Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/142

 On the iefcent of the American Indians from the

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ARGUMENT XII..

��Like the Jews, the greateft part of the fouthern Indians abfla moil things that are either in themfelves, or in the general apprehenfion of mankind, loathfome, or unclean-, where we find a deviirtion from that ge neral rule among any of them, it is a corruption either owing to their- intercourfe with Europeans, or having contracted an ill habit from ne- ceflity. They generally, affix very vicious ideas to the eating of impure things ; and all their prophets,, priefts, old warriors and war-chieftains, before they enter on their religious duties, and while they are engaged in them,. obferve the ftricleft abftinence in this point. Formerly, if any of them did. eat in white people's houfes, or even of what had been drcfled there, while they were fandtifying themfelves, it was deemed a dangerous fin of pol lution. When fome of them firft corrupted their primitive virtue, by drink ing of our fpirituous liquors, the religious fpectators called it ooka hoome,. " bitter waters " alluding, I conjecture, to the bitter waters ofjealoufy, that produced fwelling and death to thofe who committed adultery, but had no power over the innocent. That this name is not accidental, but defign- edly pointed, and expreffive of the bitter waters of God,.feems obvious, not only from the image they ftill retain of them, but likewife when any of: them refufe our invitation of drinking fpirituous liquors in company with us, they fay Ahijkola Awa^ Ooka Hoomeh li/jfo, " 1 will not drink, they are the bitter waters of the great One." Though Ijhto^ one of the names of God, fubjoined to nouns, denotes a fuperlative degree, in this cafe they de viate from that general rule and for this reafon they never affix the idea of bitter to the fpirituous liquors we drink among them. Hoomeh is the only word they have to convey, the meaning of. bitter j as Aneh Hoome'h. > " bitter ears," or pepper.

They reckon all birds of prey, and birds of night, to be unclean, and unlawful to be eaten. Not long ago, when the Indians were making their winter's hunt, and the old women were without flefh-meat at home, I fhot a fmall fat hawk, and defired one of them to take and drefs it ; but though tftrongly importuned her by way of trial, me, as earneitly refufed it for

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