Béu : Chapter 7 : Way of Life 1
..... The Calendar
The béu calendar is interesting. Definitely interesting. A 73 day period is called a dói. 5 x 73 => 365.
The phases of the moon are totally ignored in the béu system of keeping count of the time.
The first day of the dói is nelauja followed by hija, then auja lozoja celaija and then aiva etc. etc. all the way upto kiʔoka.
The days to the right are workdays (saipito) while the days to the left are days off work (saifuje). Each month has a special festival (hinta) associated with it. These festivals are held in the three day period comprising lozoga, celaiga, helauga. The five "months" are named after the 5 planets that are visible to the naked eye. The 5 big festivals that occur every year are also named after these planets.
| mercury | ʔoli | Month 1 | doiʔoli | Xmas... on 21,22,23 Dec | hinʔoli |
| venus | pwè | Month 2 | doipwe | festival on 4,5,6 Mar | himpwe |
| mars | gú | Month 3 | doigu | festival on 16,17,18 May | hiŋgu |
| jupiter | gamazu | Month 4 | doigamazu | festival on 28,29,30 July | hiŋgamazu |
| saturn | yika | Month 5 | doiyika | festival on 9,10,11 Oct | hinyika |
hinʔoli ... This is the most important festival of the year. It celebrates the starting of a fresh year. It celebrates the stop of the sun getting weaker. It is centred on the family and friends that you are living amongst. Even though eating and drinking are involved in all the five festivals, this festival has the most looked-forward-to feasts.
himpwe ... People gather at various regional centres to compete and spectate in various music and poetry competitions. Sky lanterns are usually released on the last day of this festival. On the first two days of the festival, what is called the "fire walk" is performed. This is to promote social solidarity. Each locality comprising up to 400 people build a fire in some open ground. These people are divided into 2 sections. One section to walk and one section to receive walkers. The walkers are further divided into groups. Each group is assigned another fire to visit and they set of in single file. Each of them carries a torch (a brand) ignited from the home fire. Upon arriving at the fire that they have been assigned (involving a walk of, maybe, 5 or 6 miles) they throw their brand into the fire as their hosts sing the "fire song". After that the visitors are offered much drinks and snacks by their hosts. There is considerable competition between the various localities to be the most generous host. The routes that people must go have been chosen previously by a central committee, but the destination is only revealed to the walkers just before they set out. On the second day the same thing happens but the two sections, the walkers and the receivers of the walkers, swap over rolls.
hiŋgu ... It is usual to get together with old friends around this time and many parties are held. Friends that live some distance away are given special consideration. Often journeys are undertaken to meet up with old acquainances. Also there is a big exchange of letters at this time. The most important happenings of the last year are stated in these letters along with hopes and plans for the coming year.
hiŋgamazu ... This festival is all about outdoor competitions and sporting events. It is a little like a cross between the Olympics games and the highland games. People gather at various regional centres to compete and spectate in various team and individual competitions. However care is taken that no regional centre becomes too popular and people are discouraged from competing at centres other than their local one. Also at this festival, a "fire walk" is done, just the same as at the "himpwe" festival.
hinyika ... Family that live some distance away are given special consideration. Often journeys are undertaken for family visits and ancestors ashboxes are visited if convenient. This is the second most important festival of the year. People often take extra time off work to travel, or to entertain guests. Fireworks are let of for a 2 hour period on the night of helauga. This is one of the few occasions where fireworks are allowed.
By the way, when a year changes, it doesn't change between months, it changes between lozoga and celaiga.
Every 4 years an extra day is added to the year. The doiʔoli gets a helauca.
béu also has a 128 year cycle. This circle is called ombatoze. There is a animal associated with every year of the ombatoze.
These animals are ;-
| wolf | weasel/ermine/stoat/mink | bullfinch | badger |
| whale | opossum | albatross | beautiful armadillo |
| giant anteater | lynx | eagle | cricket/grasshopper/locust |
| reindeer | springbok | dove | gnu/wildebeest |
| spider | Steller's sea cow | seagull | gorilla |
| horse | scorpion | raven/crow | python |
| rhino | yak | Kookaburra | porcupine ? |
| butterfly | triceratops | penguin | koala |
| polar bear | manta-ray | hornbill | raccoon |
| crocodile/alligator | wolverine | pelican | zebra |
| bee | warthog | peacock | capybara |
| bat | bear | crane/stork/heron | hedgehog |
| frog | lama | woodpecker | gemsbok |
| musk ox | chameleon | hawk | cheetah |
| lion | frill-necked lizard | toucan | okapi |
| dolphin | aardvark | ostrich | T-rex |
| kangaroo | hyena | duck | driprotodon(wombat) |
| shark | cobra | kingfisher | gaur |
| dragonfly | mole | moa | chimpanzee |
| turtle/tortoise | N.A. bison | black skimmer | panda |
| jaguar | snail | cormorant/shag | Cape buffalo |
| rabbit | colossal squid | vulture | glyptodon/doedicurus |
| beetle | seal | falcon | pangolin |
| megatherium | woolly mammoth | flamingo | baboon |
| elk/moose | squirrel | blue bird of paradise | lobster |
| tiger | gecko | grouse | seahorse |
| jackal/fox | octopus | swan | lemur |
| elephant | swordfish | parrot | auroch |
| giraffe | ant | puffin | iguana |
| mouse | crab | swift | mongoose/meerkat |
| smilodon | giant beaver | owl | mantis |
| camel | goat | hummingbird | walrus |
Each of these animals above is a toze, which can be translated as "token", "icon" or "totem ". omba means a circle or cycle. So you can see where the name for the 128 year period comes from.
