Ascension: proposal for a reconstruction of Ure Vaeiko’s Apai recitation
| dc.contributor.author | de laat, M. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-11-12T22:32:45Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-05-01 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The recitations of the Easter Island native Ure Vaeiko that were recorded in 1886 belong to the very small corpus of traditional Rapanui literature that has been preserved. Although the value of individual texts is disputed, the chants that were published as Atua Matariri, Eaha to Ran Ariiki Kete and Apai are generally considered to be genuine examples of so-called “Old Rapanui”. Of these three, the Apai text is by far the most enigmatic, as it has been recorded and published in a way that renders it virtually incomprehensible. The accompanying attempt at translation is a confused narrative that appears to have only a fragmentary relation to the chant. This paper presents a tentative reconstruction of the original Apai text, together with a new translation. It is proposed that Apai contains an origin myth which intends to explain certain celestial phenomena regarding the sun and the planet Venus, set against the familiar Polynesian background of the eternal struggle between the brother gods Tangaroa and Tane. As such, it could provide valuable information on pre-missionary Easter Island astronomy, mythology, and literature. | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1040-1385(Print) | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2576-5469(ISSN) | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10524/65039 | |
| dc.subject | Easter Island | |
| dc.subject | Rapa Nui | |
| dc.title | Ascension: proposal for a reconstruction of Ure Vaeiko’s Apai recitation | |
| dc.type | Article | |
| dc.type.dcmi | Text | |
| prism.number | 1 | |
| prism.volume | 28 |
Files
Original bundle
1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
- Name:
- 03_de_Laat.pdf
- Size:
- 832.32 KB
- Format:
- Adobe Portable Document Format