User:Bigdan201/rongorongo

Dietrich

The Dietrich hypothesis interprets rongorongo not as a script, but as a notational system for astronomical, calendrical, and navigational data. This hypothesis rests on an analysis of rongorongo and its graphical qualities, alongside an understanding of Polynesian history, language, and culture.

Graphical Design

Dietrich’s analysis found that rongorongo glyphs are governed by rules concerning combination, partial elimination, emphasis, iteration, economy, orientation, and aesthetic design.

The glyphs are divided into three categories: independent, compound, and dependent (glyphs that only appear in combination with others). He sees other groupings as being arbitrary, as well as detrimental to the proper understanding of rongorongo. Contrary to other scholars who do not place importance on compound glyphs, Dietrich sees compounding as a major aspect of the system. In fact, Dietrich describes rongorongo as a network in which the characters are interwoven together through various combinations. He speculates that it was his background in graphic design that allowed him to perceive this pattern, while other researchers relied too heavily on linguistics and epigraphy.

To combine glyphs, rongorongo employs consistent rules. First, the ‘defining feature’ of a glyph is identified, and the rest is discarded. Then, this ‘defining feature’ is grafted onto a ‘main body’ glyph which retains most of its original shape (except for the addition of the ‘defining feature’). This is done in such a way that aesthetic unity is maintained. Typically, either one or two ‘defining features’ may be grafted onto a single ‘main body’.

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To combine more than three glyphs, multiple ‘main bodies’ may be linked together, each with ‘defining features’ grafted on. For example, the longest compound known in the corpus uses four ‘main bodies’ to combine a total of ten glyphs into a single unit.

Using this method of compounding, Dietrich found that approximately 120 'basic' characters can be used for over 1,500 combinations. He also found that the vast majority of the corpus consists of compounds.

A major reason for this is economy. A single wooden tablet presented a limited space for writing, so it was in the interest of scribes to transcribe information efficiently, while still maintaining legibility and aesthetic quality. The ‘grafting’ system described above achieves this in an elegant manner. Another reason may be secrecy. Assuming that literacy was restricted to elites and professional navigators, it was in their interest to prevent their notation from being read too easily. This may explain why a given star can be represented by multiple glyphs. It also helps explain the combination system outlined above—while basic characters can be read without difficulty, one would have to master the entire set of basic characters before recognizing the components of combined glyphs. In this way, the meaning would be opaque to anyone without proper training.

Glyphs are inscribed in a vertical orientation, even if the object depicted (e.g. fish, Orion’s belt) is usually seen horizontally. This serves the purposes of economy and aesthetic effect. The 'vertical rule' is important for interpreting the glyphs correctly, so it may have assisted in secrecy as well.

There are variant glyph forms which contain minor alterations or additions. Dietrich posited that these variants represent the movement, position, and significance of astronomical bodies. A variant form might state whether a star is rising, culminating or setting; or whether it is used for navigation or for calendrical/time-keeping purposes. In particular, doubling of a feature may refer to the culmination of an astronomical body in the sky. See: Gallery (bottom row, third from left) for an example.

Meaning

Dietrich's analysis found that the structure of rongorongo is inconsistent with that of a writing system (there are too many single glyphs for an alphabet or syllabary, among other issues). Seeking alternatives, he posited that it is a notation system, designed to codify information other than a human language. As to its content, astronomy was deemed a likely candidate, due to its significance in Polynesian lore and its practical value for navigating the Pacific without modern aids.

Thus, to ascertain the meaning of the glyphs, Dietrich matched traditional Polynesian names for stars & astronomical bodies with the pictorial representations of rongorongo. This method revealed a high degree of consistency, suggesting that most if not all of the glyphs represent astronomical and navigational concepts. Dietrich argues that other researchers have been misled by the literal resemblances of the glyphs, not realizing that they are abstract symbols for the stars (cf. western astronomical symbols). This fits a pattern consistent among many cultures, in which constellations are identified with people, animals, objects, and mythological beings.

For example, the star Betelgeuse is known as Ana-varu in Tahitian, which means “pillar to sit by”. From there, the glyph resembling a seated figure by a pillar is identified with Betelgeuse. Likewise, the constellation Ursa Major is known as Manu-kaki-oa in Marquesan, which means “the bird with the long neck”. The glyph fitting this description is thus identified with Ursa Major. The Rapa Nui name for Pleiades is matariki, meaning "small eyes", which is matched with the corresponding glyph (turned vertically in the typical style). Sirius is known by the Hawaiian term A'a, which means "burning bright"; while the matching glyph has been identified as the Sun by other scholars, the translation to Sirius makes sense as it is the brightest star in the night sky. The planet Venus is known as Naholoholo in Hawaiian, which means "swift running one" in reference to its relatively rapid movement across the sky. In some cases, an astronomical body is given two different readings, which may be for the purpose of 'encryption' as mentioned earlier. In general, comparing Polynesian astronomical terms with rongorongo results in striking linkages, as illustrated below:

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  Betelgeuse / Ana-varu / Pillar to sit by
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  Ursa Major / Manu-kaki-oa / Bird with long neck
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  Pleiades / Matariki / Small eyes
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  Algol / Ma-tohi / Split
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  Sirius / A'a / Burning bright
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  Antares / Rehua / Bird with two wings, one broken
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  Venus / Naholoholo / Swift running one
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  Milky Way / Ia / Fish
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  Milky Way / Mango-roa / Long shark
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  Arcturus / Ana-tahua-taata-metua-te-tupu-mavae / Pillar to stand by

Significantly, the celestial notation hypothesis is consistent with the Mamari tablet, which contains many lunar signs. There are other supporting references as well, such as Phillipi's 1875 account of the Santiago Staff:

when asked the explanations from the natives about the aforementioned staff, were pointed at the sky and at the hieroglyphs that [the staff] had with such reverence that makes me more inclined to believe that these hieroglyphs recall something sacred. (from Palaeographic analysis of the Santiago Staff)

Aside from the staff being tapu, this could be interpreted in a literal sense as supporting Dietrich's hypothesis.