The very last helauca of every ombatoze is dropped.
ombatoze is sometimes translated as "life", "generation" or "century"
xxx means a 4 year period. It also means "calendar".
The start of time
Year 2000 had 365.242,192,65 days
Every year is shorter than the last by 0.000,000,061,4 days
By adding one day every 4 years we get a 365.25 day year
If we then drop one day every ombatoze we get a 365.242,187,5 day year (actually very close to the actual year length)
Before 2084, the actual year will be bigger than the calendar year – after 2084 the actual year will be smaller than the calendar year
For this reason midnight, 22 Dec 2083 is designated the fulcrum of the whole system. That day will be time zero.
At the moment we are in negative time.
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The cremation oval
Actually called "sky gate/door" in béu.
Below is shown a typical cremation oval. Typically they are placed in a wilderness area, maybe near the parish boundary. The platform is about 1.5 m high with steps all around. It has the shape of an oval, usually with the two sharp curves cut off. In the two foci we have two objects.
On the east side we have the kilo. It is a structure about 1.7 m high (standing on a plinth about .2 m high), which is in the shape of the Gherkin in London. Metal bands can be seen on its surface. Multifaceted with each facet made of a pink glass. It has a silver ball on top, about 15 inch in diameter.
On the west side we have the ulgu. It is a structure about 1.7 m high (standing on a plinth about .2 m high), which is in the opposite shape from the Gherkin in London. Metal bands can be seen on its surface. Multifaceted with each facet made of a purple/mauve glass. It has a golden ball on top, about 15 inch in diameter (its top side is jet black).
Six poles (called jomo) can be seen on the oval. These must be changed to suit every cremation. After a cremation they are left as they are, until the next cremation.
I have named them NM (north middle), NW (north west), SW (south west), SM (south middle), SE (south east) and NE (north east).
These jomo can have 1 of 4 types of head (shown below). From L => R, I have named these the empty head, single head, double head and multiple head.
A jomo is about 5 m high. The second and third tops are about 1.3 m high. The diameter of the 4th top is 2.1 m although on occasions this must be increased.
The jomo are made of varnished wood and are square in cross-section, 25 cm at the bottom, narrowing to 21 cm at the top. The 2 middle tops (see below) can be constructed from anything. However they should look solid and all faces should glow in the dark (not necessarily at the edges). The single and double heads gradually tapper to a point. They are square in cross-section, all the way to the point.
Basically the choice of head reflects the descendants that the deceased left behind. If the deceased had no living descendants at the time of death, then all the jomo have empty heads. This is a greyish/white sphere.
If the deceased has living descendants then the NM jomo will have a single head. This head represents the oldest child (legally recognised child). If the first born was male, this head will be orientated out of the oval, if female into the oval.
The second oldest child is also represented by a single head. If this child was male, the next empty jomo in a clockwise direction from the NM one receives a single head. If this child was female, the next empty jomo in a anti-clockwise direction thom the NM one receives a single head.
And so you do with the third, fourth, fifth and sixth child . If there are only six children, then yellow bunting is drapped from the "elbow" of the head representing the six child. If this child was female, yellow bunting is drapped from the "elbow" of the head, if this child was male blue bunting is draped.
If there were seven children, then the last head placed should be a double head. Yellow or blue bunting being drapped from the "elbows" depending upon the sex of the last two children born.
If there were eight or more children born to the deceased, then the last head placed should be a multiple head. Yellow or blue bunting being drapped equip-distantly around the rim of the head to represent the sex of these children. In exceptional circumstances (when many, many children produced), the diameter of the multiple head has to be enlarged.
If any of these children have predeceased the deceased, then red bunting is draped from the "elbow" of the head representing them (if the elbow already has another colour of bunting, then the red bunting is intermixed with the yellow or blue bunting).
So now we have sorted out what heads we want and we have given the NM jomo head an orientation.
