Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/226

 214 On tie defcent of the American Indians from tie Jews.

Ulloa afiures us, that the South American Indians have no other me thod of weaving carpets, quilts, and other duffs, but to count the threads one by one, when they are pafring the woof; that they fpin cotton and linnen, as their chief manufacture, and paint their cloth with the images of men, beads, birds, fifties, trees, flowers, &c. and that each of thofe webs was adapted to one certain ufe, without being cut, and that their patience was equal to fo arduous a tafk. According to this defcription, there is not the lead difparity between the ancient North-Ame rican method of manufacturing, and that of the South Americans.

Acofta writes, that the clothes of the South-American Indians are fhaped like thofe of the ancient Jews, being a fquare little cloak, and a little coat: and the Rev. Mr. Thorowgood, anno 1650, obferves, that this is a proof of fome weight in mewing their original defcent ; efpecially to fuch who pay a deference to Seneca's parallel arguments of the Spaniards having fettled Italy -, for the old mode of drefs is univerfally alike, among the In dian Americans.

Laet. in his defcription of America, and Efcarbotus, allure us, they often heard the South American Indians to repeat the facred word Halleluiah, which made them admire how they firft attained it. And Malvenda fays, that the natives of St. Michael had tomb-ftones, which the Spaniards digged up, with feveral ancient Hebrew characters upon them, as, Why is God gone away ?" And, " He is dead, God knows." Had his curiofity induced him to tranfcribe the epitaph, it would have given more fatisfaction ; for, as they yet repeat the divine eflcntial name, To He (to) With, fo as not to prophane it, when they mourn for their dead, it is probable, they could write or engrave it, after the like manner, when they fird arrived on this main continent, v

We are told, that the South American Indians have a firm hope of the refurreftion of their bodies, at a certain period of time ; and that on this account they bury their mod valuable treafures with their dead, as well as the mod ufeful conveniencies for future domedic life, fuch as their bows and arrows : And when they faw the Spaniards digging up their graves for gold and filver, they requeded them to forbear fcattering the bones of their 5 dead

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