Na ivitu is Naa Ivi TUU 'the costellation Capricornus is hiding' (Rjabchikov 1993b: 5; 1993c: 23). Really, on February 6, A.D. 1835 all the stars of this constellation were invisible (the end of twilight: 20:33, and for the star Secunda Giedi (Alpha2 Capricorni): rising: 04:53, setting: 17:51). Thus, these statues represented the stars.

3. The name of a cave, Ana havea, is mentioned in the Rapanui legend "The Floating Tree" (Métraux 1940: 376). A boy's words, "Old man, stand up, go", are the key to this message. Thus, the word tumu 'base; origin; source; trunk; parents' may be encoded in the original text. Actually, "the floating tree" is an ancestor, cf. Rapanui kau 'to swim', kaua 'ancestor'. The tree is the World Tree or the deity Tumu associated with the sun deity Tangaroa (Rjabchikov 1997a). It immediately follows that this place name reads Ana ha vea 'Cave of the sun' (cf. Rapanui veavea 'heat; hot; warm; to get warm'; vera 'hot; fire; to light'). Here the particle ha corresponds to the modern Rapanui particle a.

4. As has been shown earlier (see my article "Three Notes on the Easter Island Religion") Tiki (Makemake, Tane, Tangaroa) is the sun god. The place name Vai takatiki (Barthel 1962: 107) substantiates my conclusion. Here taka denotes the sun (cf. Rapanui taka 'round; bright red; ruddy', takataka 'ball, spherical, round, circle, around' (11)), so this place name means 'The water of the sun-Tiki'.

5. The term riu 'chest' is connected with the sun deity (see my article "Guy's Reviews Examined"). The place name Riu o hatu (Barthel 1962: 107) signifies 'The chest of the sun god Tiki' (12). This name is comparable with the Rapanui king's name Tagaroa Tatarara (Thomson 1981: 534) 'The Tangaroa in the Initial Darkness, the Rib' (13).

Three place names have the common beginning: Ru motu, Ru o hatu, Ru pei (Barthel 1962: 107). Ru is Maori rua 'setting-place of the sun'. In the first case, the term motu 'crack; split; cleft' is a generic determinative.

The second name means 'The sunset or the solar eclipse'. The following parallel is presented in a Rapanui chant: E Tama te Ra'a, Hiro Rangi Pakupaku. Ru, Ahi e (Englert 1948: 297). Here the sun god Tangaroa (cf. name Tama te Ra'a 'The Male/Child -- te Sun' (14) and the word ahi 'fire; light') and the chthonic god Hiro (cf. name Hiro Rangi Pakupaku and the word ru 'sunset') are mentioned together. It is felt that this is a story about a solar eclipse.

The Marquesan rock drawing (Millerstrom 1992: 21, fig. 2, the left side of the mask represented in the lower row in the middle column) contains signs which fit Rapanui glyphs 149 Hatuhatu (an epithet of the sun god) (or 109 hatu), 4 atua 'god' and 29 ru(a) 'sunset'. It may be that these symbols describe a solar eclipse.

The third name means 'The sunset (the setting of the pe'i fish)'. During the winter months the pe'i fish, together with the tunafish, were reserved for the king (Barthel 1978: 50). As tuna is a sign of the deity Tangaroa (Fedorova 1978: 24; see also my article "The Rapanui Chant "He Timo te Akoako": Origin and Interpretation"), pe'i may serve instead in the Easter Island beliefs. The wordplay is possible: pe'i 'name of a fish' and Paina 'name of a feast'.

6. Figure 2, the Keiti tablet, reads:

mm2.gif

Figure 2.

4 33 30-30 (102) 30-30 132 1 15-44 132 1 15-44 132 1 15-44 17 44 17 44 17 13-13 6-26 69-73 44 Atua ua Anaana, Anaana. Kore -- Tiki roto. Kore -- Tiki roto. Kore -- Tiki roto. Te Taha, te Taha, te Korekore. Hama Makohe TAHA 'The god/location 'The Great Shine'. Tiki in the initial darkness Kore for countless ages. The Frigate Bird (the sun), the Frigate Bird (the sun), the darkness Kore. The Frigate Bird FRIGATE BIRD (the sun) is shining' (15). Here the creation of the Universe is described (Rjabchikov 1995: 39; 1999b: 14).

