1. In A.D. 1770 the Spanish expedition of Felipe González de Haedo visited Easter Island. "Ten numerals" (see table 1) were registered in a glossary (Mellén 1986: 312). Indeed, they are not numerals at all; it is an entirely text about two important events: a solar eclipse and an appearance of Halley's Comet (Rjabchikov 1993a, 1993b, 1994a: 34).
1. Cojana
2. Corena
3. Cogoju
4. Quirote
5. Majana
6. Teuto
7. Tejea
8. Moroqui
9. Vijoviri
10. Queromata-paupaca
Quaca xixiva
Taking into account the data of the Polynesian languages (1) as well as the possible alternations of the sounds, this text reads: Ko hana, ko renga, ko ngohu. Kiro te mahana, te uto, te ea. Moroki. Viha viri. Kero mata. Pau paka: kaka, hihiva. 'The sun -- the yellow colour; (then) an eager eating (2). It is getting dark: the sun, the ecliptic (3), the new moon Hiro (4). The Chrysalis of the Butterfly (5). The sun is uninhabited. The Face (the sun) is disappearing (6). (The previous important event was the following:) the dry (i.e. previous) star Pau = Halley's Comet: east and west.'
2. One can answer why an Easter Islander informed the text about the astronomical events instead of the numerals to a foreigner. I think that a Spaniard demonstrated the counting using different things, or the fingers at last. But in Rapanui hakatuu signifies not only 'to add', but also 'to predict'. So a description of the predicted solar eclipse was reported as an important feature of the Polynesian civilisation. Interestingly, the Rapanui string figure Ka tere tevaka 'The boat swims' (the counting of time per Rjabchikov 1996b: 255-6) represents glyph 7 tuu: Rapanui tuu signifies 'to come', and hakatuu -- 'to add, to predict' (Rjabchikov 1997a: 45).
A kai-kai song (Blixen 1979: 64-5) describes a predicted solar eclipse:
Kia tika korua. The Bird Kiakia of the flat place [the
sun is absent].
I taku tangata: A person predicted:
amo maenga roaroa, the sky will be clear, (then)
iaia te ahi. the fire = the sun (will rise).
Tunu Kiakia. The Bird Kiakia [the sun] is burned.
Taa veavea. The Frigate Bird [the sun] is shouting
[ = the solar eclipse] (7).
Hiringa o te Manu. The lift of the Bird [the sun is rising].
In this song the birds represent the sun. Actually, in the Maori religion the god Tane is a personified form of the sun (Best 1955:16), and Tane is the lord of birds, too (Buck 1966: 455). Besides, figures of the sun god Makemake (Tane) depicted on the rocks of Easter Island include the shape of the frigate bird (Métraux1940: 314).
3. I would like to stress that some features of the ancient Rapanui civilisation are the giant statues and real hieroglyphic script so that in my opinion this society was quite developed one. The priests were the astronomers as well. For example, we know that they conducted the careful astronomical observations (Métraux 1940: 52). One ceremonial platform is a winter solstice-oriented one (Mulloy 1975). In the chant "Apai" (Thomson 1891: 517) the following fragment is presented: Haka iri marai matairi marumatai maru ka irira ... (Hakairimaa-rai-mata. Iri maru matai, maru. Ka iri raa ...) 'The Bright-Light-Sun-Face is rising. The first month Maru (Maro, June, the time of the winter solstice) is rising. The sun is rising ...'. It is an additional evidence that the priests watched the solar motion.
4. Let us calculate the time of the first solar eclipse occurred before A.D. 1770 on Easter Island, using the RedShift 2 computer program. So the solar eclipse of July 25, A.D. 1767 was partial and very weak, but the eclipse of September 25, A.D. 1764 was almost total. Could the ancient Easter Islanders predict it?
