Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/146

 j 34 O n the defcent of the American Indians from the

loved men, or warriors, would eat or drink with us on the moft prefling invitation, through fear of polluting themfelves, they deemed us fuch im pure animals. Our eating the flefli of fwine, and venifon, with the gravy in it, helped to rivet their diQike, for this they reckon as blood.

I once afked the Arcbimagus, to fit down and partake of my dinner, but he excufed himfelf, faying, he had in a few days fome holy duty to per form, and that if he eat evil or accnrfed food, it would fpoil him, allud ing to fwine's flefh. Though moft of their virtue hath lately been cor rupted, in this particular they ftill affix vicious and contemptible ideas to the eating of fwine's flefh, infomuch, that Shukapa, " fwine eater," is the moft opprobious epithet they can ufe to brand us with : they commonly fubjoin Akanggapa, " eater of dunghill fowls." Both together, fignify " filthy, helplefs animals." By our furprifmg mifmanagement in allowing them a long time to infult, abufe, rob, and murder the innocent Britim fub- jecls at pleafure, without the leaft fatisfaction, all the Indian nations for merly defpifed the Englim, as a fwarm of tame fowls, and termed them Ib, in their fet fpeeches.

The Indians through a ftrong principle of religion, abftain in the ftrideft manner, from eating the BLOOD of any animal ; as it contains the life, and fpirit of the bead, and was the very eflence of the facri- fices that were to be offered up for finners. And this was the Jewifli opinion and law of facrifice, Lev. xvii. n. "for the life of the flefli is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your fouls ; for it is the blood, which maketh an atone ment for the foul." When the Englim ^traders have been making faufages mixt with hog's blood, I have obierved the Indians to caft their eyes upon them, with the horror of -their reputed fore-fathers, when they viewed the predicted abomination of defolation, fulfilled by Antiochus, in defiling the temple.

An inllance lately happened, which fufficiently mews their utter averfion

to blood. A Chikkefah woman, a domeftic of one of the traders, being

very ill with a complication of diforders, the Indian phyfician ieemed

to ufe his bed endeavours to cure her, but without the leaft vifible effect.

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