Now we give the other single heads an orientation (the double head is always orientated, so that you can see it best from where the deceased's head is). The multiple head has no orientation : it can spin.
The orientation of the other single heads depend upon the difference between the birthday of the first child and the child represented by that jomo. Here are two example to explain the system ...
1) The second oldest child is male. His birthday is exactly 4 months after the first born's. His head will be orientated 150 degrees anti-clockwise with respect to the first born's.
2) The tird oldest child is female. Her birthday is exactly 1 month after the first born's. Her head will be orientated 30 degrees clockwise with respect to the first born's. Note that male is anti-clockwise and female is clockwise.
Now we come to the tilting of the jomo. All jomo with a single head are tilted. The maximum tilt (that is the maximum deviation from the vertical is 30 degrees.
To work out the tilt for every jomo we first must work out the "Index" for the deceased. The index is some amount between 0 and 1. The index is got from the graph above. The horizontal axis is age and the high of the plotted line at the age in which the deceased died, determines his index.
The plotted line is can be plotted (by using a certain formula) when A, B, C and D are known. A is a constant (minus 9 months). B and C and D can be determined from the last 12 years of parish records. (By the way there are two graphs, one for each sex. And A and B and C are sex dependant.
Assuming the deceased is a male ...
B = the average age over the past 12 years in which the boys(young men) "mastered the laws".
C = the average age over the past 12 years in which the males married plus 18 years.
D = the average age of death for males over the past 12 years. No deaths that occur before "C", contribute to this average.
If the deceased is female, we determine our graph using the same formula, but now we have ...
B = the average age over the past 12 years in which the girls(young women) "mastered the laws".
C = the average age over the past 12 years in which the females married plus 30 years.
D = the average age of death for females over the past 12 years. No deaths that occur before "C", contribute to this average.
OK so now we have worked out the index for the deceased. Now each post with a single head is assigned a random number between 0 and 1.
The tilt of a post = Index x Random number x 30 degrees.
So this tilt is applied to the relevant post. The tilt follows the orientation of the head.
As can be imagined, every cremation involves a bit of work to have all the jomo at the correct orientation and tilt.
The followers of the béu-way believe that it is their duty to the ones they interact with, to assure that these "around-ones" are free from pain, free from want, and free from a spoilt/marrd heart. When one is asleep you are free from these things. Also in death ... hence béu-way followers do not believe that it should be a time of grief when somebody close to you dies.
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The sky garden
After the body has been cremated, the ashes are put in a box and interred in the "sky garden". The sky garden takes the form of many wide "walkways" dug in the ground. From above it looks like a maze. The "ash boxes" are interred in either side of the walkways. There are four rows of these "ash boxes" deposited in each side.
A sky garden is ideally built on a gentle slope (in the Northern hemisphere, preferably south-facing to get the sun). It can be either built up from the ground or excavated into the earth.
The walkways are arranged in a sort of maze, so as to densely cover a piece of ground.
Although not absolutely necessary, most sky gardens have water running through them.
Below is a cut-away of a typical walkway. The bit in the centre (called "stream-work" in béu) has seats built into it. And also small flower beds. The inter-walkway walls support miniature trees or bushes. There is good drainage under the walkway. Mosses and small plants grow on the vertical surfaces. All in all, a sky garden is a very beautiful place, a place that should induce peace of mind to the people that wander its walkways or sit and ponder life.
The trick in designing a sky garden is too get the minimum slope needed to make this water flow. Ideally it should flow through all the walkways (not always possible). This is why a gentle slope is the best place to locate a sky garden.
The sky gardens are well looked after. They are an ideal place to visit if you want a bit of peace and quiet.
Over the hole in which the ash boxes are interred is placed a nice granite plaque with details of the life of the deceased. An image of the deceased at their prime is included. (With modern technology, people are now making in possible for visitors to see a multimedia presentation about the life of the deceased, this can be activated from a sensor in the plaque).
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... Names of religions
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klisti = chistianity ... klistime = a christian (but not necessarily a churchgoer ... a believer) ... klistiki = a minister, a priest ... klistida = christendom (archaic term)
muzlu = islam ... muzlume = a muslim
buda = buddhism ... budame = a buddhist
yuda = judism ... yudame = a jew ... yudaki = a rabbi
sai.entolo = scientology ... sai.entolome = a scientologist
Note .... None of the above take the gan suffix in the manner béu does.
Note ... The ideas conveyed by béu and béugan overlap to a great extent. Maybe beugan is first used when first introducing the concept into a conversation, but after that just béu is considered sufficient. Also as a noun qualifier, béu is the form normally used.
Note ... béu can takes the place in a persons life normally taken by a religion, however following the way of béu does not bar one from following another religion. Just as being a Buddhist doesn't necessary force one to reject the Hindu gods.