First of all, there is a rock picture located at Ahu Marate, Easter Island (Lee 1992: 51, fig. 4.9). The strings of cupules -- the numbers 23/17/7 -- are divided by the petroglyphs mata 'face' --karakara 'wings'; "a sleeping bird" -- taha 'frigate bird' -- taha 'frigate bird'. These symbols are similar to the bird/solar terms mentioned in the kai-kai song in the paragraph 2. The term mata 'face' is presented in the list of "ten numerals" and in the "Apai" text interpreted earlier. The cupules are added one to another, and this process can be defined as Rapanui hakatuu 'to add, to predict', cf. also hakatuu 'mark; sign'. The similar strings of dots 23/16/7 are engraved on the Mal'ta baton which was a calendar device of the Old Stone Age of Siberia and which served for prediction of the solar eclipses (Larichev 1993a: 146).
I conclude that the Rapanui astronomers could use the methodology of prediction of eclipses which was similar to the methods of the Siberian astronomers: the careful analysis of the solar eclipses' dates revealed that at the same place a new solar eclipse could recur in 669 synodic months, so-called the Great Solar Saros (Larichev 1993a: 209, 223).
Notice that September 25, A.D. 1764 minus 669 synodic months was August 24,A.D. 1710. According to the computer model, on August 24, A.D. 1710 the solar eclipse occurred on Easter Island was almost total, too.
I have found a new evidence that methods of the Rapanui and Siberian astronomers were similar. Let us study the petroglyph picture depicted on the wall of a cave at the islet Motu Nui near Easter Island (Lee1992: 50, fig. 4.8). Description of the figure is as follows. The boat is represented with 15 cupules and with a heart symbol together with 4 cupules. The inverted crescent symbolizes a solar eclipse. The first face mata (Makemake's symbol) is attached to the boat. The 7 cupules are presented to the right of the face and denotes Hitu 'Seven', an epithet of the deity Makemake. The second face mata is depicted below the boat. The other groups consisting of 85 cupules cross both faces. Thus, this picture represents the Boat of the sun god which swims along the time.
The astronomers of the Old Stone Age of Siberia used the number 86 as a key one for calculation. Then the number 344 (corresponds approximately to the duration of the Draconic year, 346.62 twenty-four hours) was obtained by multiplying 86 by 4 (Larichev 1993a: 259-60). The Rapanui astronomers used the number 85 as a key one. The heart symbol is a peculiar kind of the sign "to multiply". Indeed, Rapanui haipo signifies 'heart', and this word can be split into Rapanui hai 'bunch, parcel; to wrap up, to make into parcels, to envelope' and po 'night'. So 85*4=340. If we add 340 to 7 (the cupules for the name of the ghost Hitu), we shall have 347, i.e. 346.62 twenty-four hours, the duration of the Draconic year (Larichev 1993a: 25). The durations of the Draconic year and of half the year were used by the ancient Siberians for calculation of the eclipse's time (Larichev 1993a: 283, 285). To take into account 15 cupules, one can offer the formula: 340+15=355. On the other hand, 355 (356) twenty-four hours are an important period of time for the eclipses' prediction (Larichev 1993a: 26).
5. The report about Halley's Comet is included in the end of the list of "ten numerals".
First of all, this comet ("star") was named Pau (8), it appeared in October or November (9), and the bright Halley's Comet of A.D.1835 was observed in October (Belyaev, Churyumov 1985 & the model on the basis of the RedShift 2 computer program). Interestingly, the Rapanui place name Hanga Pau Kura is also known as Hanga Pua Kura (Barthel 1978: 365, 37, 87, 219). The terms Pau and Pua are presented in the Rapanui place name Ahu Pua Pau (Barthel 1962: 104). On the other hand, Puaroa is the name of a comet in Maori (Best 1955: 67). I proved that the comet called Paupau and Pu(a) [Vinapu, or Hina Pu 'The Producing Moon'] was Halley's Comet in A.D. 1066 (Rjabchikov 1997a: 36). This comet resembled the full moon, it disappeared in solar rays, and then appeared again (Belyaev, Churyumov 1985: 27-8). Besides, two ghosts' names are descriptions of Halley's Comet in A.D. 1066. First, the name (10) Hiku Nene Motoi Pua means 'The Comet [ECLIPTIC] (resembles) the Producing Full Moon' (11). Second, the name (12) Mokomoko a Pua Pau means 'Halley's Comet of A.D. 1066 disappeared (in solar rays)' (13).
