<s>
Rongorongo	B-Language
(	O
pron	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
;	O
Rapa	O
Nui	O
:	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
system	O
of	O
glyphs	B-Application
discovered	O
in	O
the	O
19th	O
century	O
on	O
Rapa	O
Nui	O
(	O
Easter	O
Island	O
)	O
that	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
writing	O
or	O
proto-writing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Numerous	O
attempts	O
at	O
decipherment	B-Language
have	O
been	O
made	O
,	O
with	O
none	O
being	O
successful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
some	O
calendrical	O
and	O
what	O
might	O
prove	O
to	O
be	O
genealogical	O
information	O
has	O
been	O
identified	O
,	O
none	O
of	O
these	O
glyphs	B-Application
can	O
actually	O
be	O
read	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
rongorongo	B-Language
does	O
prove	O
to	O
be	O
writing	O
and	O
proves	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
independent	O
invention	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
very	O
few	O
independent	O
inventions	O
of	O
writing	O
in	O
human	O
history	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
dozen	O
wooden	O
objects	O
bearing	O
rongorongo	B-Language
inscriptions	O
,	O
some	O
heavily	O
weathered	O
,	O
burned	O
,	O
or	O
otherwise	O
damaged	O
,	O
were	O
collected	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
19th	O
century	O
and	O
are	O
now	O
scattered	O
in	O
museums	O
and	O
private	O
collections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
a	O
few	O
petroglyphs	O
which	O
may	O
include	O
short	O
rongorongo	B-Language
inscriptions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Authentic	O
rongorongo	B-Language
texts	O
are	O
written	O
in	O
alternating	O
directions	O
,	O
a	O
system	O
called	O
reverse	O
boustrophedon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
glyphs	B-Application
themselves	O
are	O
outlines	O
of	O
human	O
,	O
animal	O
,	O
plant	O
,	O
artifact	O
and	O
geometric	O
forms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
human	O
and	O
animal	O
figures	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
glyphs	B-Application
and	O
have	O
characteristic	O
protuberances	O
on	O
each	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
head	O
,	O
possibly	O
representing	O
eyes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Individual	O
texts	O
are	O
conventionally	O
known	O
by	O
a	O
single	O
uppercase	O
letter	O
and	O
a	O
name	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Tablet	O
C	O
,	O
the	O
Mamari	B-Algorithm
Tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
somewhat	O
variable	O
names	O
may	O
be	O
descriptive	O
or	O
indicate	O
where	O
the	O
object	O
is	O
kept	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
Oar	O
,	O
the	O
Snuffbox	O
,	O
the	O
Small	B-Algorithm
Santiago	I-Algorithm
Tablet	I-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
the	O
Santiago	B-Algorithm
Staff	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rongorongo	B-Language
is	O
the	O
modern	O
name	O
for	O
the	O
inscriptions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
forms	O
of	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
are	O
standardized	O
contours	O
of	O
living	O
organisms	O
and	O
geometric	O
designs	O
about	O
one	O
centimeter	O
high	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
wooden	O
tablets	O
are	O
irregular	O
in	O
shape	O
and	O
,	O
in	O
many	O
instances	O
,	O
fluted	O
(	O
tablets	O
B	O
,	O
E	O
,	O
G	O
,	O
H	O
,	O
O	O
,	O
Q	O
,	O
and	O
possibly	O
T	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
carved	O
in	O
shallow	O
channels	O
running	O
the	O
length	O
of	O
the	O
tablets	O
,	O
as	O
can	O
be	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
image	O
of	O
tablet	O
G	O
at	O
right	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Except	O
