Pacific Islands as a reflection of Mesopotamian concepts of city-state

To begin with, let us examine the Sumerian word cluster for cities.

Sumerian:

#IRI (𒌷) and #IRIIRI (𒌷𒌷)

"city; cities; walled city"

http://oracc.org/epsd2/o0031231

The second form above features reduplication of IRI / URU (𒌷), possibly an ideographic representation of stones in a wall.

This word is found in the Hebrew word IR (עִיר) for “city”, which is the root word prefixed to the toponym of Jerusalem, which is in Hebrew Yerushaláyim. This toponym can be translated as “the city of peace”, “foundation of well-being” (from Sumerian SILIM (𒁲) for “life, well-being”), “dwelling of peace”, or “founded in safety” among numerous other glosses. It is in essence “a settlement”, much like the name of the Sumerian city of Ur (URU is another reading of IRI), and the Semitic root YRY meaning “to found” are additional interpretations. In light of this, we can understand IR (עִיר) as meaning a settlement has been founded.

An alternative written form of IRI (𒌷) is URU₂(𒍍) which features the cuneiform for "brilliant; day; shine; sun; white" UD (𒌓).

The inclusion of UD (𒌓) as a radical within or atop IRI (𒌷) implies an augmentation of the basic meaning of “city” or “city-state”, likely something to do with illumination / enlightenment. After all, cities are hubs of human activity, centers for learning and accumulation of skilled laborers. This, I believe, is the underlying leitmotif inherent in the biblical poetry describing God’s creation of “Light” (Hebrew: Aor (אֽוֹר)) in Genesis 1:3, juxtaposed with later references to “Ur of the Chaldees” (Hebrew: Ur-Kašdim (א֣וּר כַּשְׂדִּ֗ים)) in Genesis 11:28 and Genesis 11:31. This “Ur” was the birthplace of Haran, brother of Abram (Abraham), in the presence of their father Terah.“Ur” (א֣וּר) the Chaldean city and “Light”  (אֽוֹר) use an identical word revealing Ur to be regarded as “The (implied: City of) Light of the Chaldeans”. Organized thought underlies any activity that yields walls, and in an Age of city-states, circular city perimeters demarcated by stone walls or fortifications provided some considerable measure of security for the inhabitants residing inside against marauding nomads or rival city-states. I have arrived at this understanding after considerable meditation on a potential linguistic drift characterized by a surprisingly wide distribution throughout multiple linguistic family trees as follows.

Malay:

#KELIKIR / #KĚLIKIR / #KERIKIL / #KĚRIKIL 

1. gravel

2. rattan ring; rattan circlet

3. thole-strap (circular oar mount)

The doublet of meanings here between circular shape and small stones highlights the above characteristics of IRI (𒌷) / IRI-IRI (𒌷𒌷).

Māori:

#KIRIKIRI 

1. gravel;

2. basket with the sides raised by network, for food, etc.

Now we enter the Polynesian sphere and see both the sense of stony qualities with interlaced characteristics forming a circular shape (basket with vertical raised sides).

Hawaiian:

#ʻILIʻILI

1. pebble

2. cobble

3. PILE, OVERLAP

This cognate is very revealing, especially with #3. The image of piled stones, overlapping stones is preserved and evocative of the activity of planned building with stone. Stone walls of fortifications, temple complexes, and elite residences are found throughout the Moāna as well as intentional leveling of open spaces around such structures using small, loose stones, such as for marae / multipurpose or ceremonial common spaces.

Tongan:

#KILIKILI

1. a kind of blackish gravel

Likely flint. Synonymous with PATAPATA “coarse sand, fine gravel, of a whitish or light colour”. This perfectly describes the usual conditions of discovered flint.  See below under “Geology of flint”.

Såmoan:

#ʻILIʻILI

1. gravel, pebbles, small stones.

Discussion:

In one variation of the Sāmoan story of the time of the organizing of the world order ('O Le Solo o Le Vā o Le Foafoaga o Le Lalolagi...) after wandering long and growing distressed by his tenure adrift on the sea, the creator god Tagaloa finds a place to rest in Manu'a, high atop the mountains of Ta'ū. From there he establishes new lands as we shall see in the following stanzas, lines 26-35:

Tula'i i lou atu mauga ta'alolo

Tagaloa climbed upon your mountains,

Tumau Tagaloa i mauga o Manu'a.

But stayed on the mountain of Manu'a.

Levaleva le vasa i savili,

Unthinkably long the island sea lay under the winds,

E lili'a Tagaloa ia peau alili.

And Tagaloa was startled by the terrible waves.

Tagi i lagi SINA 'ILI'ILI;

He called to heaven for a few small pebbles;

'Upolu SINA FATU LAITIITI,

'Upolu was only a small rock,

Tutuila SINA MA’A LAGISIGISI,

Tutuila was a small pebble,

Nu'u fa'aō e a sisi'i,

He enlarged the islands by lifting them up

E mapusaga i ai ali'i,

As a resting place for the chiefs,

Tagaloa e ai fa'afei'i.

All of whom look towards Tagaloa."

Commentary:

In this passage we see a metaphorical link established between an island as a place for elite chiefs to reside, and rocks, pebbles, gravel. The overarching word used for the island metaphor is SINA 'ILI'ILI where SINA means "some; a few; a little bit of" and 'ILI'ILI "pebble/gravel". These are subcategorized as FATU LAITIITI where FATU means "rock" and LAITIITI is "small", and MA'A LAGISIGISI where MA'A is "stone" and LAGISIGISI is another now obsolete word for "small".

