Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/220

 208 On the defcent of the American Indians from the

the people on their laws and ceremonies, with a commanding voice, and expreflive geftures-, and thus difmifled the affembly.

Well may Acofta blame the devil in the manner he does, for introducing among the Mexicans, fo near a refemblance of the popim fuperftitions and idolatry. But whether {hall we blame or pity this writer, for obfcuring the truth with a confufed heap of falmoods ? The above is however a curi ous Spanim picture of the Mexican paflbver, or annual expiation of fins, and of their fecond paflbver in favour of their fick people, and of paying their tythes, according to fimilar cuftoms of our North-American Indians. We are now fufficiently informed of the rites and cuftoms of the remote, and uncorrupt South-Americans, by the Miflifippi Indians, who have a communication with them, both in peace and war.

Ribault Laudon defcribing the yearly feftival of the Floridans, fays, that the day before it began, the women fweeped out a great circuit of ground, where it was obferved with folemnity; that when the main body of the people entered the holy ground, they all placed themfelves in good order, flood up painted, and decked in their belt apparel, when three la- was, or priefts, with different paintings and geftures followed them, play ing on mufical inftruments, and finging with a folemn voice the others anfwering them : that when they made three circles in this manner, the men ran off to the woods, and the women ftaid weeping behind, cutting their arms with mufcle-fhells, and throwing the blood towards the fun ; and that when the men returned, the three days feaft was finifhed. This is another confufed Spanim draught of the Floridan paflbver, or feaft of love ; and of their univerfal method of bleeding themfelves after much exercife, which according to the Spanifh plan, they offered up to the fun. From thefe different writers, it is plain that where the Indians have not been corrupted by foreigners, their cuftoms and religious worfhip are nearly alike ; and alfo that every different tribe, or nation of Indians, ufes fuch-like divine proper name, and awful founds, as Yah-Wah* Hetovah, &c. being tranf- pofuions of the divine eflential name, as our northern Indians often re peat in their religious dances. As the found of Tah-wak jarred in Lau- don's ear, he called it Java, in refemblance to the Syriac and Greek me thod of exprefling the tetra-grammaton, from which Galatinus impofed it upon us, calling it Jehowah, inftead of Tohewab.

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