for	O
a	O
few	O
possible	O
glyphs	B-Application
cut	O
in	O
stone	O
(	O
see	O
petroglyphs	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
one	B-Algorithm
possibility	I-Algorithm
on	O
barkcloth	O
,	O
all	O
surviving	O
secure	O
texts	O
are	O
inscribed	O
in	O
wood	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
early	O
missionary	O
period	O
that	O
began	O
in	O
1864	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
women	O
wore	O
bark	O
cloth	O
decorated	O
with	O
"	O
symbols	O
"	O
;	O
a	B-Algorithm
fragment	I-Algorithm
of	O
one	O
of	O
these	O
survives	O
,	O
and	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
rongorongo	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
found	O
experimentally	O
that	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
were	O
quite	O
visible	O
on	O
banana	O
leaves	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
sap	O
that	O
emerged	O
from	O
the	O
cuts	O
and	O
dried	O
on	O
the	O
surface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
oral	O
tradition	O
,	O
scribes	O
used	O
obsidian	O
flakes	O
or	O
small	O
shark	O
teeth	O
,	O
presumably	O
the	O
hafted	O
tools	O
still	O
used	O
to	O
carve	O
wood	O
in	O
Polynesia	O
,	O
to	O
flute	O
and	O
polish	O
the	O
tablets	O
and	O
then	O
to	O
incise	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
glyphs	B-Application
are	O
most	O
commonly	O
composed	O
of	O
deep	O
smooth	O
cuts	O
,	O
though	O
superficial	O
hair-line	O
cuts	O
are	O
also	O
found	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
closeup	O
image	O
at	O
right	O
,	O
a	O
glyph	B-Application
is	O
composed	O
of	O
two	O
parts	O
connected	O
by	O
a	O
hair-line	O
cut	O
;	O
this	O
is	O
a	O
typical	O
convention	O
for	O
this	O
shape	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Barthel	O
was	O
told	O
that	O
the	O
last	O
literate	O
Rapanui	O
king	O
,	O
Ngaara	O
,	O
sketched	O
out	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
in	O
soot	O
applied	O
with	O
a	O
fish	O
bone	O
and	O
then	O
engraved	O
them	O
with	O
a	O
shark	O
tooth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Haberlandt	O
noticed	O
that	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
of	O
this	O
text	O
appear	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
incised	O
with	O
a	O
sharpened	O
bone	O
,	O
as	O
evidenced	O
by	O
the	O
shallowness	O
and	O
width	O
of	O
the	O
grooves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
other	O
rongo-rongo	B-Language
inscription	O
reveals	O
such	O
graphic	O
extravagance	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
glyphs	B-Application
are	O
stylized	O
human	O
,	O
animal	O
,	O
vegetable	O
and	O
geometric	O
shapes	O
,	O
and	O
often	O
form	O
compounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
not	O
known	O
what	O
significance	O
turning	O
a	O
glyph	B-Application
head-down	O
or	O
to	O
the	O
left	O
may	O
have	O
had	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heads	O
often	O
have	O
characteristic	O
projections	O
on	O
the	O
sides	O
which	O
may	O
be	O
eyes	O
(	O
as	O
on	O
the	O
sea	O
turtle	O
glyph	B-Application
below	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
clearly	O
on	O
sea-turtle	O
petroglyphs	O
)	O
but	O
which	O
often	O
resemble	O
ears	O
(	O
as	O
on	O
the	O
anthropomorphic	O
petroglyph	O
in	O
the	O
next	O
section	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
rongorongo	B-Language
appears	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
an	O
internal	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Given	O
that	O
few	O
if	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
Rapanui	O
people	O
remaining	O
on	O
the	O
island	O
in	O
the	O
1870s	O
could	O
read	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
,	O
it	O
is	O
likely	O
that	O
only	O
a	O
small	O
minority	O
were	O
ever	O
