Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/204

 :j n 2 'On t'be defcent of .the American Indians from tht Jews.

They crown a warrior, who has killed a diftinguifhed enemy, with the name, Xanafabe, " the buffalo-killer ;" Tanafa is a buffalo, compounded of Tab* the divine efience, and Afa, " there, or here is," as formerly men tioned : and Abe is their conflant war-period, fignifying, by their rhetori cal figure " one who kills another." It fignifies ahb to murder a per- fon, or beat him feverely. This proper name fignifies, the profperous killer, or deftroyer of the buffalo, or ftrong man it cannot poffibly be derived from nSN, Abeh, which -fignifies good-will, brotherly love, or tender affec tion, but from .to**, Abele, -grief, forrow, or mourning, as an effect of
 * that hoftile aft.

��) with the Indians, is the name of a rambling perfon, or one of .junfettled refidence, and Anoab ookproo^ is literally a bad rambling perfon, '"" a renagadoe :" likewife Anoab eokproo'Jbto makes it a fuperlative, on ac count of the abbreviation of IJhto, one of the divine names which they fub- join. In like manner, Noabe is the war-name of a perfon who kills a rambling enemy, or one detached as a fcout, fpy, or the like. It confifts of the patriarchal name, Noah, and Abe* " to kill," according to the Hebrew original, of which it is a contraction, to make it frnoother, and to indulge a rapidity of expreflion. There is fo ftrong an agreement between this compounded proper name, and two ancient Hebrew proper names, that it difplays the great-eft affinity between the warfaring red and white He brews ; efpecially as it fo clearly alludes to the divine hiftory of the firft homicide, and the words are adapted to their proper fignifications.

Becaufe the Choktah did not till lately trim their hair, the other tribes rthrough contempt of their cuftom, called them Pas' Pharaab, " long hair," .and they in return, .gave them the contemptuous name, Skoobale'Jbto^ " very naked, or bare heads," compounded of Skooba, Ale 9 and IJbto : the fame word, orWakfiJbto, with Haffeb prefixed, exprefies t\\e penem pr<eputio .detefto ; which fhews they lately retained a glimmering, though confufed notion of the law of circumcifion, and the prohibition of not polling their hair. They call a crow, Pbarah; and Pas'pharaabe is the proper name of a warrior, who killed an enemy wearing long hair. It is a triple compound from Pafeb, " the hair of one's head, Pbaraab " long," and Abe, " kil ling," which they croud together. They likewife fay, their tongue is not

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