The term roto 'inside' (ki roto 'within, into, inside, among') is also presented in place names Ahu roto taau renga, Roto kahi, Roto mea, Te Roto hakatere poki, Ahu roto iri are, and Roto iri are (Barthel 1962: 104, 107). The words taau 'fire; light' (16), renga 'yellow colour' (figuratively 'the sun'), kahi 'tuna' (an epithet of Tangaroa) (17), mea 'red' refer to the solar god situated in the initial Shell. The verbs hakatere 'to let go; to free', iri 'to go up' (hiri 'to elevate; to go; to appear') represent the appearance of the sun god from the Darkness. The word poki means 'child', and the word are is comparable with Maori rere 'to be born', reretahi 'one child born at a birth'. It is the author's opinion that both terms, poki and are, replace the god's name Tama (see paragraph 5). Interestingly, a story about Tangaroa and the Shell Rumia was preserved in the name of shell-fish iriare.

The place name Ahu tautira (Barthel 1962: 104) also contains the word tau associated with the god Makemake. Actually, the god Tira Koka is connected with the solar cult (see my article "The Rapanui Chant "He Timo te Akoako": Origin and Interpretation"; Rjabchikov 1996b: 40-1; 1996c: 15-6).

7. The place name Atipuha (Barthel 1962: 105) can be read as A Ti pu(h)a 'Ti was born'. It is felt that this Ti is presented in the month's name Kotuti (ko Tuti) registered in W.J. Thomson's (1891: 546) version of the Easter Island calendar. In my opinion, here the native names of the months are connected with the English names incorrectly. I read Tuti as Tu Ti 'The star Ti'.

Having studied the Maori astronomocal ideas (Best 1955), I understood that the Rapanui year commenced with the heliacal (morning) rising of the Pleiades; cf. also the place name Maru matariki (Barthel 1962: 106) 'The month Maru (Maro) -- the Pleiades'. Let us start up the RedShift 2. I have received the following dates of the new moons for A.D. 1885, 1886 and 1887:

Table 1

16.01.1885    5.01.1886   24.01.1887
15.02.1885    4.02.1886   22.02.1887
16.03.1885    5.03.1886   24.03.1887
15.04.1885    4.04.1886   23.04.1887
14.05.1885    4.05.1886   22.05.1887
12.06.1885    2.06.1886   21.06.1887
12.07.1885    1.07.1886   20.07.1887
10.08.1885   31.07.1886   19.08.1887
 8.09.1885   29.08.1886   17.09.1887
 8.10.1885   27.09.1886   16.10.1887
 6.11.1885   27.10.1886   15.11.1887
 6.12.1885   25.11.1886   14.12.1887
             25.12.1886

The dates of the heliacal risings of the Pleiades are June 8, A.D. 1885; June 9, A.D. 1886; June 9, A.D. 1887; the dates of the nearest new moons to them are New Years. Number 1 is Maro (Maru), 2 -- Anakena, 3 -- Hora-iti, 4 -- Hora-nui, 5 -- Tangaroa-uri, 6 -- Ruti, 7 -- Koro, 8 -- Tuaharo, 9 -- Tuupu, 10 -- Tarahau, 11 -- Vaitu-nui, and 12 -- Vaitu-poto:

Table 2

16.01.1885       5.01.1886 - 8  24.01.1887 - 9
15.02.1885       4.02.1886 - 9  22.02.1887 -10
16.03.1885       5.03.1886 -10  24.03.1887 -11
15.04.1885       4.04.1886 -11  23.04.1887 -12
14.05.1885       4.05.1886 -12  22.05.1887 -13
12.06.1885 - 1   2.06.1886 - 1  21.06.1887 - 1
12.07.1885 - 2   1.07.1886 - 2  20.07.1887 - 2
10.08.1885 - 3  31.07.1886 - 3  19.08.1887 - 3
 8.09.1885 - 4  29.08.1886 - 4  17.09.1887 - 4
 8.10.1885 - 5  27.09.1886 - 5  16.10.1887 - 5
 6.11.1885 - 6  27.10.1886 - 6  15.11.1887 - 6
 6.12.1885 - 7  25.11.1886 - 7  14.12.1887 - 7
                25.12.1886 - 8

I conclude that in this list there is 13th month which lasted from May 22, A.D. 1887 till June 20, A.D. 1887. To find the mysterious star Tu Ti, let us look at the starry sky on May 25, A.D. 1887. The data are as follows: the rising of the star Canopus (Alpha Carinae): 05:33; beginning of dawn: 05:34. So it is conceivable that Tu Ti is Canopus indeed.

E. Best (1955: 42) writes: "Aotahi (Canopus) is a most important star and a tapu; it is seen in the Maruaroa season, at its beginning". There are strong grounds for believing that the star Pipiri associated with the first month Maru (Maro) in the text "Apai" is Canopus indeed. The word pipiri signifies 'coherent' in Maori. In particular, the text reports: ... Ka Pipiri te hetu tau avanga ... Rau o tuu: e ka tau ra; ka Piapiri, ra ..., i.e. '... The star Pipiri (the light from the grave) is shining ... It is the birth of the star: the sun is shining; first Pipiri is shining, then the sun is shining...' Apparently it is description of the heliacal rising of Pipiri (Canopus). Rapanui avanga 'grave' has more ancient synonym ti 'grave' (Rjabchikov 1997b: 34), cf. also Samoan tia 'grave'. Because of this, the name of the month and star, Tuti, means 'The star from the grave'. The place name Pua roiti (Barthel 1962: 106) reads Pua roi ti 'The star Pipiri was born from the grave (ti)', since Maori pipiri 'coherent; to cling together' and roi 'to tie up' are closely related notions. Interestingly, Pipiri means 'a star visible in the mornings a little earlier in the year than Pleiades. Pipiri is a star which becomes visible in the eleventh month' in Maori, and 'the season about June; the cold season; the winter, the season when all things rest' in Mangarevan.

The name of Canopus (Pipiri) is also presented in the "Creation Chant": Matua-anua ki ai ki roto ki a Pipiri-hai-tau, ka pu te miro. 'The Parent-mother by copulating with Pipiri-hai-tau produced wood' (Métraux 1940: 320). This translation deserves further comment. Anu means 'cold' in Maori, so that Matua-anua means 'The Fater-Coldness (austral Winter)'. On the other hand, Pipiri-(h)ai-tau means '(The star) Pipiri giving the light, i.e. the heliacal rising of Pipiri'.

The lean season is mentioned in the Rapanui folklore (Fedorova 1978: 321); "because of the cold weather, nothing grows" in the months Maro (June) and Anakena (July) (Barthel 1978: 52). The wordplay is quite possible: cf. Rapanui Maru/Maro 'June (July)' (18), maru 'shade', and maruaki 'desire to eat; hunger; weak from hunger'. I think that the name Tuti 'The star from the grave' (Canopus) is figurative designation of the lean season.

Another names of Canopus -- Atutahi and Kauanga -- are registered in Maori, too (Best 1955: 38). Atutahi signifies 'The First God' (Atu(a) tahi), and Kauanga -- 'Ancestor' (19). Besides, Maori Aotahi (Canopus) means literally 'The First Face', cf. Rapanui mata mua 'ancestor' (lit. 'the first face'). I think that the words ti 'grave', atu(a) 'god', and (Samoan) aitu (*ai tu) 'ghost, spirit' (20) have the common basis.

