Tregear. — Ancient Alphabets in Polynesia. 357 



" a goblet," and Jcuppu "a cage" (i.e., coop). : ' Zend khumba, 

 "a pot or jar;" Cymric cwm (for cwmb), "a valley or combe;" 

 Anglo-Saxon cumb, "a measure of liquids;" Middle German 

 kiunp, " a vase or cup." 



These examples, from Central Asia to Iceland, show a field 

 of vast extent covered by this word to the westward. Let us 

 take up the Polynesian, and carry the same word thousands of 

 miles to the eastward. 



Samoan, 'apu, " a cup or dish made of a leaf." This is 

 really kapu, as the apostrophe implies a lost k, and is heard as 

 a slight catch or break in the voice; apulautalo, "a taro-leaf 

 cup;" apo, "to cling to." Rarotongan kapu, "a cup;" Manga- 

 reva kapu, "a cup," "to enclose," "to contain;" Marquesan 

 kapukapu, " to take up water with a cup ;" Tahitian (also lost A") 

 abu, "concave, or hollow," as abu rima, "the hollow of the 

 hand;" aim mata, "the socket of the eye;" apuroro, "brain-cup," 

 i.e., the human skull (compare Icelandic above quoted) ; apu, 

 " the shell " of nuts, seeds, etc. ; aapu (for kakapu), " to take up 

 with the hand ;" aaJni, "the shell of nuts," etc. : "to hold out any 

 cup or concave vessel to receive anything." Also, compare 

 aipu, " a cup," " a cocoanut-shell used for a cup," with the Tongan 

 ipu, " a cup," and the New Zealand Maori ipu, "a calabash." 

 This last shows clearly an abraded form of the word. Hawaiian 

 (lost k) apu. "a cup made of cocoanut-shell for drinking au-a " 

 (kava); apu, " a dish or cup of any material;" aapu, " to warp 

 or bend," as a board in the sun, "a concave vessel;" hoo-aapu 

 (causative and reduplicate = whaka-kakapu) , " to turn the hollow 

 of the hand upwards;" aibu, "a cup ;" aipu, "a cup," "a cocoa- 

 nut-shell used as a cup."f 



I do not think any other conclusion can be arrived at, in 

 reference to these words, than that they radically imply : 1st, 

 the curved hand ; 2nd, anything curved or hollow ; 3rd, a cup 

 or container. This, as either leap, kvj>, leaf, or ear, from Iceland 

 to Hawaii. 



The Letter "V." 



Van, a nail. 



This is the name given to the Hebrew letter V, whence 

 sprung our F aud V and Y (W). In the sense of "nail" it does 



* See " Cuneiform Inscriptions," Schrader, pp. 199 and 292. 



t Massey's remark ("Book of Beginnings," vol. ii., p. 154) that the 

 Egyptian fa, "the hand," is a worn-down form of kefa, Jcaf, or kep, "the 

 hand," is doubtful, if we compare the Maori wha-wha, the Tahitian fa-fa, 

 "to touch or feel with the hand." The Polynesian is too primitive (ap- 

 parently) in construction to allow of kapu becoming fa-fa, and it is probable 

 that these words are from separate roots, but common to both languages. 

 Cuvier and Blumenbach are the authorities that the ancient Egyptians were 

 members of the Caucasian race, and that their skulls are purely Asiatic. 

 Baron Bunsen also lends the weight of his great name and learning to this 

 belief. The Icelandic Fa, to " touch, grasp, take hold," is also Polynesian, 