literate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
start	O
of	O
forest-clearing	O
for	O
agriculture	O
on	O
Easter	O
Island	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
presumably	O
colonization	O
,	O
has	O
been	O
dated	O
to	O
circa	O
1200	O
,	O
implying	O
a	O
date	O
for	O
the	O
invention	O
of	O
rongorongo	B-Language
no	O
earlier	O
than	O
the	O
13th	O
century	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Glyph	B-Application
67	O
(	O
)	O
is	O
thought	O
to	O
represent	O
the	O
extinct	O
Easter	O
Island	O
palm	O
,	O
which	O
disappeared	O
from	O
the	O
island	O
's	O
pollen	O
record	O
circa	O
1650	O
,	O
suggesting	O
that	O
the	O
script	O
itself	O
is	O
at	O
least	O
that	O
old	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
scholars	O
have	O
suggested	O
that	O
rongorongo	B-Language
may	O
have	O
been	O
an	O
invention	O
inspired	O
by	O
this	O
visit	O
and	O
the	O
signing	O
of	O
the	O
treaty	O
of	O
annexation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
glyphs	B-Application
could	O
be	O
crudely	O
written	O
rongorongo	B-Language
,	O
as	O
might	O
be	O
expected	O
for	O
Rapa	O
Nui	O
representatives	O
writing	O
with	O
the	O
novel	O
instrument	O
of	O
pen	O
on	O
paper	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
no	O
glyphs	B-Application
could	O
be	O
salvaged	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
interview	O
two	O
elderly	O
informants	O
,	O
Kapiera	O
and	O
a	O
leper	O
named	O
Tomenika	O
,	O
who	O
allegedly	O
had	O
some	O
knowledge	O
of	O
rongorongo	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
them	O
Routledge	O
concluded	O
that	O
rongorongo	B-Language
was	O
an	O
idiosyncratic	O
mnemonic	O
device	O
that	O
did	O
not	O
directly	O
represent	O
language	O
,	O
in	O
other	O
words	O
,	O
proto-writing	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
meanings	O
of	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
were	O
reformulated	O
by	O
each	O
scribe	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
read	O
by	O
someone	O
not	O
trained	O
in	O
that	O
specific	O
text	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
26	O
rongorongo	B-Language
texts	O
with	O
letter	O
codes	O
are	O
inscribed	O
on	O
wooden	O
objects	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
between	O
2	O
and	O
2320	O
simple	O
glyphs	B-Application
and	O
components	O
of	O
compound	O
glyphs	B-Application
,	O
for	O
over	O
15,000	O
in	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
objects	O
are	O
mostly	O
oblong	O
wooden	O
tablets	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exceptions	O
of	O
I	O
,	O
a	O
possibly	O
sacred	O
chieftain	O
's	O
staff	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Santiago	B-Algorithm
Staff	I-Algorithm
;	O
J	O
and	O
L	O
,	O
inscribed	O
on	O
reimiro	O
pectoral	O
ornaments	O
worn	O
by	O
the	O
elite	O
;	O
X	O
,	O
inscribed	O
on	O
various	O
parts	O
of	O
a	O
tangata	B-Algorithm
manu	I-Algorithm
(	O
"	O
birdman	O
"	O
)	O
statuette	O
;	O
and	O
Y	O
,	O
a	O
European	O
snuff	O
box	O
assembled	O
from	O
sections	O
cut	O
from	O
a	O
rongorongo	B-Language
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
in	O
addition	O
a	O
few	O
isolated	O
glyphs	B-Application
or	O
short	O
sequences	O
which	O
might	O
prove	O
to	O
be	O
rongorongo	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
+	O
Barthelcode	O
Fischercode	O
Nickname	O
/	O
Description	O
Location	O
Notes	O
A	O
RR1	O
Tahua	B-Algorithm
(	O
the	O
Oar	O
)	O
Rome	O
1825	O
glyphs	B-Application
inscribed	O
on	O
a	O
European	O
or	O
American	O
oar	O
blade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
B	O
RR4	O
Aruku	B-Algorithm
kurenga	I-Algorithm
1135	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
fluted	O
rosewood	O
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
C	O
RR2	O
Mamari	B-Algorithm
1000	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
