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Easter Island: Early Witnesses

William Thomson

546

LANGUAGE-VOCABULARY.

   The natives reckoned their time, and in fact do so still by moons or months, commencing the year with August, which was, according to the traditions,the time when Hotu-Matua and his followers landed upon the island.
   The following corresponds nearly to the English months set opposite:
Anekena August. Tuaharo February
Hora-iti (little summer) September Tetuupu March.
Hora-nui (big summer) October. Tarahao April
Tangarouri part of November Vaitu-nui (big winter) May
Kotuti November and December Vaitu-poto (short winter) June
Ruti December and January Maro or Temaro July
Koro January

   The natives have recently divided the months into weeks, giving to the days the names of First day (Raa-po-tahi), Second day (Raa-po-rua), Third day (Raa-po-toru), etc. The week is commenced on Monday in order to bring the seventh day on Sunday.
   The month is divided into two equal portions, the first beginning with the new moon, and the second with the full moon. The calendar at the time of our visit to the island ran about as follows, the new moon being full on November 26:
Kokore tahi (first Kokore) November 27 Kokore toru (third Kokore) December 13
Kokore rua (second Kokore) November 28 Kokore hâ (fourth Kokore) December 14
Kokore toru (third Kokore) November 29 Kokore rima (fifth Kokore) December 15
Kokore hâ (fourth Kokore) November 30 Tapume December 16
Kokore rima (fifth Kokore) December 1 Matua December 17
Kokore ono (sixth Kokore) December 2 Orongo, last quarter December 18
Maharu, first quarter December 3 Orongo taane December 19
Ohua December 4 Mauri nui December 20
Otua December 5 Mauri Kero December 21
Ohotu December 6 Omutu December 22
Maure December 7 Tueo December 23
Ina-ira December 8 Oata December 24
Rakau December 9 Oari, new moon December 25
Omotohi, full moon December 10 Kokore tahi (first Kokore) December 26
Kokore tahi (first Kokore) December 11 Etc., etc., etc.
Kokore rua (second Kokore) December 12

   The natives of Easter Island speak a dialect of the Malayo-Polynesian language, which is so widely spread in the South Sea and Malay Archipelago. Any one who will take the trouble to compare the accompanying vocabulary withh the same words used by the natives of New Zealand, Tahiti, Rorotonga, Samoa, and any of the islands of Polynesia, will see that many of the words are identically the same, and others show a slight variation. Not only do the words of this language resemble those spoken throughout the South Sea, but all the dialects possess, in common, the

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