Day Symbols of the Maya Year: Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-1895, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 199-266. — John Shaqi
Day Symbols of the Maya Year: Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-1895, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 199-266.Thomas, Cyrus
Religion
Day Symbols of the Maya Year: Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-1895, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 199-266.
Thomas, Cyrus
Maya calendar
In his article so frequently referred to Dr Seler has little to say in
regard to the signification of the names of this day. He remarks that
"the word _kanel_ is given by Ximenes--with what authority I know
not--with the signification 'rabbit,' thus corresponding to the Mexican
name for this character (Tochtli)." He says he is unable to interpret
the words _lambat_ and _lamat_. In his subsequent article he interprets
the Zapotec word by "to divide, to break into pieces," and remarks "that
the concept of something divided, broken in pieces, lies at the
foundation of the delineation of this day character is also proved by
the Maya hieroglyph for the same [see plate LXV, 33 and 36], in which
something divided or broken up is undoubtedly indicated." He adds that
"perhaps also the terms _lambat_ and _lamat_, used in Tzental-Zoztzil
and in Maya for the day character, and which are hardly explainable from
the well-known Maya, are derived from the Zapotec word _lapa_." Dr
Brinton's explanation is as follows:
The Maya _lamat_ is evidently a shortened form of the Tzental
_lambat_, which is composed of _lam_, to sink into something soft
("hundirse in cosa blanda," like light loam), and _bat_, the grain,
the seed, and the name refers to the planting of the crops. The
Quiche-Cakchiquel _kanel_ is the name of the Guardian of the Sown
Seed, probably from _kan_, yellow, referring to the yellow grains
or maize. The Zapotec _lapa_ or _laba_ means a drop, and a crown or
garland; here probably the latter, in reference to the products of
the fields. The rabbit, in Nahuatl, is the symbol of ease and
intoxication.
Thus, while Dr Brinton explains the name by "sinking in the mud or
soil," Brasseur explains it by "sinking in the water."
It is much more likely that the Maya name is but a modification of
_lemba_, which, as a verb, according to Henderson, signifies "to flash,
to shine, etc;" and as a noun, according to Perez, "resplendor, brillo,
relampago." I have no Tzental vocabulary at hand, but observe that in
the closely allied Zoztzil, "relampagear" is given as the equivalent of
_lemlaghet_.
It is a coincidence worthy of a passing notice that in Hawaiian _lama_
and _pu-lama_ signify "a torch;" _au-lama_, "to give light;" _malama_,
"light from the sun or moon;" in Samoan, _lama_, "the candle-nut tree,
and a torch made of the nuts;" in Tonga, _mama_, "light, a flambeau;"
New Zealand, _rama_, "candle, light;" Tahaitan, _rama_, "a torch."
It is somewhat singular that Dr Brinton, after his interpretation of the
Maya name of the fourth day heretofore given, should in this instance
derive _kanel_--the Quiche-Cakchiquel name of this day--from lean,
"yellow," referring to the yellow grains of maize. However, it is quite
probable that the reference to the color in this explanation is correct.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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