Halley's Comet mentioned in the list of "ten numerals" appeared in A.D. 1759. In accordance with the model on the basis of the RedShift 2 computer program, this comet was visible in east, then in west, as it is taken down in the text being studied.
So the Rapanui priests knew the methodology of the prediction of the solar eclipses. The sun and Halley's Comet were most popular objects of the ancient astronomers.
A close examination of the glyphs engraved on the "fish" tablet (Museo Historia Natural, Concepción, Chile) shows a very important feature. It is not the text in the ordinary sense, but it is a calendar device where every position denotes the corresponding twenty-four hours. According to R. Campbell and J. Silva (1970: 180-7) there are 185glyphs on both sides of this tablet; only few different glyphs are registered. Obviously the glyphs are performed in a modern style, so one can suppose that they were copied from an ancient artefact. I have distinguished the following base glyphs: 1 Tiki 'the sun god' (14), 26 ma (cf. Maori ma 'white, clean', whakama 'to make white'), 24 ari (cf. Maori ari 'white; clear', Tongan aali 'shining'), 3 hina (cf. Maori hina 'moon', Hina 'the moon goddess'), and 4atu (cf. Rapanui atu 'directive, of motion from the speaker', Tahitian atu 'away, more'). So the combined lunar-solar calendar is discovered. Furthermore, there are several compound glyphs containing some "round brackets", and the models have the following forms: ((|)), ((||)), ((()), (()), (|)), ))((, ))|((, and the additional variant, "round brackets with four vertical sticks representing a cross". Apparently all the models are connected with glyph 3 hina 'moon'. Interestingly, the classical glyph resembling the model ))(( is written down in the record about an eclipse on the Great Santiago tablet (Hv 10).
Let us study the numbers of the positions of these peculiar signs. They are 21, 71, 146, 172, 92, 17, 88, 115, 77, 123, 85, 109, 138,178, and 157. Here I use V.E. Larichev's (1993a, b) results of the research of the calendar devices of the Stone Age of Siberia.
The number 172 is close to 173.31 twenty-four hours, the duration of half the Draconic year. It should be recognized that the 172 signs are depicted on a calendar plate of the Stone Age of France (Larichev 1993a: 260).
The number 178 corresponds to the period of time (178 twenty-four hours) after which lunar eclipses can recur (Larichev 1993a: 25). Besides, 177.1838 twenty-four hours are a half the lunar year (Larichev 1993a: 169).
To predict the eclipses, the ancient Siberians used the strings of dots: {53+33}+{30}+{23}+{16}+{7+9+1+1} which are equal to 173, and the periods of time (twenty-four hours) -- 86, 30, 23,16, 7, 9, 1, 1 -- are noteworthy for the calculations (Larichev 1993a: 136, 141, 182). On the "fish" tablet I have found the similar structure: the number sequence is 85, 115, 138, 157, 172 (twenty-four hours); the corresponding periods of time are 85, 30, 23, 19 and 15 (twenty-four hours).
On the other hand, the number 85 is a key number on the "fish" tablet, because it is marked by the specific four "sticks" inserted in the "brackets"; besides, it is used in the Rapanui rock calendar (see above). The second number which is characterized by the same peculiar sign is 109. So we have the formula: 85*4+(109-85)=364 (twenty-four hours), or the duration of one year minus one twenty-four hours.
The number 123 on the "fish" tablet corresponds to 123 twenty-four hours of the Siberian calendar system which denote 33 twenty-four hours connected with the eclipse's prediction, and about 90 twenty-four hours when Venus is invisible (Larichev 1993a: 233).