unfluted	O
rosewood	O
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
D	O
RR3	O
Échancrée	B-Algorithm
Pape'ete	O
270	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
unfluted	O
notched	O
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
E	O
RR6	O
Keiti	B-Algorithm
(	O
Leuven	O
)	O
822	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
fluted	O
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destroyed	O
by	O
fire	O
in	O
World	O
War	O
I	O
.	O
F	O
RR7	O
Chauvet	B-Algorithm
fragment	I-Algorithm
New	O
York	O
A	O
fragment	O
with	O
51	O
recorded	O
crudely	O
executed	O
glyphs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
G	O
RR8	O
Small	B-Algorithm
Santiago	I-Algorithm
Santiago	O
720	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
fluted	O
rosewood	O
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
H	O
RR9	O
Large	B-Algorithm
Santiago	I-Algorithm
1580	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
fluted	O
rosewood	O
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nearly	O
duplicates	O
P	O
and	O
Q	O
.	O
I	O
RR10	O
Santiago	B-Algorithm
staff	I-Algorithm
2920	O
glyphs	B-Application
inscribed	O
on	O
a	O
chief	O
's	O
staff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
J	O
RR20	O
Large	O
reimiro	O
London	B-Algorithm
A	O
breast	O
ornament	O
decorated	O
with	O
two	O
glyphs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
K	O
RR19	O
London	B-Algorithm
163	O
crudely	O
executed	O
glyphs	B-Application
paraphrasing	O
Gr	O
on	O
a	O
rosewood	O
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
L	O
RR21	O
Small	O
reimiro	O
A	O
breast	O
ornament	O
decorated	O
with	O
a	O
line	O
of	O
44	O
glyphs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
M	O
RR24	O
Large	B-Algorithm
Vienna	I-Algorithm
Vienna	O
A	O
rosewood	O
tablet	O
in	O
poor	O
condition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Side	O
b	O
is	O
destroyed	O
;	O
54	O
glyphs	B-Application
are	O
visible	O
on	O
side	O
a	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
N	O
RR23	O
Small	B-Algorithm
Vienna	I-Algorithm
172	O
intricately	O
carved	O
glyphs	B-Application
,	O
loosely	O
paraphrasing	O
Ev	O
,	O
on	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
yellowwood	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
O	O
RR22	O
Berlin	B-Algorithm
Berlin	B-Algorithm
piece	O
of	O
fluted	O
driftwood	O
with	O
90	O
legible	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
side	O
a	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
poor	O
condition	O
,	O
none	O
of	O
the	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
side	O
b	O
can	O
be	O
identified	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
P	O
RR18	O
Large	O
StPetersburg	O
St.Petersburg	O
1163	O
glyphs	B-Application
inscribed	O
on	O
a	O
European	O
or	O
American	O
oar	O
blade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nearly	O
duplicates	O
H	O
and	O
Q	O
.	O
Q	O
RR17	O
Small	O
StPetersburg	O
718	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
fluted	O
rosewood	O
tree	O
trunk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
R	O
RR15	O
Small	B-Algorithm
Washington	I-Algorithm
Washington	O
357	O
glyphs	B-Application
,	O
nearly	O
all	O
in	O
phrases	O
repeated	O
on	O
other	O
texts	O
,	O
on	O
a	O
piece	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
S	O
RR16	O
Large	B-Algorithm
Washington	I-Algorithm
600	O
legible	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
yellowwood	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
T	O
RR11	O
Fluted	B-Algorithm
Honolulu	I-Algorithm
Honolulu	O
120	O
legible	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
fluted	O
tablet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
U	O
RR12	O
Honolulu	B-Algorithm
beam	I-Algorithm
27	O
legible	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
