| Hotu Matu'a's Skull (part I) | ||
| He-oka te maîka o te tagata etahi, Ko Ure Honu A'Taka te igoa. | A man was planting banana trees, Ure Honu A'Taka [was his] name. | |
| I Vai Poko te hare noho O'Ure Hônu. | Ure Honu's house was at Vai Poko 78 | |
| I te rua o te marama he-oho Ure Hônu, he-rapu i te maîka, he-vere. | The next month Ure Honu went, pruned the banana trees, removed the weeds. | |
| I te raá ra'e | On the first day, tired of working, he put down his digging stick 79 | |
| he-tere te kio'e, he-tute, kai rava'a; | a rat ran away , he chased it, did not catch it; | |
| ka-porua raá he-tute hakaou, kai rava'a; | the second day he chased it again and did not catch it; | |
| ka-potu-ru raá, kai rava'a; | the third day79a he did not catch it; | |
| ka-pohá raá kai rava'á; | the fourth day he did not catch it; | |
| ka-porima raá, kai rava'a; | the fifth day he did not catch it; | |
| ka-poono raá, he-kero te maîka, he-haka-mao te kahui mouga. | the sixth day he finished working at the banana [plantation], he finished the last bunch. | |
| He-tikea-hakaou te kio'e, he-tere; he-tute; ku-kava-á te manava; he-o'o kiroto ki te ma'ea; he-kikio-mai te reo o te kio'e. He-okaoka hai miro; he-vo'u-vo'u-mai. | He noticed the rat again, running away; he chased it; he had become very angry; [the rat] went inside the stone 80; [it] squeaked 80a. He kept jabbing [at it] with a stick; [the rat] protested. | |
| He-kuhane o Hotu Matu'a, ta'e he kio'e. | It was the soul of Hotu Matu'a, it was not a rat. | |
| He-ketu i te ma'ea, he-hahata; | He lifts the stone, it is open 81; | |
| he-tikea te puoko, e-ha'î-ró-á hai nua. | he notices the skull, wrapped in cloth. | |
| He-to'o-mai, he-mâtaki: ko te puoko, hakahuru hai pua. | He takes it, unwraps it: it is a skull, painted with pua. | |
| Ai te nuinui o te puoko kotetu, ka-maitaki te puoko! | A huge skull, like this 82; a splendid skull! | |
| He-ma'u, he-oho kiroto ki te hare, he-tau iroto i te hare ho'ou. | He carries it, goes inside [his] house, hangs it inside [his] new house. | |
| Ina kai agiagi a Ure Honu te puoko, penei puoko Ariki, ina. | Ure Honu does not recognize the head, that this is the head of a King, no [he does not]. | |
| He-tere te kahi A'Ure Honu, he-here te koreha, he-puhi te ura, he-puhi te umu, he-ta'o i te kumara, he-uga-mai te rogo A'Ure Honu ki te Ariki, ki a Tu'u Ko Iho ki te hare kai. | Ure Honu [with his people] fishes tuna, traps eels, catches lobsters, lights the ovens, cooks sweet potatoes, Ure Honu sends an invitation to King Tu'u Ko Iho [to come] to [his new] house to eat. | |
| He-oho Tu'u Ko Iho koia ko toona mahigo, te vi'e, te poki, te tagata, te korohua, he-tu'u, he-kai te gogoro o te hare ho'ou o Ure Honu. | Tu'u Ko Iho goes with his people, women, children, men, olsdters, they arrive, they eat the inaugural banquet for Ure Honu's new house. | |
| He-uru te Ariki kiroto ki te hare ho'ou, etahi uka tamahahine iroto i te hare mo hokorua o te Ariki ana kai. He-kai te Ariki ararua. | The King enters into the new house, [there is] a young girl in the house to accompany the King when he eats. They eat, the King and her. | |
| He-oti te kai, he-moe te Ariki kiraro hakaora. He-û'i te mata aruga, he-tikea te puoko. | The eating is over, the King lies down to rest. [His] eyes look up, and notice the skull. | |
| He-tagi Tu'u Ko Iho, ku-ma'a-á i te puoko, puoko Ariki o Hotu Matu'a. He-kî Tu'u Ko Iho: "Ka-moe-mai te niho kai hônu, kai kepukepu o Hiva, o te kaíga". | Tu'u Ko Iho cries out, he had recognized the skull, the royal skull of Hotu Matu'a. Tu'u Ko Iho says: "So here rest the teeth that ate turtle, that ate kepukepu 83 of Hiva, of the [ancestral] land!" | |
| He-garoa te tagiga o Tu'u Ko Iho e te úka tamahahine hokorua era. He-iri te rima o Tu'u Ko Iho, he-to'o-mai i te puoko, he-haha'o kiroto ki te kete, he-ea mai roto mai te hare, he-tere-mai, he-tu'u kiroto ki toona hare, hare hakahaere i te moai i Tore Tahuna. | The girl who was with Tu'u Ko Iho raised her hands, took the skull, put it inside a basket, went out of the house, ran and arrived inside her house, the house of the walking puppets, in Tore Tahuna83a. | |
| He-keri i te rua i te haha o te hare, he-paega i te rua, he-to'o-mai i te puoko, he-hakatopa, kiraro ki te rua. | She82b digs a hole outside the house, lines the hole (with stones), takes the skull, lowers it, down into the hole. | |
| He-puá aruga hai keho, he-tanu hai kirikiri, he-tanu hai oone, he-reirei hai va'e ka-kikiu-ró. He-noho te Ariki. | She82c closes it up on top with a slate, covers it with small stones, covers it with earth, stamps with the feet so that it is well compacted. The King stays (home).
(continued) |
|
Note 79 This is a translation of the Spanish "cansado de trabajo, dejó el chuzo". This part is missing from the Rapa-Nui text, which only says "On the first day".
Note 79a "potu-ru" is a misprint for "potoru".
Note 80 The stone box in which was the skull of Hotu Matu'a.
Note 80a Translator's note: kikio is probably a misprint for kikiu, which see in dictionary.
Note 81 The skull is contained in a box made of two hollowed stones, the top one forming the lid; Ure Honu lifts the top stone, opening the box.
Note 82 Lit. "Thus the size of the huge skull", with the storyteller opening his hands to show its size.
Note 83 Uncertain meaning, probably "pig", also: kekepu.
Note 83a Translator's note: this is Englert's translation, but the Rapa-Nui text seems to mean: "Tu'u Ko Iho's exclamation was heard by the girl who accompanied him. Tu'u Ko Iho lifted his hands, took the skull..." and so on, so that it is Tu'u Ko Iho, not the young woman, who eventually buries the skull just outside his house
Note 82b Or perhaps Tu'u Ko Iho. See note 82a above.
Note 82c Or perhaps Tu'u Ko Iho. See note 82a above.