Breakdown of words differentiating kinds of stone:

FATU is related to Malay BATU "Stone; rock; boulder; pebble; gem; milestone; mile; stone used with native anchor; stony; hard; numeric coefficient for teeth"

Compare with Sanskrit:

PAṬU (पटु)

1. clever, skillful, dexterous, proficient, smart

2. strong, hard, cruel

MA'A  may be related to Malay MAKAM "foundation, place, site; abode, shrine" and through Malay may be a derivation of Sanskrit:

MATA (मत)

1. religion

Geology of flint:

The Samoan word MA'A likely refers to a particular kind of silica-based rock formed during the Cretaceous epoch 60-90 million years ago. We call these grayish-black rocks "flint stone" in English. In fact, MA'AMA'A is the Sāmoan word used today to refer to flint. In mythological narratives, MA'AMA'A / MĀMĀ is another term for LALOLAGI, or "Earth", the world of light as revealed by the sky lifter gods / demigods at the time of the separation of the earth and the sky. Flint, a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, and subcategory of chert, has many uses as a tool, which include the creation of edged tools and weapons as well as for starting fires where ferrous minerals are also available, like iron pyrite ("fool's gold"), steel, etc. Its fire-starting attribute is underscored by the Sanskrit term for flint: AGNIPRASTARA (अग्निप्रस्तर), from AGNI (अग्नि) "fire" and PRASTARA (प्रस्तर) "stone". Thus, flint is literally "firestone".

Typically found in nodules within sedimentary layers of chalk, a mineral formed under deep submarine conditions of compressed, minute, calcite shells, therefore more often a coastal mineral, flint often appears as a rock with a thin, chalky, white exterior. Once fragmented, however, the interior is typically a uniform gray-black material. It may be that this whitish exterior appearance accounts for the occurrence of the word 'ILI / KIRI as meaning "skin; peel" owing to the thin outer layer of chalky white mineral. Another possibility for the associations with "skin; peel" or even leprous skin conditions may relate instead to the art of flint knapping, the creative process of producing utility objects like spearheads, arrow points, knives, weighted anchors and so on and the thin, flakelike shape of some of these objects and the corresponding waste material.

In Tongan, MAMA can mean “ring”, MAAMA means “light (not dark); figuratively, enlightened (mentally, spiritually); enlightenment; light; lamp, lantern, or other source of light, especially a hurricane lantern and is a polite word for “fire” in-lieu of AFI. All of these attributes sit well with the occurrence of the UD (𒌓) cuneiform in Sumerian URU₂ (𒍍) / IRI (𒍍). MAAMA also carries the meaning of “world, the world, the place of light, as opposed to PULOTU, the underworld land of shades or LOLOFONUA, underground.

MA'A = MĀ / MA'AMA'A = MĀMĀ = MAMA "ring":

Furthermore, there may be a connection with MA-A (𒈠𒀀) meaning "ship", literally MA (𒈠) "house (of) A (𒀀) water", or "water house".

LAITIITI may decompose into LA + ITIITI where LA, among other things like "sun", "day", "fin", also means "sail" inferring the presence of a boat, and ITIITI meaning "little, small, few"

LAGISIGISI is not attested in smaller decomposed units such as LA+GISIGISI, as there is no GISIGISI in dictionaries. However, this may be a variant reduplication of NISI "some, any". Thus, as above, LA may mean "sail" inferring a boat, and GISIGISI / NISINISI "some".

However, this may be a variation of corruption / couplet of KIHIKIHI / KISIKISI referring to finely plaited woven reeds screens, and from that sense of refinement a nuance of "smallness" typical of the fine craftsmanship of fine mats.

Compare GISIGISI with GI.SIG-GI.SIG (𒄀𒋝 𒄀𒋝) "reed fence, reed fence" as encountered in the Sumerian Flood Story. If I am correct in detecting linkages with the Sumerian language in this old SOLO, then Tutuila was initially established as an abode of intermediary priest chiefs who served the interests of the Tagaloa high god situated in Manu'a. 'Upolu is established as the place where skilled laborers reside.

This passage appears to be a preserved narrative poetically describing several waves of colonization after an initial discovery. The early arrivals are likened to "pebbles" of small size, implying they are broken off pieces of a much larger former "rocky" homeland, presumably the realm of "heaven" or LAGI (RANGI / LANI / LANGI / LANGIT), just as the verse relates "Tagi i lagi" / "called unto heaven". And then the waves of migrants, presumably divine or semi-divi e ali'i chiefs (ALI'I from A meaning "from" and LI'I meaning "Pleiades"). Tagaloa of the sky realm called down the children of the Pleiades. Perhaps this is the time of Makali'i mentioned in the opening lines of the Hawaiian Kumulipō:

'O ke au o Makali'i ka pō

'Tis the era of the Pleiades, of the chaos

E hoʻomālamalama, i ka mālama

(implied: "stars" come down from Heaven) To educate / civilize, with salvation

These star chiefs / Pleiadeans have come down to earth bringing with them the basics of civilization as characterized by cultivation of a skilled labor class, and religion as an institution of learning and wisdom.

Present within this indigenous Sāmoan oral tradition are thematic, semantic, and linguistic elements that seem to have arrived with the original Sāmoan people completely bypassing the later incursions of Judeo-Christian thought and literature arriving with European and American missionaries. The linguistic and semantic elements I have presented here pre-date the rise of both Christianity and Judaism altogether, and reveal that the people of the Pacific may very well be the inheritors of a culture directly transmitted to them from the so-called divinities described within ancient Mesopotamian religion, namely the Anuna gods.