Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/109

 neir religious fejli'ualst fafts t &c. 97

drefled with white plumes-, but the women are decked in their fineft, and anointed with bear's- greafe, having fmall tortoife-fliells, and white peb bles, faftened to a piece of white-dreft deer-fkin, which is tied to each of their legs.

The eldeft of the priefts leads the facred dance, a-head of the innermoft row, which of courfe is next to the holy fire. He begins the dance round the fuppofed holy fire, by invoking YAH, after their ufual manner, on a bafs key, and with a fhort accent -, then he fings YO YO, which is repeated by the reft of the religious procefllon ; and he continues his facred invocations and praifes, repeating the divine word, or notes, till they return to the fame point of the circular courfe, where they began : then HE HE in like manner, and WAH WAH. While dancing they never fail to repeat thofe notes ; and frequently the holy train ftrike up Halelu, Halelu ; then Haleluiab, Halelu- Tab t and ALELUIAH and ALELU-YAH, " Irradiation to the divine efience," with great earneftnefs and fervor, till they encircle the altar, while each ftrikes the ground with right ad left feet alternately, very quick, but well- timed. Then the awful drums join the facred choir, which incite the old female fingers to chant forth their pious notes, and grateful praifes be fore the divine eflence, and to redouble their former quick joyful fteps, in imitation of the leader of the facred dance, and the religious men a-head of them. What with the manly ftrong notes of the one, and the fhrill voices of the other, in concert with the bead-iHells, and the two founding, drum- like earthen veflels, with the voices of the muficians who beat them, the reputed holy ground echoes with the praifes of YO HE WAH. Their finging and dancing in three circles around their facred fire, appears to have a reference to a like religious cuftom of the Hebrews. And may we not rea- fonably fuppofe, that they formerly underftood the pfalms, or divine hymns ? at lead thofe that begin with Halelu-Tah ; otherwife, how came all the inha bitants of the extenfive regions of North and South-America, to have, and retain thofe very expreflive Hebrew words ? or how repeat them fo diftinclly, and apply them after the manner of the Hebrews, in their religious accla mations .? The like cannot be found in any other countries.

In like manner, they fing on other religious occafions, and at their feafts of love, Ale-To Ale-To ; which is Vtf, the divine name, by his attribute of omnipotence ; and % alluding to miT. They fing likewife Hewab Hewabj which is JTH " the immortal foul 5" drawn from the divine eflemial name,

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