Origins

It is often assumed that rongorongo is exclusively a product of Rapa Nui, without external influences. However, there is evidence to suggest that it was a product of pan-Polynesian cultural interaction: this includes the legend of Hotu Matu'a (who is said to have brought rongorongo tablets from overseas), artistic similarities between rongorongo and other Polynesian works such as petroglyphs, the identification of Polaris among the glyphs (which is only visible from the northern hemisphere), and the representation of a Maori style war-club (see: Gallery, bottom right). The fact that matching vocabulary and astronomical content is drawn from throughout Polynesia, far afield from Easter Island, is consistent with this hypothesis. The historicity of pan-Polynesian interaction is supported by widespread linguistic and cultural commonalities (such as mana, tapu, etc.), and the 'Golden Age' of Polynesian navigation. It is also unlikely that rongorongo was a late innovation; this is contradicted by the dysfunctional state of Rapa Nui society in the 19th century, the scripts' craftsmanship and originality, and the existence of a glyph representing the Easter Island palm tree, which went extinct in the 1600s.

Navigation

To provide greater support to this hypothesis, Dietrich sought to identify navigational concepts such as cardinal directions and guiding star markers.

Cardinal Directions

Using the same method as above, he first identified Polynesian terms for the compass points. These are:

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  North: Kukulu akau, the pillar of the right hand
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  South: Kukulu hema, the pillar of the left hand
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  East: Kukulu hikina, the pillar of the sunrise
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  West: Kukulu komohana, the pillar of the sunset

While three of the four directions were readily identified, West proved to be more difficult. First, an association was made with the moon goddess Hina, and a Hawaiian story in which her leg was broken. From there, Dietrich posited that the “broken leg” glyph may be the “pillar of the sunset”.

Guiding Stars

There are at least two different dependent glyphs used for the concept of a guiding star. The generic Polynesian term is Ihu-ku (Hawaiian) which translates to “standing above the bow”. This concept is associated with the ‘phallic’ dependent glyph. For a specific guiding star used to make landfall on an island, the Polynesian term is hoku ai’aina, which is translated to “stars which ate, ruled the land”. This concept is referred to with the ‘hand’ dependent glyph.

(Note that the 'generic modifier' is affixed to an alternate form of Polaris, known as Hoku-paa or "immovable star")

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  Polaris / Hokupaa ihuku / Immovable star (above bow)
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  Guiding star / Na hoku ai'aina / Stars which ate, ruled the land
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  Sirius / A'a / Burning bright, as guiding star
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  Betelgeuse / Ana-varu / Pillar to sit by, as guiding star
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  Betelgeuse as guiding star, abridged form

Rigel, Arcturus (north, above bow), Milky Way, Sirius, Polaris (above bow)

The fact that some glyphs are modified with the “guiding star” dependent glyph, while others are not, supports the idea that rongorongo was used for calendrical purposes in addition to astronomy and navigation. This is further evidenced by a tentative reading which is consistent with known astronomy. In the month of March, Rigel, Arcturus, and Sirius can be seen together, and the Milky Way appears in the north to the right of Arcturus. If one were sailing north, they would first see Arcturus on the horizon, and then Polaris. The arrangement of glyphs in this example, and the presence of 'guide modifiers' on Arcturus and Polaris, are consistent with these facts (Note that Arcturus appears in an alternate form known as "frigate-bird star" or Hoku-iwa. Also note that the North glyph has been grafted on, in addition to the generic guide modifier).

Winds and Currents

Winds and currents are also significant for navigation. While no identifications have been made for currents, Dietrich offers a tentative sub-grouping of wind-related glyphs (see: Gallery, second from top-left).

Inverse Boustrophedon

The orientation of rongorongo (as the ox plows, with every other line flipped upside-down) may be related to astronomy, given that constellations appear inverted between the hemispheres. An example of this is given in the gallery (third from top-left). However, aesthetic style and ergonomics may be just as significant, since inverse boustrophedon avoids line-returns.

Gallery

Here are additional illustrations that did not fit above. These include the single and dependent groupings, the tentative sub-grouping of wind-related glyphs, and a demonstration of reverse boustrophedon.

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  Grouping of single glyphs
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  Grouping of wind-related glyphs
• File:Inverse boustrophedon goes here
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  Vega / Kau-toki / Adze handle
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  Rigel / Puanga / Blossum cluster
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  Polaris / Ana-nia / Pillar to fish by
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  Canopus / Ao-tahi / One who stands alone
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  Aldebaran / Ul / Virile member
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  Aldebaran (variant, combined)
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  Sirius / Ipu-o-Lono / Gourd
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  Milky Way above Sirius

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  Grouping of dependent glyphs
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  Grouping of bright/shining glyphs (Venus, Sirius, the Moon, etc
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  Variants of Antares, rising/culminating/setting
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  Santiago tablet: note the reverse boustrophedon orientation.
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  Venus / Mere-mere / War-club
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  Algol & Sirius (compound)