Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/133

 bathing and anointing* 121

of the firft, and ftrongeft impreffions they take -, and they have conftant leiTons and examples of fortitude, exhibited before their eyes.

The Hebrews had convenient feparate places for their women to bathe in, and purify themfelves as occafion required : and at the temple (and the fynagogues, after the captivity) they worshipped apart from the men, left they fhould attract one another's attention from the divine worfhip : and it was cuftomary for the women to go veiled, for fear of being feen, when they walked the ftreets. No doubt but jealoufy had as great a mare in introducing this cuftom as modefty, efpecially while poligamy was fuf- fered in the rich. But the fcantinefs of the Jewifh American's circum- fiances, has obliged them to purify themfelves in the open rivers, where modefty forbad them to expofe their women ; who by this means, are now lefs religious than the men in that duty, for they only purify themfelves as their difcretioa directs them. In imitation of the Hebrew women being kept apart from the men at their worfhip, the Indians intirely exclude their females from their temples by ancient cuftom, except fix old beloved women, who are admitted to fing, dance, and rejoice, in the time of their annual expiation of fins, and then retire. In their town-houfes alfo they feparate them from the warriors, placing them on the ground at each fide of the entrance of the door within, as if they were only cafual fpec- tators.

It may be objected, that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans worlhipped their Gods, at the dawn of day : and the Perfian Magi, with all the other worfliippers of fire, paid their religious devoirs to the rifing fun, but, as the Indians are plainly not idolaters, or poly-theifts ; as they fing to, and invoke YAH, and YO HE WAH, the divine efience, as they run along at the dawn of day to purify themfelves by ablution ; it feems fufficiently clear, they are not defcended from either of the laft mentioned ftates, but that their origin is from the Ifraelites. This law of purity, bath ing in water, was efiential to the Jews and the Indians to this day would exclude the men from religious communion who neglected to obferve it.

It was cuftomary with the Jews alfo after bathing to anoint themfelves with oil. All the orientalifts had a kind of lacred refpect to On ; particu larly the Jews. With them, the fame word which fignified " noon-day" or fplendor, irra, denoted alfo " lucid oil." And the olive-tree is derived

R from

�� �