I have found the name of the star 'The First God/Ancestor' in several segments on the Tahua tablet. It is combination 7-7-5 Tuutuu Atua 'The star 'The God'' (Canopus). One can distinguish such similar fragments: 69 [several glyphs] 17-17 7-7-5 [several glyphs]. One example is shown in figure 3.

mm3.gif

Figure 3.

Fragment 1 reads 69 25 17-17 7-7-5 68 57 Moko hua. Tete Tuutuu Atua. Honu, tara. 'There are no fruits. Canopus is moving. (Then) the heliacal rising of the Pleiades occurs' (21).

Fragment 2 reports some details: 4 12 33 69 6 6-26 69 4 65 5 53 12 68 12 23 22 46-46 52 7 52 25 ... Tika Vai/Ua Moko. A hama Moko-atua-Rangi-atua. Maru ika, Honu ika Ura Rapa. Naanaa, hiti Tuu, hiti Hua ... 'The sign 'The Water/Rain -- Lizard (the god Hiro)'. The sun is shining on the (first) day Hiro (when a solar eclipse is possible). The month Maru (Maro) correlates with the Pleiades. First the star Aldebaran is invisible, then (it) is rising...' (22).

I started up the RedShift 2. E.g., data of June 9, A.D. 1877 were as follow: the beginning of dawn: 05:40, rising of Pleiades: 05:37; rising of Aldebaran: 06:09 (it was invisible). The heliacal rising of Aldebaran occurred on June 16, A.D. 1877 (its rising: 05:41, beginning of dawn: 05:42).

NOTES

1. The place name Ruhi (Barthel 1962: 107) correlates with the Maori expression Ko Rehua whakaruhi tangata 'Rehua (Antares) the enervator of man' (Best 1955: 56).

2. Cf. Maori tahu 'to burn; to set on fire, light' and Samoan Atafu 'land where the sun lives' (Polinskaya 1986: 309).

3. In conformity with my results (Rjabchikov 1996a: 101; 1998a: 279; 1998b: 71; 1998c: 4), the bird kena is a symbol of the sun.

4. Cf. Maori ma 'white, clean', whakama 'to make white'.

5. Cf. Samoan alo 'front', ao 'head; day', Rapanui aro 'front; forehead; face', Maori aro 'to face, to turn towards', aroaro 'front', ao 'day', Tahitian aro 'front; face', ao 'day; light'. Cf. also specific Maori Ao-kai 'the Pleiades' (lit. 'The Face of the Chief', as Maori kakahi means 'chief') and standard Polynesian Matariki 'the Pleiades' (lit. 'The Eyes/Face of the Chief (Ariki)') (Beckwith 1970: 367).

6. The komari signs are depicted on the rock drawing of a historic ship (Lee 1992: 113, fig. 4.111). Here these signs read Tiki, i.e. they are Makemake's name. G. Zumbohm states: "Makemake manifested his anger by thunder. We were told when we came of a bad man who had been killed by lightning" (Métraux 1940: 312). Therefore the vulva signs denote cannon in this instance.

7. Cf. also Maori ara matua ('the main road; ecliptic') means literally 'the road of the Canoe (Father, Placenta)'.

8. Cf. Rapanui tua 'behind; back' and ara 'path, road, way', Niuean hala 'way'. The name of the month Tuaharo is written down as Haratua in the Rapanui folklore text "Apai" (the text per Thomson 1891: 516-8 and the translation per Rjabchikov 1993a: 130-5).

9. Cf. expression Maru matai 'the first month Maru (Maro)' in the text "Apai".

10. Cf. Maori hi 'dawn', hihi 'ray of the sun', awhi 'to embrance; to approach'.

11. Cf. also Rapanui take 'initiation' and Maori take 'chief'.

12. Cf. the name Tiki-te-Hatu (Métraux 1940: 321).

13. Cf. Maori tata 'close', rara 'rib'. See my article "Several Rongorongo Records (Symbolism of Archaic Beliefs)". Rara compares with the place name Te raaraa (Barthel 1962: 107) 'The sun', too.