European	O
or	O
American	O
beam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
V	O
RR13	O
Honolulu	B-Algorithm
oar	I-Algorithm
22	O
legible	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
a	O
European	O
or	O
American	O
oar	O
blade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
line	O
of	O
text	O
,	O
plus	O
a	O
separate	O
pair	O
of	O
glyphs	B-Application
,	O
on	O
side	O
a	O
;	O
traces	O
of	O
text	O
on	O
side	O
b	O
.	O
W	O
RR14	O
Honolulu	B-Algorithm
fragment	I-Algorithm
A	O
fragment	O
with	O
8	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
the	O
one	O
side	O
that	O
has	O
been	O
described	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X	O
RR25	O
Tangata	O
manu(NewYork birdman )	O
New	O
York	O
A	O
birdman	O
statuette	O
with	O
37	O
superficially	O
inscribed	O
glyphs	B-Application
separated	O
in	O
seven	O
short	O
scattered	O
texts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Y	O
RR5	O
Paris	B-Algorithm
snuffbox	I-Algorithm
Paris	O
A	O
box	O
cut	O
and	O
pieced	O
together	O
from	O
three	O
planed	O
pieces	O
of	O
a	O
tablet	O
;	O
85	O
crude	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
outside	O
of	O
box	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Z	O
T4	O
Poike	O
palimpsest	B-Language
Santiago	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Crude	O
glyphs	B-Application
have	O
been	O
found	O
on	O
a	O
few	O
stone	O
objects	O
and	O
some	O
additional	O
wooden	O
items	O
,	O
but	O
most	O
of	O
these	O
are	O
thought	O
to	O
be	O
fakes	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
early	O
tourism	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
of	O
the	O
26	O
wooden	O
texts	O
are	O
suspect	O
due	O
to	O
uncertain	O
provenance	O
(	O
X	O
,	O
Y	O
,	O
and	O
Z	O
)	O
,	O
poor	O
quality	O
craftsmanship	O
(	O
F	O
,	O
K	O
,	O
V	O
,	O
W	O
,	O
Y	O
,	O
and	O
Z	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
having	O
been	O
carved	O
with	O
a	O
steel	O
blade	O
(	O
K	O
,	O
V	O
,	O
and	O
Y	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
,	O
although	O
they	O
may	O
prove	O
to	O
be	O
genuine	O
,	O
should	O
not	O
be	O
trusted	O
in	O
initial	O
attempts	O
at	O
decipherment	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Z	O
resembles	O
many	O
early	O
forgeries	O
in	O
not	O
being	O
boustrophedon	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
may	O
be	O
a	O
palimpsest	B-Language
on	O
an	O
authentic	O
but	O
now	O
illegible	O
text	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
petroglyphs	O
mentioned	O
above	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
a	O
few	O
other	O
very	O
short	O
uncatalogued	O
texts	O
that	O
may	O
be	O
rongorongo	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fischer	O
reports	O
that	O
"	O
many	O
statuettes	O
reveal	O
or	O
-like	O
glyphs	B-Application
on	O
their	O
crown.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
gives	O
the	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
compound	O
glyph	B-Application
,	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
crown	O
of	O
a	O
statuette	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
some	O
arbitrariness	O
to	O
which	O
glyphs	B-Application
are	O
grouped	O
together	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
are	O
inconsistencies	O
in	O
the	O
assignments	O
of	O
numerical	O
codes	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
affixes	O
which	O
make	O
the	O
system	O
rather	O
complex	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
despite	O
its	O
shortcomings	O
,	O
Barthel	O
's	O
is	O
the	O
only	O
effective	O
system	O
ever	O
proposed	O
to	O
categorize	O
rongorongo	B-Language
glyphs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Barthel	O
(	O
1971	O
)	O
claimed	O
to	O
have	O
parsed	O
the	O
corpus	O
of	O
glyphs	B-Application
to	O
