Added: 2016-
Thomson (3)
"Ate-
Commentary
(2) hokan/horau: for these types of substitution in Thomson's publication, see De Laat 2014:25-
(5) upwards: apparently the parents are standing in the same place as the parent in text T2: on the edge of the cliff above the entrance of the cave.
(8) Lit.: "What is your little sister doing/going to do, o friend?"
(15) hare: the previous lines have located the place of seclusion at 'Ana O Keke, therefore hare should be interpreted as "dwelling place" and not as a reference to the special houses which also once existed.
(15) nire: it is proposed that somewhere in the process of type-
reappear: alt.: "be praised" (cf. Fuentes 1960:727: hakahíti: "to exalt").
(16) Miru festival: this is an important link between the neru and the tribe of the Miru. 'Ana O Keke is located on Poike's north coast and according to Lee (1992:115), "the distribution of fishhook designs suggests that, in earlier times, one clan, probably the Miru, controlled the entire north coast, including the northern half of the Tupahotu and the Poike Peninsula."
This text was collected by Thomson and Salmon with Ure Vaeiko chanting from a photograph of tablet Mamari (Thomson, 1891:515). It was published under the title "Ate-
Although the song has several details which clearly point to the neru, it has met with a similar fate as the text on the previous page (T2). When Routledge showed Thomson's text to her Easter Island informants, it "was laughed out of court as being merely a love-
The reaction to Routledge's inquiry is understandable as she had made it clear that she was seeking information about possible rongorongo texts. Although almost all knowledge of the script had been lost at that point in time, rongorongo was still revered as an important part of the ancestral culture. For this reason, the informants could not imagine a direct connection between the contents of the tablets and what they deemed to be a common love song. This only shows that at the time the chant's connection to the neru was no longer understood. This knowledge had probably been already lost at the time of its first notation. If Ure Vaeiko was still aware of its real theme, he was careful not to reveal it to his visitors.
However, the simple fact that the song had undergone some changes and was only partially understood in the late 19th and early 20th century, does not mean that it can be simply dismissed as an entirely modern fabrication. Salmon, the man who was both taking notes and translating in 1886 was a Tahitian who understood the Rapanui language as it was then used, but he could not have been well acquainted with the ancient traditions.
Song about a pretty girl,
moving slowly and longing for the sun.
How that pretty girl is crying,
that "crippled bird"!
Is that "fair one" shouting upwards to (her) parents?
When it reaches (them),
(it) is distorted and confused, o friend!
What is going to happen to your little sister, o friend?
Because (she) is alone, taboo and abandoned, o friend,
this life (of hers) knows no happiness,o friend!
Alas! How that little "hen" is crying and longing!
What is going to happen to your little sister, o friend?
(Your) little sister is crying
in that place of seclusion,
in that place of seclusion for virgins!
(But) (she) will reappear at the Miru festival,
when (you) will meet again,
when (you) will meet again,
when (she) will be set free!
Ate-
hokan iti poheraa /
Ka tagi, Renga-
manu – hakaopa; /
Chiu runarame a ita metua. /
Ka ketu te na (-
iro hihi – O te hoa! /
Eaha ton tiena – e te hoa – e! /
Ita haga ta poapatu – O te hoa! /
Kahii te riva forani – O te hoa – e! /
Auwe ka tagi ati – u – a – iti iti. /
Eha ton tiena – e ta hoa – e. /
Ta hi tiena
ta have. / Horoa
ita have. Horoa moni e
fahiti; / Ita ori miro; /
Ana piri atu; /
Ana piri atu; /
Ana taga atu.
ate a renga
horau 'iti pohe raa
ka tangi renga a
manu haka-
kiu runga ra mea ki te matua
ka ketu tena
hiro hihi o te hoa
he aha to'ou teina e te hoa e
i tahanga tapua patu o te hoa
kai 'ite riva ora nei o te hoa e
aue ka tangi ati uha 'iti'iti
he aha to'ou teina e te hoa e
tangi teina
i te hare huru a
i te hare huru a mo nire
haka-
ana piri atu
ana piri atu
ana tanga atu
Reconstruction
Translation
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This fully accounts for "Tahitianisms" such as 'ori. "dance", for Rapanui koro, "festival", and a few obscurities in the text. It is not necessary to assume that the recitations of Ure Vaeiko were heavily contaminated as the 83-
Whether Ure Vaeiko was ignorant of the exact meaning of what he was reciting is of lesser importance than whether he produced a more or less faithful rendition of the original text. The fact that he was not able to clarify the meaning to Salmon suggests the first but does not necessarily preclude the latter. The reconstruction that is attempted here shows that the chant was indeed a "love song", as it was labeled in the publication. However, it has nothing of the apparent modernity claimed by casual observers. Instead it appears to be a well-
Fig. 1
The muddy surroundings of 'Ana O Keke
What's new? |
Metaphors: "fish" |
Metaphors: "birds" |
Metamorphosis |
Geiseler (G1) |
Thomson (T1) |
Thomson (T2) |
Thomson (T3) |
Knoche (K1) |
Knoche (K2) |
Routledge (R1) |
Routledge (R6) |
Métraux (M1-4) |
Heyerdahl (H1) |
Barthel (B1-3) |
Campbell (C1-4) |
Elementary signs |
(H)A |
(H)E |
(H)I |
(H)O |