14. The variants Tama(ro) of the standard name Tangaroa are taken down on the Mamari tablet, see my article "Guy's Reviews Examined". The form Tangarouri (Thomson 1891: 546) = Tangaroa-uri is registered, so the names Tangaroa and Tangaro are variants.

15. The word hama is also included in the chant "He Timo te Akoako", see my article "Guy's Reviews Examined").

16. Cf. Maori tahu 'to burn; to set on fire, light'. Besides, cf. Rapanui toua 'white (of egg)' and Maori tohua 'yolk (of egg)'. The Easter Islander believed that the first found egg was an incarnation of the god creator Makemake (Tiki, Tane, Tangaroa) (Métraux 1957: 130; Rjabchikov 1997c: 209).

17. According to Geiseler (Ayres and Ayres 1995: 70, 191), the term varevare kahi e te hauihaui means 'red tuff stone'. Such a name is omitted in other sources. I translate it as Varevare Kahi e te Hau (H)i, Hau (H)i 'The Placenta -- Tuna -- Great King 'The Sun'', cf. Rapanui kovare 'placenta' and Tahitian hau 'king'. But the standard Rapanui hitirau 'red tuff stone' is also equal to another name of the Rapanui sun deity, Hitirau (Métraux 1940: 260) 'The sun-creator', cf. Maori whiti 'to shine' and Rapanui hitihiti 'to dawn'.

18. Cf. the term marumaru in the "He timo te akoako" chant (Heyerdahl and Ferdon 1965: fig. 127).

19. Cf. Maori kau, Rapanui kaua 'ancestor'.

20. Cf. Samoan ai 'fence, hedge', Rapanui ainga 'location'. Glyph 24 ai often follows glyph 4 atu (atua 'deity') in rongorongo texts. It is significant that a sign resembling glyph 4 is represented near a headless character in the Marquesan rock picture (Millerstrom 1990: 96, fig. 33b).

21. Cf. Rapanui momoko 'to hide', Maori katete 'to move; forwards', tara 'to shoot out rays, as the sun just rising'. The word Honu 'Turtle' is a symbol of the Pleiades in Tuamotuan and Easter Island belief systems (Lee 1992: 80; Rjabchikov 1993b: 5; 1993c: 23).

22. The Lizard is a sign of the deity Hiro (Barthel 1978: 251). Cf. also Maori ika 'to lie in a heap; to heap up; cluster; heap'. The fairytale Turtle Ura Rarape Nui is mentioned in an Easter Island legend (Felbermayer 1948: 59-62). See also note 3 of my article "Guy's Reviews Examined").

REFERENCES

Ayres W.S. and G.S. Ayres, 1995. Geiseler's Easter Island Report: An 1880s Anthropological Account. Asian and Pacific Archaeology Series No. 12. Honolulu: Social Science Research Institute.

Barthel, T.S., 1962. Easter Island Place-Names. Journal de la Société des Océanistes, 18: 100-7.

Barthel, T.S., 1978. The Eighth Land The Polynesian Discovery and Settlement of Easter Island. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

Beckwith, M., 1970. Hawaiian Mythology. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

Belyaev, N.A. and K.I. Churyumov, 1985. Kometa Galleya i ee nablyudenie. Moscow: Nauka.

Best, E., 1955. The Astronomical Knowledge of the Maori. Dominion Museum Monograph No 3. Wellington: R.E. Owen, Government Printer.

Buck, P.H. (Te Rangi Hiroa), 1966. The Coming of the Maori. Wellington: Maori Purposes Fund Board, Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd.

Englert, S., 1948. La tierra de Hotu Matu'a historia, etnologia y lengua de la isla de Pascua. Padre Las Casas, Chile: Imprenta y editorial, "San Francisco".

Fedorova, I.K., 1978. Mify, predaniya i legendy ostrova Paskhi. Moscow: Nauka.

Felbermayer, F., 1948. Historia y leyendas de la Isla de Pascua. Valparaiso: Victoria.