120	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
the	O
other	O
480	O
in	O
his	O
inventory	O
are	O
allographs	O
or	O
ligatures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1875	O
,	O
the	O
director	O
of	O
the	O
Chilean	O
National	O
Museum	O
of	O
Natural	O
History	O
in	O
Santiago	O
,	O
Rudolf	O
Philippi	O
,	O
published	O
the	O
Santiago	B-Algorithm
Staff	I-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
Carroll	O
(	O
1892	O
)	O
published	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Oar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
texts	O
remained	O
beyond	O
the	O
reach	O
of	O
would-be	O
decipherers	O
until	O
1958	O
,	O
when	O
Thomas	O
Barthel	O
published	O
line	O
drawings	O
of	O
almost	O
all	O
the	O
known	O
corpus	O
in	O
his	O
(	O
"	O
Bases	O
for	O
the	O
Decipherment	B-Language
of	O
the	O
Easter	O
Island	O
script	O
"	O
)	O
which	O
remains	O
the	O
fundamental	O
reference	O
to	O
rongorongo	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
other	O
omissions	O
in	O
Barthel	O
which	O
Fischer	O
corrects	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
sequence	O
of	O
glyphs	B-Application
at	O
the	O
transition	O
from	O
line	O
Ca6	O
to	O
Ca7	O
which	O
is	O
missing	O
from	O
Barthel	O
,	O
presumably	O
because	O
the	O
carving	O
went	O
over	O
the	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
tablet	O
and	O
was	O
missed	O
by	O
Barthel	O
's	O
rubbing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
the	O
initial	O
glyph	B-Application
of	O
I12	O
(	O
line	O
12	O
of	O
the	O
Santiago	B-Algorithm
Staff	I-Algorithm
)	O
in	O
Fischer	O
does	O
not	O
correspond	O
with	O
that	O
of	O
Barthel	O
or	O
Philippi	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
next	O
glyph	B-Application
(	O
glyph	B-Application
20	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
spindle	O
with	O
three	O
knobs	O
"	O
)	O
is	O
missing	O
its	O
right-side	O
"	O
sprout	O
"	O
(	O
glyph	B-Application
10	O
)	O
in	O
Philippi	O
's	O
drawing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
most	O
undeciphered	O
scripts	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
many	O
fanciful	O
interpretations	O
and	O
claimed	O
translations	O
of	O
rongorongo	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
three	O
serious	O
obstacles	O
to	O
decipherment	B-Language
,	O
assuming	O
rongorongo	B-Language
is	O
truly	O
writing	O
:	O
the	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
remaining	O
texts	O
,	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
context	O
such	O
as	O
illustrations	O
in	O
which	O
to	O
interpret	O
them	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
poor	O
attestation	O
of	O
the	O
Old	O
Rapanui	O
language	O
,	O
since	O
modern	O
Rapanui	O
is	O
heavily	O
mixed	O
with	O
Tahitian	O
and	O
is	O
therefore	O
unlikely	O
to	O
closely	O
reflect	O
the	O
language	O
of	O
the	O
tablets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
prevailing	O
opinion	O
is	O
that	O
rongorongo	B-Language
is	O
not	O
true	O
writing	O
but	O
proto-writing	O
,	O
or	O
even	O
a	O
more	O
limited	O
mnemonic	O
device	O
for	O
genealogy	O
,	O
choreography	O
,	O
navigation	O
,	O
astronomy	O
,	O
or	O
agriculture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
those	O
who	O
believe	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
writing	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
debate	O
as	O
to	O
whether	O
rongorongo	B-Language
is	O
essentially	O
logographic	O
or	O
syllabic	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
compatible	O
with	O
neither	O
a	O
pure	O
logography	O
nor	O
a	O
pure	O
syllabary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Unicode	O
Consortium	O
has	O
tentatively	O
allocated	O
range	O
1CA80	O
–	O
1CDBF	O
of	O
the	O
Supplementary	O
Multilingual	O
Plane	O
for	O
encoding	O
the	O
Rongorongo	B-Language
script	O
.	O
</s>
