Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/110

 9&' On tie dejcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

as deriving its rational faculties from YOHEWAH. Thofe words that they fing in their religious dances, they never repeat at any other time -, which, feems to have greatly occafioned the lofs of the meaning of their divine hymns -, for I believe they are now fo corrupt, as not to underftand either the fpiritual or literal meaning of what they fing,. any further than by allufion.

In their circuiting dances, they frequently fing on a bafs key, A luc Alui' t dlube* Aluhe, and Aluwab Aluwab^ which is the Hebrew mbtf. They like- wife fing SbHu-To Sbilu-To, Shilu-He Sbilu-He, Sbilu-Wab Sbilu-Wab, and Shilu-Hah Shilu-Hak. They tranfpofe them alfo feveral ways, but with the very fame notes. The three terminations make up in their order the four- lettered divine name. Habis a note of gladnefs the word preceding it, , Sbilti, feems to exprefs the predicted human and divine mb'W, Shiloh, who was to be the purifier, and peace-maker.

They continue their grateful divine hymns for the fpace of fifteen minutes, when the dance breaks up. As they degenerate, they lengthen their dances, and fhorten the time of their fafts and purifications ; infomuch, that they have fo exceedingly corrupted their primitive rites and cufloms, within the fpace of the laft thirty years, that, at the fame rate of declen- fion, there will not be long a poffibility of tracing their origin, but by their di.alecls, and war-cuftoms,

At the end of this notable religious dance, the old beloved, or holy wo men return home to haften the feaft of the new-fanclified fruits. In the mean while, every one at the temple drinks very plentifully of the Cufleena and other bitter liquids, to cleanfe their firiful bodies-, after which, they go to fome convenient deep water, and 1 there, according to the ceremonial taw of the Hebrews, they waft away their fins with water. Thus fandified, they return with joyful hearts in folemn proceffion, finging their notes of praife, till they enter into the holy ground to eat of the new delicious fruits of wild Canaan *. The women now with the utmoft cheerfulnefs, bring to

during the interval, the very touch of either is accounted a great pollution : after that period, they are deemed lawful to be eaten. All the hunters, and able-bodied men, kill and barbecue wild game in the woods, at leaft ten days before this great feftival, and religioufly keep ic for that facred ufe.
 * They are fo ftriftly prohibited from eating fait, or flefli-meat, till the fourth day, that

the

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