Note ... béu is one of the few words that takes both the ki suffix and the me suffix.. Usually a noun would only be augmented with one of them. For example ...
pulis = the police ... puliski = a policeman (or policewoman) ... ʔazwo = milk ... ʔazwome = a milkman
It is thought that policemen co-ordinate their activities together and hence are given the -ki suffix.
It is thought that the milkmen don't o-ordinate their activities and hence are given the -me suffix.
Of course you might come across a situation where the police fail to co-ordinate their activities and a group of milkmen co-ordinate their activities brilliantly ... nevertheless ... puliski = policemn and ʔazwome = milkman.
Note ... beuda would be a contiguous area under béu political control ... similar to Christendom ... probably will never happen
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The waterfall chimes
Near every habitation (well not individual houses) but every village anyway. Has a waterfall chimes. Nobody knows why they are called waterfall chimes. The chimes consist of three tubes that each produce a different note when hit. These chimes ring through out the day (especially late morning and mid afternoon) and give all hearers a feeling of supreme satisfaction. it gives them a feeling that all is well in the world.
beumeu do not like noise around their habitations. They like to hear the sound that a breeze makes as it goes through the village. The biggest sound in a béu village is the sound of children playing. All vehicles are electric, all horses have rubber shoes and cart wheels have muffled rims. All machines of industry are carefully designed for quiet operation.
The bells ring out about every 15 minutes (but impossible to predict exactly). 29 (17 consonants + 11 vowels/diphthongs + R) symbols from the alphabet are encoded by the chimes. (27 three chimes long and 2 four chimes long ??) ... (the tone mark is not encoded, but it is not necessary for decipherment). Usually short poems, a bit like a Japanese haiku, are rang out. Nearly all adults can understand the chimes. They take great delight in hearing novel "haiku". Also people take great delight in composing novel "haiku" that relate a local happening concerning local characters. An appropriate "haiku" can be the talk of the village for months (and the talk of the neighbouring villages as well).
Also the chimes are used to inform people of things like football scores, etc. etc.
It is a bit of a mystery who actually operates the chimes. In fact children are told that "water spirits" are behind it all. Anyway even though the chimes seem to know all the successes/failures/embarrassments of the local population, nothing unkind is ever in the haiku. Many very funny things are in the haiku which indicates the content of the haiku approach a limit (but never should go across this limit ... well this is the theory anyway).
honda lé aska
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In the Introduction I mentioned that honda lé aska are opposites ... like Yin and Yang.
However there is not any correspondence between the béu and the chinese concepts. Also the "sub-properties" associated with Yin and Yang have no correspondence with the "sub-properties" associated with the béu concepts.
Just for ease of reference I have listed the secondary concept associated with Yin and Yang below.
| YIN | YANG |
| femininity | masculinity |
| soft | hard |
| yielding | solid |
| passive | aggressive or active |
| fast | slow |
| the moon | the sun |
| black | white |
| cold | hot |
| wet | dry |
| water | fire |
| nighttime | daytime |
| the earth | the sky |
| diffuse | focused |
However "order" and "chaos" are associated with other concepts. They have each 2 "under-concepts" ...
honda is associated with the colour "sky blue" suna and "tranquility"
aska is associated with the colour "orange" nela and "activity"
And each under-concept is associated with one under-under-concept
And the under.concepts, have in turn, underconcepts of their own ...
sky blue => the sky
orange => the sun
tranquility => dead
activity => alive
As well as no associations (for the most part) with the concepts linked to Yin and Yang ... also there is strictly no association with
good/bad, truth/falsehood, right/wrong, north/south, beauty/uglyness, positive/negative, right/left ... etc etc etc
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Minor points pertaining to honda and aska
The "béu.symbol" is a orange disk with a sky blue background (the "béu.symbol" has both a simple and a complex representation)
This imagery continues into the way that machines are marked ...
To show that a machine is working, an orange disc is illuminated To show that a machine is switched off, a sky blue square is illuminated
The button to switch a machine on, is an orange disk with a black ring on it The button to switch a machine off, is a sky blue square with a black ring on it
(Of course the functions of indication and switching are often combined in one button)
For rocker switches (such as light swithes) the top part is square and you push this to switch off ... the bottom part is semicircular and you push this to switch on
By the way "red" is associated with danger and "green" is associated with safety So for example traffic lights are exactly the same (including the orange in the middle)
By the way there are no other associations with colour ... you do not talk about a blackheart or a yellow streak etc etc ... kids are not split up according to pink or blue clothes, etc etc
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The twida
The nearest translation in English is "resolution" or "a standard of behaviour that is set by the individual themself. They can involve a variety of activities, but are often to do with diet and exercise.
