Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/43

 Their religious cherubic emblems, 3 *

Now we know it was an ufnal cuftom with the eaftern nations, to affix horns to their gods. The Sidonian goddefs Afhtaroth was horned : and Herodotus fays, the Egyptians painted their Venus, or Ifis, after the fame manner: and the Greek Jo, (which probably wasYo) had horns, in allufion to the bull's head, the chief emblem of the celeftial cherubic fire, repre- fenting Yo (He Wah) as its name plainly indicates. A horn was, like- wife, a Perfian emblem of power *.

That the Indians derived thofe fymbolical reprefentations from the com pounded figures of the cherubim, feems yet more clear, from the prefent cherubic names of their tribes, and the pre-eminence they formerly bore over the reft. At prefent, indeed, the moil numerous tribe commonly bears the higheft command ; yet their old warriors allure us, it was not fo even within their own remembrance. The title of the old beloved men, or archi-magi^ is flill hereditary in the panther, or tyger family : As North- America breeds no lions, the panther, of any animal it contains, is the neareft emblem of it. The Indian name of each cherub, both terreftrial and celeftial, reflects great light on the prefent fubject \ for they call the buffalo (bull) Yanafa\ the panther, or fuppoied lion, Koe-IJhto> or Koe-O y " the cat of God >" the man, or human creature, Ta-we, and the eagle, Ooole ; fire is Loak -, the folar light, Afljtahale ; and air, Mabale > in allufion to >a, water, and Vtt, the omnipotent, the note of afpiration is inferted, to give the word a fuller and more vehement found. Their eagle and buffalo tribes referable two other cherubic names or emblems. They have one they call Spbdne, the meaning of which they have loft ; perhaps it might have fignified the man.

Near to the red and white imperial feats, they have the reprefentation of" a full moon, and either a half moon, or a breaft-plate, raifed five or fix feet high at the front of the broad feats, and painted with chalky clay ; fome- times black paintings are intermixed. But, let it be noticed, that in the

phets, are generally fuited to the ufages of the eaftern countries. And this metaphor, of a horn, is commonly fo ufed, through all the divine regifters,. multiplying the number of horns of the object they are defcribing, to denote its various, great, and perfeft power ; unlefs where feven is mentioned a number of perfection, as in, St. John's figurative,, magnificent,, and fublime defcription of CflrilK
 * The metaphorical expreffions, and emblematical reprefentations, of the law and the pro

time-

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