Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/206

 194 O n the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

The Katahba Indians call their chief old interpreter, on account of his obfcene language, Emate-Atikke, " the fmock-interpreter." The " ra~ oen" is one of the Cheerake favourite war-names. Carolina and Georgia remember Quorinnah, " the raven," of Huwhafe-town, he was one of the rnoft daring warriors of the whole nation, and by far the moft intelligent, and this name, or war-appellative, admirably fuited his well-known cha racter. Though with all the Indian nations, the raven is deemed an impure bird, yet they have a kind of facred regard to it, whether from the traditional knowledge of Noah's employing it while he was in the afk,. or from that bird having fed Elijah in the wildernefs (as fome fuppofe) cannot be determined -, however with our fuppofed red Hebrews the name points out an indefatigable, keen, fuccefsful warrior. ^-

��ARGUMENT XXIII.

��Although other refemblances of the Indian rites and cuftoms to thofe of the Hebrews, might be pointed out ; not to feem tedious, I proceed to the lad argument of the origin of the Indian Americans, which fhall be from their own traditions, from the accounts of our Englifh writers and from, the teftimonies which the Spanim writers have given, concerning the pri mitive inhabitants of Peru and Mexico.

The Indian tradition fays, that their forefathers in very remote ages came from a far diftant country, where all the people were of one colour ; and. that in procefs of time they moved eaftward, to their prefent lettlements. So that, what fome of our writers have afferted is notjuft,who fay the In dians affirm, that there were originally three different tribes in thofe countries, when the fupreme chieftain to encourage fwift running, propofed a propor tionable reward of diftinction to each, as they excelled in fpeed in paf- fing a certain diftant river j as, that the firft Ihould be polifhed white the fecond red and the third black ; which took place accordingly after the race was over. This ftory fprung from the innovating fuperftitious

ignorance

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