People often adopt one of a recognised set of these twida, called a twidaibu. For example ... the twidaibu london is to do 100 push-ups + have heartbeat above 130 BPS for 20 minutes + walk 9 km every 24 hours.
People involved in twida involving fasting often wear a head band. Some who are less ostentatious go in for a plaque worn on one of their little fingers. But actually there is no requirements to wear either.
When people first become beume they must undergo a ten day fast. This fast involves food only. There is no restriction of water. Also a few handfuls of rice grains are allowed every day ... just to counter stomach spasms. Now as you can imagine, his fast is extremely difficult to keep to. Most people doing it, wear a red headband when they are out and about. This help other people to avoid temping them with food among other things.
Many (maybe the majority) of beume fast for two days out of 7. However this fast is only lasts from sunrise to sunset. Again there is no restriction on water and a little rice grains are allowed. If the beume is above the latitude of 60 degrees (northern hemisphere) they are allowed to keep the fast times for somebody at 60 degrees. So you are limited to 19 hours of fasting in one day. It is usual to wear a white headband when out and about, doing this fast.
Another type of fast is to have a 4 day period every month involving a severely restricted food intake. It is usual to wear a light blue headband during that one.
Also some people who are cutting out salt have a grey patch on their headband.
Also some people who are cutting out sugar have a yellow patch on their headband.
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However not all twida are to do with diet and exercise. Some example of other types of twida ...
a) Every second day to walk a certain path (say 500 mtr) and to pick up every piece of litter along that path.
b) To reach out to a stranger at every opportunity. Ideally to befriend one new stranger every month and to give advice/aid/(introductions to new people) to these new acquaintances.
c) Give a bath and slap up feed to a down-and-out every second week.
etc. etc. etc.
(SideNote) ... The three examples above should be are things that you can sign up for. That is ... there should be some co-ordination given from the kasʔau
(SideNote) ... In Japanese culture, hachimaki headbands symbolise determination or devotion. h)
The mandu
In the central garden and also around the elaʔa (south of the poster huts but north of the stage) are many statues representing the mandu. The mandu are deceased people who lead exemplary lives (at least one aspect of their life was exceptional). These people in no way achieve godhood or even sainthood ... but they are publicly held up as roll models for everybody. The statues are coloured as lifelike as possible. The mandu are also represented in the stain glass windows of the elaʔa. They are also represented in bass reliefs set against the elaʔa walls (both inside and outside). Inside the building they are represented by statues and tapestries and paintings. Around the outside areas containing these images are planted pleasant bushes and hedges : flower beds small lawns and walkways. Among these bushes and hedges are semi-secluded comfortable seats where people can sit and contemplate the images and also read the tomes that record the lives of these mandu. Inside also there are some indoor plants and soft seats for this purpose. Inside there is also an attendant whose task is to give out and take back these tomes.
"keeper of the tomes" and "keeper of the statues" are highly respected positions. (the job "keeper of the statues" is nearly all gardening)
There might be between 8 and 32 mandu celebrated at the particular kasʔau. The method of choosing these mandu is hazy.
There is a lot of variation among different kasʔau. They can also change over time as well.
Some examples (i.e. possible mandu) are .... Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Winstone Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Robert Plant, Bob Marley, Paolo Maldine, Terry McDermott, Horatio Nelson, Erwin Rommel, Nadezhda (Nadia) Vasil'yevna Popova, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, JRR Tolkien, Mervyn Peake, Jack London, Michael Moorcock, Jostein Gaarder, George Orwell, William Somerset Maugham, William Makepeace Thackery, Edgar Allan Poe .... etc. etc. etc.
About 50% of the mandu are very common and one would come across these many many times if you visited many kasʔau. However the remainder are less ubiquitous ... maybe a local war hero or writer or mathematician or whatever ... or often not local at all, but a second rank figure in some field that for some reason (???) was thought worthy of recognition. Some people travel from kasʔau to kasʔau and contemplate the lives of these lesser known* mandu (they usually set up their tents in the periphery of the mandu area : they are made welcome by the "keeper of the mandu)
- most adult are familiar with the life story of the better known mandu
Coming of age
In the ‘’’béu’’’ tradition there are two parts in life. Childhood and adulthood. XXXX is a noun referring to the change of state from childhood to adulthood. It also refers to the rites associated with this transition.
The responsibility to make sure a child behaves properly lies with its parents. Hence XXXX is seen as a relief to parents. They are being freed of a bunden. They no longer have to make sure their child follows the law of the land (maybe the law of the land says that they are responsible, but in the ‘’’béu’’’ tradition they are absolved of responsibility).
