Rongorongo text D
Encyclopedia
Text D of the rongorongo
corpus, also known as Échancrée ("notched"), is one of two dozen surviving rongorongo texts. This is the tablet that started Jaussen
's collection.
(1958). Fischer (1997) refers to it as RR3.
, Tahiti.
There are reproductions at the Padri dei Sacri Cuori
in Rome (2 copies); the Musée de l'Homme
, Paris; the Cinquantenaire
, Brussels; and in Steven Fischer's collection in Auckland. In 1990, hundreds of less precise replicas were sold at an exhibition in Brussels.
, a species which does not occur on Easter Island, but other tablets so identified turned out to be Pacific rosewood.
This tablet bore a gift of a sixteen-meter cord of human hair, perhaps a fishing line, from the recent converts of Easter Island that Father Gaspard Zumbohm and Urupano (Urban) Hina Potegiven delivered to the Bishop Jaussen
of Tahiti in 1869. The tablet was merely the spool for this gift, and its notched form suggests that it had been used as a fishing reel before that, showing how far rongorongo had fallen from its once taboo status. It was sent to the headquarters of the Congrégation des Sacrés-Coeurs et de l'Adoration (SSCC) in Paris, where it was deposited in the Missionary Museum, either by Jaussen in 1888 or by the French navy in 1892 after his death. In 1905 it was moved to the SSCC museum in Braine-le-Comte
, Belgium. In 1953 it followed the SSCC to Grottaferrata
, near Rome, and in 1964 to Rome itself. In 1974 the SSCC moved to its permanent headquarters in Rome, and in 1975 Échancrée was lent to Tahiti on a long-term loan; it was still there as of 1997.
The shape and wood suggest to Fischer (1997) that Échancrée may have been made from a piece of planking of a boat from a European or American ship.
Fischer (1997:422) remarks that the quality of inscription differs markedly between the two sides. Side a is expertly carved, with small, fine glyphs; side b less so, with larger and cruder glyphs, indicating that were written by different authors.
Although Barthel (1958) starts his transcription at the wide end of side a, the start of the text could just as well be at the narrow end (Barthel's line Da8); the same is true of side b. However, as the two sides are written with different hands, it is likely that these are distinct texts, and therefore that the question of recto vs. verso is irrelevant.
Barthel
Fischer
Rongorongo
Rongorongo is a system of glyphs discovered in the 19th century on Easter Island that appears to be writing or proto-writing. It cannot be read despite numerous attempts at decipherment. Although some calendrical and what might prove to be genealogical information has been identified, not even...
corpus, also known as Échancrée ("notched"), is one of two dozen surviving rongorongo texts. This is the tablet that started Jaussen
Florentin-Étienne Jaussen
Monsignor Florentin-Étienne Jaussen was the first bishop of Tahiti and the man who brought the rongorongo script of Easter Island to the world's attention. In the 1860s Bishop Jaussen was responsible for ending the slave raids on Easter Island.Jaussen was born in Rocles, France...
's collection.
Other names
D is the standard designation, from BarthelThomas Barthel
Thomas Sylvester Barthel was a German ethnologist and epigrapher who is best known for cataloguing the undeciphered rongorongo script of Easter Island....
(1958). Fischer (1997) refers to it as RR3.
Location
On long-term loan to the Musée de Tahiti et des Îles, PunaauiaPunaauia
Punaauia is a commune in the suburbs of Papeete in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Punaauia is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. In the late 1890s, the French...
, Tahiti.
There are reproductions at the Padri dei Sacri Cuori
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is a Roman Catholic religious order of brothers, priests, and nuns...
in Rome (2 copies); the Musée de l'Homme
Musée de l'Homme
The Musée de l'Homme was created in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne. It is the descendant of the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, founded in 1878...
, Paris; the Cinquantenaire
Cinquantenaire
Parc du Cinquantenaire or Jubelpark is a large public, urban park in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels, Belgium....
, Brussels; and in Steven Fischer's collection in Auckland. In 1990, hundreds of less precise replicas were sold at an exhibition in Brussels.
Physical description
A broken-off wedge-shaped piece of wood, approx. 30 × 15 cm, it is in good condition though notched on the top and bottom and with a long, deep, horizontal gouge on side a, line 6. It is said to be made of Podocarpus latifoliusPodocarpus latifolius
Podocarpus latifolius is a large evergreen tree up to 35 m high and 3 m trunk diameter, in the conifer family Podocarpaceae; it is the type species of the genus Podocarpus....
, a species which does not occur on Easter Island, but other tablets so identified turned out to be Pacific rosewood.
Provenance
Florentin-Étienne Jaussen
Monsignor Florentin-Étienne Jaussen was the first bishop of Tahiti and the man who brought the rongorongo script of Easter Island to the world's attention. In the 1860s Bishop Jaussen was responsible for ending the slave raids on Easter Island.Jaussen was born in Rocles, France...
of Tahiti in 1869. The tablet was merely the spool for this gift, and its notched form suggests that it had been used as a fishing reel before that, showing how far rongorongo had fallen from its once taboo status. It was sent to the headquarters of the Congrégation des Sacrés-Coeurs et de l'Adoration (SSCC) in Paris, where it was deposited in the Missionary Museum, either by Jaussen in 1888 or by the French navy in 1892 after his death. In 1905 it was moved to the SSCC museum in Braine-le-Comte
Braine-le-Comte
Braine-le-Comte is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut.On January 1, 2006, Braine-le-Comte had a total population of 20,305...
, Belgium. In 1953 it followed the SSCC to Grottaferrata
Grottaferrata
Grottaferrata, Italy is a small town and comune in the province of Rome, situated on the lower slopes of the Alban Hills, 20 km south east of Rome. It is bounded by other communes, Frascati, Rocca di Papa, Marino, and Rome.-History:...
, near Rome, and in 1964 to Rome itself. In 1974 the SSCC moved to its permanent headquarters in Rome, and in 1975 Échancrée was lent to Tahiti on a long-term loan; it was still there as of 1997.
The shape and wood suggest to Fischer (1997) that Échancrée may have been made from a piece of planking of a boat from a European or American ship.
Contents
Line a3 contains a series of figures (glyph 200), holding various objects and irregularly separated by frigatebirds (glyph 600). Fischer (1997) speculates that these may represent a numerical series.Fischer (1997:422) remarks that the quality of inscription differs markedly between the two sides. Side a is expertly carved, with small, fine glyphs; side b less so, with larger and cruder glyphs, indicating that were written by different authors.
Text
Seven lines of glyphs on side a, with traces of an eighth on its beveled edge; six lines on side b, for ~ 270 glyphs in all, both legible and damaged.Although Barthel (1958) starts his transcription at the wide end of side a, the start of the text could just as well be at the narrow end (Barthel's line Da8); the same is true of side b. However, as the two sides are written with different hands, it is likely that these are distinct texts, and therefore that the question of recto vs. verso is irrelevant.
Barthel
-
- Side a, as traced by Barthel. The lines have been rearranged to reflect English reading order: Da1 at top, Da8 at bottom.
-
- Side b, as traced by Barthel: Db1 at top, Db6 at bottom.
Fischer