Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/207

 Their own traditions of their origin. 195

ignorance of the popifh priefts, to the fouth-weft of us. Our own In dian tradition is literal, and not allegorical, and ought to be received ; be- caufe people who have been long feparated from the reft of mankind, muft know their own traditions the beft, and could not be deceived in fo material, and frequently repeated an event. Though they have been disjoined through different interefts, time immemorial -, yet, (the rambling tribes of northern Indians excepted) they aver that they came over the Miffifippi from the weftward, before they arrived at their prefent fettlements. This we fee verified by the weftern old towns they have left behind them ; and by the fituation of their old beloved towns, or places of refuge, lying about a weft courfe from each different nation. Such places in Judea were chiefly built in the moft remote parts of the country ; and the Indians deem thofe only as beloved towns, where they firft fettled.

This tradition is corroborated by a current report of the old Chikkafah In dians to our traders, " that about forty years fince, there came from Mexico fome of the old Chikkafah nation, (the Chichemicas, according to the Spa- nifh accounts) in queft of their brethren, as far north as the Aquahpah nation, about 130 miles above the Nachee old towns, on the fouth fide of the Mifiifippi, but through French policy, they were either killed, or fent back, fo as to prevent their opening a brotherly intercourfe, as they had propofed." And it is worthy of notice, that the Mnfkohgeh cave, out of which one of their politicians perfuaded them their anceftors for merly afcended to their prefent terreftrial abode, lies in the Nanne Hamgeh old town, inhabited by the Miflifippi-Nachee Indians, which is one of the moft weftern parts of their old-inhabited country.

I hope I (hall be excufed in reciting their ancient oral tradition, from fa ther to fon to the prefent time. They fay, that one, of their cunning old re ligious men finding that religion did not always thrive beft, refolved with himfelf to impofe on his friends credulity, and alter in fome refpecls their old tradition ; he accordingly pretended to have held for a long time a con tinual intercourfe with their fubterranean progenitors in a cave, above 600 miles to the weftward of Charles-town in South-Carolina, adjoining to the old Chikkafah trading path -, this people were then pofieft of every thing con venient for human life, and he promifed them fully to fupply their wants,

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