Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/56

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

Leak fignifies fire, and Leak IJhtoboollo t " the holy or divine fire," or the anger of Ifhtohoollo, " the great, holy One ;" which nearly agrees with the Hebrew Z3r6, that which flames, or fcorches with vehement heat. And* ic is the fcripture method of conveying to us a fenfible idea of the divine wrath, according to the cherubic name ttfN, which likewife fignifies fire, But the Perfians worfhipped the burning fire, by the name of Oromazes ; and darknefs, or the fpirit, by that of Aramanms ; quite contrary to the re ligious fyftem of the Indian Americans : and the aforefaid Indian method' of expreflion, feems exactly to coincide with the Hebrew idiom*.

Buk-Jhe-ah-tna is the name of their Indian flap, or broad (lip of cloth, with which the men cover their nakednds ; but the word they ufe to ex- prefs our fort of breeches, is a compound, Balaphooka^ derived from the Hebrew "?tf2, which fignifies, behind; and the Indian Napbooka, a coat, any kind of clothes, or covering^ Baloka fignifies, behind; filently telling us, they formerly wore a different fort of breeches to what they ufe at pre- fent. They likewife fay, Neeppe-Phii-ka, " A flem-covering."

The father of King Saul was called Kim, " podex ;" which fignifies alfo the rear of an army, or the hindermoft perfon, according to the Hebrew idiom. Thus the Indians, by Rift), exprcfs the podex of any animal the hindermoft perfon the gavel-end of an houfe, and the like. Kijh Kifb^ is with them a jfuperlative, and, as before hinted, ufed to convey the contempt they have for that proper name. May not the comemptible idea the Weft-Florida- Mifiifippi Indians affix to the name of Kim, be on account of his fon's fuc- ceffion to the throne, at the end of the theocracy of Ifrael, and beginning a defpotic regal government ?

The Indians, according to the ufage of the Hebrews, always prefix the fubftantive to the adjeftive ; as Netak Cbookoma, " A good day ;" Nakkane and Eho Cbookbma, " A good, or goodly man and woman." The former of which is termed, in Hebrew, Toma To&e, fignifying, according to our method of falutation, a good-day, a merry feafon, a feftival day, &c. And the Indian appellatives are fimilarly expreft in Hebrew, Bebtobe and A/he- fobe, " A good, goodly, difcreet, or wife man and woman." Cbookbma* with the Indians, is the proper name of a comely woman, when A is prefixed to if, as A-cbookbma y My goodly, or beautiful :" they ufe it for a warrior*

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