TRANSLATION OF AN
EASTER
ISLAND
INSCRIPTION ON A
TABLET
MARKED
No 1 (FRONT).
(Kindly lent By S. Percy Smith, Esq., F.R.G.S.)
"The bones of our ancestors of the Sun-fires, the
masters of the beloved tribe of our sacred dead
ancestors of the holy Sun-people, the people of
the mountains, the Charcas, a holy clan. The wise
teachers place them as of the dead ancestors. The
Eagle chief was of these dead ancestors and their
fires of the Sun. The Eagle chief, wearing the
tribal plume, and a master of the free Chunchas;
of the Sun's tribes a master and a warrior beloved
of the tribe, the master abounding with their
love. The mothers of the Sun's people in their
dwelling-place with the Eagle chief and his
people, the holy dead ancestors; this Eagle chief
of the plumes; of the Sun-fires, the sacred chief.
The men of the two-sailed vessel came, attacked
the Quichua Sun's men and the Quito people and
their rulers, the masters of the beloved tribes.
These gorging barbarians, the Sun-mothers, in
their dwelling-places attacked, they injured them;
they overwhelmed them and the sacred ancestral
fires. They, the Snakes, took their places. The
Snakes the places of the Sun's men they took. The
sacred ancestral fires in the coast-lands for
seven years were extinguished, and among the
Rapa people for six years. Then the chief of the
Eagle tribes fought in the coast-lands for six
years, and again the chief and the Eagle clan went
to the coast lands for other five years. Then
this chief of the Eagle tribes died, and the
tribes fled from the coast-lands to the region of
the head waters; and the Snakes occupied after
the Eagle chief, and tribes were overwhelmed and
ended on the coastlands. Five years after the
Eagle tribes were overthrown the clan of the royal
bands struggled before the Snakes, them replaced.
They were then seen to be seized by the
barbarians, who gorged upon these loved tribes for
five years. Our ancestors they had turned
off__they had mastered them, these free men in five
years. This clan of the Sun and its chiefs was
overthrown, was mastered, was homeless, were these
Sun's men. The great Caña were homeless. The
Sun's men, the mountain clansmen, were dead, and
the fires of this clan, and the chiefs of this
clan of the mountains. Then the Charcas under
their chiefs fought for the freedom of their
homes. The Quichuas were overthrown, and their
freedom thus ended, their Sun-fires and their
clan's chief was dead, and the people on the coast
had mastered these beloved tribes. The Cha-Rapas,
a branch of the Eagle tribes, with the Guanacas,
living on a part of the coast; the main body of
the Eagle tribes nearest the coast, with
assistance from Quilago, beloved of the tribe,
under a chief of chiefs of the Sun's men,
returned, and with their weapons ended
all__overthrew all, and thus finished the trouble.
The master of the Lord of Lican, a child of our
ancestors, and of