The number 146 means 146 twenty-four hours which are a quarter of the synodic period of Venus (583.9 twenty-four hours). It is no wonder that the ancient Easter Islanders watched this planet. For example, the quite exact data concerning the Venus' motion were received by the ancient Babylonian astronomers (Neugebauer 1957).
The total number of the glyphs inscribed on the "fish" tablet is 185. It is well to bear in mind that the period of time between vernal equinox and autumnal equinox lasts about 187 twenty-four hours (Larichev 1993b: 42).
1. Cf. Rapanui hana 'warmth, heat'; mahana 'heat, hot'; Hawaiian hana 'warm'; Mangarevan hana 'shining'; Tuamotuan hana 'the sun'; Rapanui renga 'yellow colour'; ngohu 'to eat eagerly'; kiro 'to become dark'; uto 'float'; ea ai 'torrent; downpour'; moroki 'chrysalis of a butterfly'; vihaviha 'uninhabited'; viriviri 'ball; round'; Maori kero 'dead', kekero 'to die; to disappear'; Rapanui mata 'face; eyes'; Pau 'the name of a star'; paka 'dry'; ka 'dawn; to set fire to'; Maori hiwa 'dark', Rapanui hiva 'west' (Barthel 1978: 22).
2. In the Rapanui beliefs, eclipses are associated with eating (Métraux 1940: 52).
3. Cf. Rapanui uto 'float', pito o te kupenga 'the middle float of a net', Maori pito o rangi 'ecliptic'. The terms uto and nene (nenenene) mentioned in this article are presented in the rongorongo records, see RONGORONGO Home Page. Besides, the term ea is included in another rongorongo record.
4. Hiro is not only the rain god in the Rapanui religion (Métraux 1940: 310), but also the new moon (Whiro) in the Maori calendar (Buck 1966: 436).
5. According to a Micronesian myth (Polinskaya 1992: 321), the Butterfly symbolises the Initial condition of the Universe (e.g., Po 'Night' in the Polynesian religion). The term Pepe 'Butterfly' is mentioned in the "Apai" chant (Thomson 1891: 518) before the description of a solar eclipse. Cf. also Tuamotuan pure-hiva 'butterfly' that contains the morpheme hiva associated with Maori hiwa 'dark'.
6. The term mata 'face; eyes' is included in several Rapanui place names associated with the birdman/the sun god Makemake's cult (Rjabchikov 1996a: 142). Cf. also Rapanui matatohio 'east wind'. Moreover, Indonesian matahari, Madurese mata are and Balinese matanai signify 'the sun' (Kaswanti Purwo 1993: 274).
7. "A scream of pain" is an indicator of a solar eclipse in the kai-kai chant Ko Akuru (Rjabchikov 1997a: 34).
8. See Rjabchikov 1994b; 1997b: 204. Cf. Rapanui hetu 'star', Old Rapanui tuu 'star; comet', Maori whetu 'star; comet' (Best1955: 67).
9. See Métraux 1940: 53.
10. See Métraux 1940: 318.
11. Cf. Maori hiku 'comet', lit. 'tail' (Best 1955: 68). Rapanui nenenene 'internal organs, guts', kokoma 'internal organs, guts; navel, navel-string' and pito 'navel, navel-string' are connected with Maori pito o rangi 'ecliptic'. This idea is encoded in the myth about the son of the sun god Tangaroa originated from the internal organs kokoma (Fedorova 1965: 396-7). Cf. also Rapanui (o)motohi '(almost) the full moon'.
12. See Barthel 1978: 148.
13. Cf. Rapanui momoko 'to hide'.
14. In the ancient New Zealand religion, this god is regarded as the deity Tane's creative power, and Tane is a personified form of the sun (Buck 1938: 265; Best 1955: 16). Cf. also Rapanui tiko 'menstruation', katiki 'the solar corona', komari 'vulva', and Maori komaru 'the sun'.
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Copyright © 1998 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All Rights Reserved.