Hao (Hagu)

Stick, twig, narrow branch (cut down and) used for firewood, brushwood. Known as Paluka, lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, until 1970. But… Given Estonian’s uneven relationship with aspirates, Ao, pre-dawn light, dawn or daybreak, raises interesting parallels in the sense of beginnings. Close to this, other FU language cognates suggest weak, insipid (and hence easily exploited) trees: Veps hago (windbreak), Votic hako (weathered tree), Ludian hago (flawed tree)… (beware, I have an agenda!) And with Estonian borrowing Finnish hakeri, designating a sorry state of a home, as hagerik, a sort of poor man’s lean-to, and the word’s proximity to hakkama (to start), (tule)hakatis (lighting a fire, kindling) and hakatama (to start, or to set on fire, think assarting), we’re getting a sense of primeval colonisation of place. This is the cusp of history and civilization. And could be completely wrong. One of a fire-making group. See Pinu. See also Hagudi.