After this ceremony, you are no longer innocent and is responsible for his or her own actions. After this ceremony you are allowed to participate in all areas of community life and bear their own responsibility w.r.t. the law of the land, ‘’’béu’’’ rites and ethics.
Ceremony held 3 days before the full moon.
The ceremony is never held at home, but at the public hall. Every season 2 or 3 of these ceremonies are taken. The usual (short) speech about the responsibilities of adulthood. They will be shown around the rooms that are offlimit to kids (in the town hall) … brief lessons are given in every room. A travelling rug is given to the female XXXXME. This has been made by female relatives and many meaning full or traditional patterns are incorporated in the design. The boy is given a Swiss-army knife (equivalent). The ceremony finishes late afternoon. There is usually special food that night. Maybe siight-seeing early evening (if family have travelled from afar to witnes the ceremony)
Often the new adult is given some responsibility in the ‘’’béu’’’ community life. (Usually this will last about 6 months) … it is important to get the new adult involved and try and find a roll that they will enjoy. Of course some people are more suited to this sort of thing than others. No pressure is put on people to get involved in community affairs but an effort is put in to try and find a match between the offices that are open and what an individual would enjoy. It is good to make the XXXXME a “stakeholder” in the community as soon as possible.
For the male XXXXME, usually a journey unaccompanied by adults is undertaken … to visit an uncle … or equivalent male relative living a distance away … usually 2 weeks is spent away.
Sometimes two XXXXME that underwent the same ceremony will do the trip together.
For the female XXXXME sometimes a journey is undertaken, but in this case she is always accompanied by a responsible adult.
The town clock
Every town has a clocktower and the clocktower has 4 faces, which are aligned with the cardinal directions. The street pattern is also so aligned : that is the four biggest streets radiate out from the clock in the cardinal directions.
Each face displaying a clock similar to the one below.
The above figure shows the time at exactly 6 in the morning. You notice that the main (hour hand) hand is pointing to the right : it starts from the horizontal. This hand sweeps out one revolution in 24 hours and it moves anti-clockwise
Notice that secondary (minute hand) starts from the vertical and sweeps out a revolution in 2 of our hours. It moves clockwise. And actually when it passes the main hand, there is a clever mechanism to stop it being hidden. It stops 3.75 minutes at one side of the main hand, and then moves directly (2 steps) to the other side of the main hand and stops there for 3.75 minutes. After that it does a step and waits 2.5 minutes, etc. etc. ... until it encounters the main hand again.
The red and the black arms do not move continuously but move in steps. The primary arm moves 3.75 degrees every 15 minutes, and the secondary arm moves 7.5 degrees every 2.5 minutes.
The clocktower is surmounted by a green conic roof (actually not really conic ... the roof slope decreases as you get nearer the bottom). Lighting from under the roof could be provided for each face. Either that or the faces could be illuminated from within at night. The faces are not exactly vertical but the top slightly overhangs the bottom.
There is never any numbering on the face.
The clock also emits sounds. Every 2 of our hours the clock makes a deep "boing" which reverberates for some time. Also from 6 in the morning to 6 at night, the clock emits a "boing" every 30 of our minutes. The first "boing" has no accompaniment. However the second "boing" is followed (well actually when the "boing" is only .67 % dissipated) by a "sharper" sound that dies down a lot quicker : "teen". The third "boing" has 2 "teen"s 0.72 seconds apart. The fourth has 3 "teen"s. The fifth one is back to the single "boing" and so it continues thru the day.
The secondary hand and the 36 diamonds should be ...
East face => white or even better, silver
North face => light blue
West face => green
South face => dark blue
(The drawing is a bit out in this respect)
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The parish hall
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Below is shown the plan of the parish hall. This is the administrative centre of the parish and the place where the banner-rows point to.
The parish hall is referred to as kas.heu. This refers to the hexagonal main building and the ancillary buildings and the adjoining grounds. If you want to refer to the main building alone you say elaʔa (the hexagon).
The red shape at the top of the plan is the water-fountain. It must have a red tiled roof. It is to provide clean drinking water to passers by and also a sheltered place to rest. It can take a variety of forms. Some are made very fancy and have a small "hanging garden" along their centre surrounded with pools filled with beautiful fish. There must be fresh water flowing, either continuous or on demand. Also there must be seating. There is also a small banner-row of 3 banners ... in line with the "water-hut" and on the side away from the elaʔa.
There is often a tree lined avenue leading up to the front entrance of the kas.heu. In hot countries the trees are usually some sort of shade tree. In colder countries, trees with a well defined, uniform shape are favoured ... poplars ?? The two rows of trees diverge from each other as the road passes the row of three banners. They open up to encompass the "poster-huts" but don't extend beyond them.
Usually 2 or 3 other types of tree are planted around the elaʔa (maybe 5 or 6 trees in all). This makes every kas.heu unique.
