On the Rongorongo Glyph "SUGAR CANE"
A rongorongo text is shown in figure 1.
This inscription is written down on the Great Washington tablet (Sa 4). It reads as follows: ... 14 151 14 58 151 62 58 14 151 62 ... ... Hau SUGAR CANE; hau tahi SUGAR CANE toa tahi; hau SUGAR CANE toa... '... The receipt of the sugar cane; the first receipt of the first sugar cane; the receipt of the sugar cane' (1). Although the record is very damaged, one can realise its sense. I suggest that it tells of the first fruits of the sugar cane that were presented by the people to the king of Easter Island (2). Interestingly, glyph 151 depicts the sugar cane, so this sign plays a role of an ideogram and a determinative.
NOTES
1. Cf. Rapanui hauhau 'ownership', tahi 'first', toa 'sugar cane'.
2. See Métraux 1937: 54.
REFERENCE
Métraux, A., 1937. The Kings of Easter Island. Journal of the Polynesian Society, 46: 41-62.
Copyright © 2005 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All Rights Reserved.