Pongaponga: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Pongaponga Beaglehole1938.png|thumb|Pearl Beaglehole & Ernest Beaglehole 1934-8. Pukapuka dictionary. [https://tapuaka.wgtn.ac.nz/nodes/view/6864 online] ]] | [[File:Pongaponga Beaglehole1938.png|thumb|Pearl Beaglehole & Ernest Beaglehole 1934-8. Pukapuka dictionary. [https://tapuaka.wgtn.ac.nz/nodes/view/6864 online] ]] | ||
[[File:Pukapuka.png|thumb|location of the island]] | |||
On the island of Pukapuka, one of the Northern Cook Islands in the South Pacific, the stars ε1 (4) Lyr and ε2 (5) Lyr, two faint stars that can just be separated with the naked eye in good conditions, were known as ''Na ponga-ponga-iyu-o-te-kiole'', “the nostrils of the rat”. The name '''Ponga-Ponga''' (“nostrils”) is a suggested shortening of this. | On the island of Pukapuka, one of the Northern Cook Islands in the South Pacific, the stars ε1 (4) Lyr and ε2 (5) Lyr, two faint stars that can just be separated with the naked eye in good conditions, were known as ''Na ponga-ponga-iyu-o-te-kiole'', “the nostrils of the rat”. The name '''Ponga-Ponga''' (“nostrils”) is a suggested shortening of this. | ||
Revision as of 06:10, 10 June 2026
Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann, Clive Ruggles, Youla Azkarrula
On the island of Pukapuka, one of the Northern Cook Islands in the South Pacific, the stars ε1 (4) Lyr and ε2 (5) Lyr, two faint stars that can just be separated with the naked eye in good conditions, were known as Na ponga-ponga-iyu-o-te-kiole, “the nostrils of the rat”. The name Ponga-Ponga (“nostrils”) is a suggested shortening of this.
Concordance, Etymology, History
Information on star knowledge on Pukapuka was obtained by ethnographers Ernest and Pearl Beaglehole during 1934 and 1935 (Beaglehole and Beaglehole 1938:[1] 347–353) “from a number of informants” (ibid.: 348). Their report contains a star chart drawn by Robert Dean Frisbie, an American author who lived among the natives and “assisted in the identification of the star names” (ibid.: fig. 55, reproduced below).
Asterism #26 in the chart is identified in the key as “Na Pongaponga-iyu-o-te-kiole (4ε and 5 Lyrae)”, which accords with its position in relation to #29 (α , β , γ Aql, “Tolu”), #25 (Corona Borealis, “Te Wale-o-Awitu”) and the sharks of the Milky Way. It is also listed by Makemson (1941:[2] 245 #489) as Nga Pongaponga-iyu-o-te-kiole and by Johnson, Mahelona and Ruggles (2026:[3] 321) as Na Ponga-ponga-iyu-o-te-kiole.
The rat's tail, Te Yiku-o-te-kiole, is identified as Coma Berenices (#16), suggesting that #25—Corona Borealis,—might be the rat’s body, but it is identified instead as Te Wale-o-Awitu, “the house of Awitu”.
A different informant identified the rat as Ursa Major, α, β, γ, and δ UMa being its body and ε, ζ, and η UMa its tail, as drawn in the figure (#17). Beaglehole and Beaglehole (ibid.: 351) conclude that there is “some confusion” with the name Na Pongaponga-iyu-o-te-kiole and suggest that it could be applied to “almost any visible binary”.
Origin of Constellation
Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation
Mythology
Beaglehole and Beaglehole (1938:[1] 347) note that by the time of their visit the underlying mythology had been essentially lost. “Pukapukan study of the heavens seems to have been governed by the use of the stars and planets as guides for seasonal and fishing changes and the use of the stars as guides for long sea voyages. With the decadence of sea voyaging, much of the old-time lore fell into disuse and was lost. Puyaka, the great expert in star lore at the time of Tuiva committed suicide and took with him to his grave much esoteric star lore. Informants were sure that Pukapukan knowledge of the stars is today but a remnant of former knowledge. The younger men now know only a few star names, some of which they can not even identify.”
IAU Working Group on Star Names
The name was discussed and adopted by the IAU WGSN in 202x. As this star is already named ..., the WGSN chose ... (not to apply/ to apply the name to a neighbouring star/ to ...) in the IAU-CSN.
Weblinks
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Beaglehole, Ernest and Pearl Beaglehole (1938). Ethnology of Pukapuka. Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum (Bulletin 150).
- ↑ Makemson, Maud W. (1941). The Morning Star Rises: An Account of Polynesian Astronomy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
- ↑ Johnson, Rubellite K, John K. Mahelona and Clive Ruggles (2026). Nā Inoa Hōkū: Hawaiian and Pacific Star Names (3rd edition). Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.
