| The Burial Niches | ||
| Ana mate te tagata, te matu'a, he-hohora te moega, | When a man, a father, dies, they stretch out a (double) mat: | |
| mo roto te kahu mahute, mo haho te moega gaatu. | [made of] mahute cloth for its inside, totora reeds for its outside. | |
| He-viri te moega kiruga ki te pâpaku, he-here a te potu, a te rua potu, a vaega hoki, he-to'o-mai, he-hata iruga i te rago. | They wrap the mat around de corpse, they tie the extremities, both extremities, and the middle again, they carry it, they place it on top of a stretcher. | |
| He-noho etoru ta'u; | It stays three years; | |
| he-oho-mai te hoa pâpaku, he-to'o te ivi iroto i te mahute, he-popokiroto ki te ipu, he-ma'u, he-turu ki te tai, kiroto ki te roto; | the owner of the corpse comes, he removes the bones [which are] inside the [lining of] mahute, he carries them, he climbs down to the sea, inside a lagoon; | |
| he-tata i te ivi, he-maitaki, he-taûaki, he-pakapaka, he-gügü. | he washes the bones, they are clean, he leaves them in the sun to dry, they dry out.113g | |
| He-runu-hakaou, he-popo kiroto ki te kaha, he-ma'u, he-iri, he-tu'u kiruga ki te ahu, he-mâtaki te haha o te avaga. | He takes them again, he puts them into some calabashes, he takes them, he climbs up, he arrives on top of the funerary platform, he opens the entrance113h of the niche. | |
| Ku-haaki-ana ki te poki atariki e te matu'a, oíra i-ma'a-ai i te haha o te avaga. | The father had taught his first-born son, so that he knew the entrance of the niche. | |
| He-to'o-mai i te kaha ipu ivi o koro, he-haha'o, he-hakarere, he tagi; | He brings the calabashes containing the bones of the father, he puts them inside, he leaves them there, he cries; | |
| tagiga-haga mouga o te poki. | [this is the] last mourning of the son. | |
| He-puru-hakaou te haha o te avaga. | He closes the opening of the niche again. | |
| Etahi tagata, etahi vî'e, i Tahai toráûa nohoga ararua. | (Take for instance) a man and a woman living in Tahai. | |
| Te tagata o Tupahotu, te vî'e o Miru. | The man of the Tupahotu [clan], the woman of the Miru. | |
| He porekoreko te ga poki i Tahai, he-nuinui. | Children are born in Tahai, they grow. | |
| He-mate tou tagata era o Tupahotu. | This man of the Tupahotu dies. | |
| He-tehe-mai te taína mai Hotu Iti, gagata taína, te ga poki hoki, o tou tagata mate era i Tahai. | The broters come133i from Hotu Iti, the brothers, the children again133j, of that man who has died in Tahai. | |
| He-tu'u, he-tatagi, he-ragi ki te ga poki o tou tagata mate era, he-kî: | They arrive, they cry, the call to the children of that man who has died, they say: | |
| "He-to'o matou i a koro, he-oho ki te ahu ki Togariki". | "We carry Father113k to ahu Tongariki". | |
| He-kî-mai te ga poki o tou matu'a mate: | The children of the dead father say: | |
| "Ina korua ekó to'o vave; ekó to'o vave i a koro; | "Do not take him yet; do not take Father yet; | |
| hakarere-no-mai a koro i a matou a nei etoru ta'u. | just leave Father with us for three years. | |
| Ai korua ka-to'o-iho i a koro ki tokorua kaiga, ki te ahu o Togariki". | Then take Father to your place, to ahu Tongariki. | |
| He-kî te taína: "Ku-mao-á, ka-noho korua ko koro, e-hoki-ro-mai matou ka muraki taau pâpaku". | The brothers say: "Fine, stay with Father, we shall go back home until [it is time] to bury your defunct".113_l | |
Note 113h literally: "the mouth" (haha).
Note 133i Literally: "flow, spill, spread" (tehe). Perhaps a misprint for tere "to run".
Note 133j That is: the children of the brothers.
Note 113k "Father". Note the construction i a koro where one would expect i te koro; i a is found instead of i when preceding personal pronouns and persons' names. It seems that koro behaves here like a personal name or a pronoun.
Note 113l Englert translates: "we will be back to bury the defunct".