Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/126

 H4 n t ^ :e defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

they throw a ball. Till -the corn is in, they meet there almoft every day, and play for venifon and cakes, the men againft the women ; which the old people lay they have oblcrved for time out of mind.

Before I conclude this argument, I mud here obferve, that when the In dians meet at night to gladden and unite their hearts before YOHEWAH, they fing Yohewa-fooo Tobewa-Jhoo, 2'ohewahjhee Tobewafice, and Tobewtib/bai To- bewab/bai, with much energy. The firft word is nearly in Hebrew cha racters, JOTT, the name of Jofhua, or faviour, Numb. xiii. 8. That y is properly exprefied by our double vowel oo, let it be obferved, that as byi is " a ruler," or "commanding" fo the Indians fay Boole Hakfe " ftrike a " perfon, that is criminal." In like manner, they fmg Me/hi To, Mcfii To, Mcjhi He, Mejbi He, Mefai Wah Mejhi Wab ; likewife, Me/hi Hab To, &c. ; and Mejhi H^.h Hah Mejki If -'"ah He, tranfpofing and accenting each fy liable dif ferently, fo as to make them appear different words. But they commonly make thofe words end with one fyllable of the divine name, To He Wah. If we connect this with the former part of the fubjecl:, and confider they are commonly anointed all over, in the. time of their religious fongs and cirr cuiting dances, the words iecm to glance at the Hebrew original, and per haps they arc fometimes fynonymous ; for 1D^ fignifies oil ; the perfoa anointed JT03, Meffiab, and he who anointed in^'a, which with the Indians is Mejhihah To.

That thefe red favages formerly underitood the radical meaning, and 'em blematical defign, of the important words they ufe in their religious dances and facred hymns, is pretty obvious, if we confider the reverence they pay to the myfterious divine name YO HE WAH, in paufing during a long breath on each of the two firft fyllables ; their defining good by joining Wah to the end of a word, which otherwife exprefles moral evil, as before noticed ; and again by making the fame word a negative of good, by leparating the firft fyllable of that divine name into two fyllables, and adding U as a fuper- lative termination, T-O-U : all their facred fongs feem likewife to illuftrate it very clearly -, Halelu-Tab, Shilu Wab, Mejhi Wab, Mejhiha To, &c. The words which they repeat in their divine hymns, while dancing in three circles around their fuppofcd holy fire, are deemed fo facred, that they have not been known ever to mention them at any other time : and as they are a molt erecT:

people,

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