Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/30

 1 8 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews;

full of barbed arrows, and, frequently, both gun and bow : for as they are generally in a ilate of war againft each other, they are obliged, as foon as able, to carry thofe arms of defence. Every town has a ftate-houfe, or fynedrion, as the Jewifh fanhedrim, where, alrnoft every night, the head men convene about public bufmefs ; or the town's-people to feaft, fing, dance, and rejoice, in the divine prefence, as will fully be defcribed hereafter. And if a ftranger calls there, he is treated with the greateft civility and hearty kindnefs he is fure to find plenty of their fimple home fare, and a large cane-bed covered with the foftened fkins of bears, or buffaloes, to fleep on. But, when his lineage is known to the people, (by a ftated cuftom, they are flow in greeting one another) his relation, if he has any there, ad- drefles him in a familiar way, invites him home, and treats him as his kinf- man.

When a warrior dies a natural death, (which feldom happens) the war- drums, mufical inftruments, and all other kinds of diverfion, are laid afide for the fpace of three days and nights. In this time of mourning for the dead, I have known fome of the frolickfome young fparks to afk the name of the deceafed perfon's tribe ; and once, being told it was a racoon, (the genealogical name of the family) one of them fcofrlngly replied, " then let us away to another town, and cheer ourfelves with thofe who have no rcafon to weep ; for why iliould we make our hearts weigh heavy for an ugly, dead racoon ?"

But notwithftanding they are commonly negligent of any other tribe but their own, they regard their own particular lineal defcent, in as ftricl a manner as did the Hebrew nation.

ARGUMENT II.

By a ftricl, permanent, divine precept, the Hebrew nation were ordered to worihip at Jerufalem, Jehovah the true and living God, and who by the Indians is ftiled Tobewab ; which the^ feventy-two interpreters, either from ignorance or fuperftition, have translated Adonai j and is the very fame as the Greek Kurios> fignifying Sir, Lord, or Matter; which is commonly applied to earthly potentates, without the leaft fignification of, or relation to, that moft great and awful name, which defcribes the divine effence, who naturally

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