The whole complex provides the following services ...
1) A clocktower
2) Public toilets
3) A post office
4) A library
5) Archives for public records
6) A place for the parish council to meet
7) Offices for the parish council members
The black part of the elaʔa is the main entrance.
You will notice to "huts" with half their roof red and half black. These are the "poster huts". These are sheltered billboards for posting important information. The red side is for official notices (that is for what the parish officers or the central government think should be posted). On the black side the general public can post whatever it wants. New notices are posted on the small "poster hut". After 9 days they are transferred to the larger "poster huts". In béu the adjective "red" can be used to refer to something pertaining to the government, and the adjective "black" to refer to something non-government.
The orange part of the elaʔa is a stage, or actually the roof over the stage. And the area in front of this stage is a fairly large green where people gather to see the various shows that are put on. There are various conserts put on by the parish members at regular times every year. Also occasionally you get wondering groups of "players" who put on a show.
Above is how the kas.heu looks from street level (the "hut" to the left is the "water hut").
The entrance has about 1.3 m of steps to climb. There are three arches at every entrance. The central one being slightly higher than the other two.
(I have probably drawn the building too high in the street level view). Usually tall stain glass windows on 4 sides of the elaʔa. There is always at least 2 storeys within the main part of the building, sometimes more. Also usually there is a separate storey in the roof (the triangular shapes seen on the plan view, are actually windows in the roof to provide light to this storey. These windows look onto the central courtyard.)
The centre of the hexagon has a pleasing garden. In the very centre is the base of the "clock tower".
The 2 kidney shaped building are public toilets. The one on the right for the use of men, the one on the left for the use of women.
Tables and chair for setting out for the various concerts are also kept in these buildings. These toilets are kept meticulously clean. In fact every parishioner must do a certain amount of duty at the toilets every year ... keeping them clean. No fit adult is exempt from this duty.
There is a single banner just outside each of these buildings ... on the opposite side from the stage.
There are similar roof-colouring rules for other government buildings. Namely the schools have are gray-roofed and the hospitals are dark blue-roofed.
Just as every child (person that has not yet mastered the laws) has his "enjoyment day" (i.e. his birthday) so every parish has its enjoyment day. Every parish has a different enjoyment day and people frequently visit neighbouring parishes to experience the neighbouring parishes enjoyment day. In the enjoyment day there is a parade and people from different organisations and neighbourhood enter "troops" into this parade. Everybody in a troop is flamboyantly and colourfully dressed. Also the pull bizarrely decorated wagons. Usually each troop picks a different theme every year so the dresses and the moves they perform reflect this theme. A prize is usually given to what is judged the best troop, but most people do not take that too seriously. They are just out to enjoy themselves.
At night there is tasty and abundant food available from tents that have been put up on the village green. The food is provided free of charge by the parish.
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..... The time of the day
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kòi = sun, day (24 hours)
The béu day begins at sunrise. 6 o'clock in the morning is called cuaju
The time of day is counted from cuaju. 24 hours is considered one unit. 8 o'clock in the morning would be called ajai (normally just called ajai, but cúa ajai or ajai yanfa might also be heard sometimes).
| 6 o'clock in the morning | cuaju |
| 8 o'clock in the morning | ajai |
| 10 o'clock in the morning | ufai |
| midday | ibai |
| 2 o'clock in the afternoon | agai |
| 4 o'clock in the afternoon | idai |
| 6 o'clock in the evening | ulai |
| 8 o'clock in the evening | icai |
| 10 o'clock at night | ezai |
| midnight | okai |
| 2 o'clock in the morning | apai |
| 4 o'clock in the morning | atai |
Just for example, let us now consider the time between 4 and 6 in the afternoon.
16:00 would be idai : 16:10 would be idaijau : 16:20 would be idaifau .... all the way up to .... 17:50 which would be idaitau
Now all these names have in common the element idai, hence the period from 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock is called idaia (the plural of idai). This is exactly the same as us calling the period from 1960 -> 1969, "the sixties".
The perion from 6 o'clock to 8 o'clock in the morning is called cuajua. This is a back formation. People noticed that the two hour period after the point in time ajai was called ajaia(etc. etc.) and so felt that the two hour period after the point in time cuaju should be called cuajua. By the way, all points of time between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. MUST have an initial cuaju. For example "ten past six in the morning" would be cuaju ajau, "twenty past six" would be cuaju afau and so on.
If something happened in the period from 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock, it would be said to have happened idaia.pi
Usually you talk about points of time rather than periods of time. If you arrange to meet somebody at 2 o'clock morning, you would meet them apaiʔe.