Heyerdahl, T. and E.N. Ferdon, Jr (eds.), 1965. Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island and the East Pacific. Vol. 2: Miscellaneous Papers. Monographs of the School of American Research and the Kon-Tiki Museum, 24(2). Stockholm: Forum Publishing House.

Lavacheri, H., 1939. Les pétroglyphes de l'île de Pâques. Anvers: De Sikkel.

Lee, G., 1992. The Rock Art of Easter Island. Symbols of Power, Prayers to the Gods. Los Angeles: The Institute of Archaeology Publications (UCLA).

Lee, G., 1999. The Petroglyph Site at Papa te Kena, Easter Island. Rapa Nui Journal, 13: 44-8.

Métraux, A., 1940. Ethnology of Easter Island. Bishop Museum Bulletin 160. Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum.

Métraux, A., 1957. Easter Island. A Stone-Age Civilization of the Pacific. London: Andre Deutsch Limited.

Millerstrom, S., 1990. Rock Art of Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia: A Case Study of Hatiheu Valley, Nuku Hiva. Unpublished M.A. Thesis, San Francisco State University.

Millerstrom, S., 1992. Report on the Marquesas Islands Rock Art Project. Pacific Arts, 6: 19-25.

Polinskaya, M.S., 1986. Mify, predaniya i skazki Zapadnoy Polinezii (ostrova Samoa, Tonga, Niue i Rotuma). Moscow: Nauka.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1993a. Rapanuyskie texty (k probleme rasshifrovki). Etnograficheskoe obozrenie, 4: 124-41.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1993b. Tayny ostrova Paskhi. Vol. 2. Krasnodar: Severny Kavkaz.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1993c. Notes on the Easter Island Script. L'Écho de Rapa Nui, 6(24): 22-3.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1995. Tayny ostrova Paskhi. Vol. 4. Krasnodar: Ecoinvest.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1996a. Rapanuysky text o padenii statui: tektonika i kara bogov. In: S.A. Megentesov (ed.) Yazyk i kommunikatsiya. Sochi - Krasnodar: Kuban State University, pp. 100-1.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1996b. Interpretatsiya trekh toponimov ostrova Paskhi (k simvolike arkhaichnykh verovaniy). In: V.G. Borbotko (ed.) Yazyk i kommunikatsiya: deyatel'nost' cheloveka i postroenie lingvisticheskikh tsennostey. Sochi: Sochi Institute of Spa Treatment and Tourism, Kuban State University, pp. 40-1.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1996c. Tayny ostrova Paskhi. Vol. 5. Krasnodar: Torgovo-promyshlennaya palata Krasnodarskogo kraya.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1997a. A Key to the Easter Island (Rapa Nui) Petroglyphs. Journal de la Société des Océanistes, 104(1): 111.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1997b. Rongorongo versus Kai-kai: A Second Look at Themes Linking Easter Island's Mysterious Script with Its String Figure Repertoire. Bulletin of the International String Figure Association, 4: 30-55.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1997c. A Key to Mysterious Easter Island Place-Names. Beiträge zur Namenforschung. Neue Folge, 32: 207-10.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1998a. Rapanui Placenames: Keys to the Mysteries. NAMES: A Journal of Onomastics, 46(4): 277-81.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1998b. Polynesian String Figures and Rongorongo: Additional Remarks. Bulletin of the International String Figure Association, 5: 63-76.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1998c. Tayny ostrova Paskhi. Vol. 7. Krasnodar: Stil.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1999a. Astronomy and Rongorongo. Rapa Nui Journal, 13: 18-9.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1999b. Tangaroa in the Inscription of the Chicago Fish Tablet. Rapa Nui Journal, 13: 14-5.

Thomson, W.J., 1891. Te Pito te Henua, or Easter Island. Report of the United States National Museum for the Year Ending June 30, 1889. Annual Reports of the Smithsonian Institution for 1889. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, pp. 447-552.


"RONGORONGO, Easter Island Writing" Home Page


Copyright © 1999 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All Rights Reserved.


Return to Top of the Article