Decipherment of the Easter Island script
N. A. Butinov
Chapter from the book: Siikala, J. 2021. Culture and History in the Pacific.
Part of
Chapter from the book: Siikala, J. 2021. Culture and History in the Pacific.
The article reviews different approaches of deciphering the kohau rongorongo script, and gives various standpoints for further analysis, by arguing that the glyphs represent genealogies and mythological events. A methodology of analysis is proposed and tested by deciphering which glyphs represent which tribe names of Easter Islands. The main argument put forth is that the question of whether kohau rongorongo is a mnemonic tool or a phonetic script is a false dichotomy – it can be both.
Butinov, N. 2021. Decipherment of the Easter Island script. In: Siikala, J (ed.), Culture and History in the Pacific. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33134/HUP-12-16
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Published on Sept. 29, 2021