But we refer to periods of time occasionally. If some action continued for 20 minutes, it will have continued nàn ufau, for 2 hours : nàn ajai (nàn means "a long time")
In English we divide the day up into hours, minutes and seconds. In béu they only have the yanfa. The yanfa is equivalent to 5 seconds. We would translate "moment" as in "just a moment" as yanfa also.
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..... Ordinal numbers & fractions
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To get an fractional number (regarded as specifiers ... as all numbers are) you just attach s- to the front of the cardinal number. So we have ;-
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| a unit | sanja |
| a half | sauva |
| a third | saimba |
| a quarter | sida |
| etc. | etc. |
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These are fully numbers. They are written in the same way as numbers, except the have a squiggle above them. The squiggle looks like an "8" on its side that hasn't fully closed.
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To get an ordinal number (regarded as adjectives) you just attach n- to the front of the cardinal number. So we have ;-
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| first | nanja |
| second | nauva |
| third | naimba |
| fourth | nida |
| etc. | etc. |
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May be this form originally came from an amalgamation of nò plus the number.
These forms are adjectives 100% and are always written out in full.
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To get (I don't know what these are called) (regarded as a noun) you just attach b- to the front of the cardinal number. So we have ;-
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| alone, single | banja |
| a double, a twosome, a duality | baufa |
| a threesome, a trinity | baimba |
| a foursome, a quartet | bida |
| etc. | etc. |
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Note bajai = lonely
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..... Arithmetic, Algebra & Calculus
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nogau = arithmetic
One further point of note ...
If you wanted to express a number represented by digits 2->4 from the LHS of the monster, you would say auvaidaula nàin .... the same way as we have in the Western European tradition. However if you wanted to express a number represented digits 6 ->8 from the RHS of the monster, you would say yanfa elaibau .... not the way we do it. This is like saying "milli 630 volts" instead of "630 microvolts".
-6 is pronounced komo ela ... komo meaning left or negative.
By the way bene means right (as in right-hand-side) or positive.
4i is pronounced uga haspia** ... and what does haspia mean, well it is the name of the little squiggle that touches the number bar, for one thing.
-4i is pronounced komo uga haspia
-1/10 is pronounced komo diapa
i/4 is pronounced duga haspia
*Actually these placeholder symbols are named after 6 living things. This does not lead to confusion tho'. When you are doing arithmetic these concrete meanings are totally bleached.
**This can also be pronounced as bene uga haspia. However usually the bene bit is deemed redundent.
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Algebra
WHERE DOES THIS ONE GO ??
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haijogu = arithmetic
In the West we use x y and z to represent variables. In béu we have 3 special symbols to represent these three variables. The names of these symbols are haigan, jogan and gugan
Also in béu there are certain conventions to adhere to. If we are considering one dimension only, it is invariably called haigan and is represented by an up and down the page (see the diagram below).
If we are considering two dimension, then the variable jogan is added at 90 degrees to the haigan line (see the diagram below).
And if we are considering three dimension, then the variable gugan is added at 60 degrees to the haiganline and 30 degrees to the jogan line (see the diagram below)
I need a name for "i" 1/2 and sqrt 1/2 symbols ???
You will notice that instead of using brackets a horizontal line is placed over the elements that must be considered together. Also exponents are simple placed above the number that they qualify.
Note ... haigan is probably derived from the adjective hái. Likewise jogan from the adjective joga and gugan from the adjective guboi
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.... Calculus
laigau = calculus
yyyy = straight, straight line ... both an adjective and a noun
xxxx = curvy, a curve ............. both an adjective and a noun
Now xxxx also means function. Or at least instead of talking about putting x into a function (process) and obtaining y, the tradition in béu is to talk about xxxx defined in terms of x and y (either through an equation or simply a list of x and y values)
xxxx is usually written using the sign below.
xxxx is declared to exits in the dimensions (variabes) haigan and kyugan below.
xxxx is defined in terms of an equation below.
... how spoken out ?
Now the differential of xxxx is called molgan xxxxwo and is written as .... (the image on the RHS is the second differential)
And the integral of xxxx is called fendagan xxxxwo and is written as .... (the image on the RHS is the second integral)
Note moloi = slant, slop, incline, gradient .... fenda = area
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Index
- Introduction to Béu
- Béu : Chapter 1 : The Sounds
- Béu : Chapter 2 : The Noun
- Béu : Chapter 3 : The Verb
- Béu : Chapter 4 : Adjective
- Béu : Chapter 5 : Questions
- Béu : Chapter 6 : Derivations
- Béu : Chapter 7 : Way of Life 1
- Béu : Chapter 8 : Way of life 2
- Béu : Chapter 9 : Word Building
- Béu : Chapter 10 : Gerund Phrase
- Béu : Discarded Stuff
- A statistical explanation for the counter-factual/past-tense conflation in conditional sentences
