Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/71

 The idiom and Rarity of their language $'9

great lion, and. the like, are by the fame figure, called the hail of God. They alfo apply the former words, Tab-ah, Tab-ma, and the like, to exprefs the very fame ideas through all the moods and tenfes j as Cheyaaras, " I mail weep for you j" Sawa Cheyaara Awa, " Wife, I will not weep for you." And when the violence of their grief for the deceafed, is much abated, the women frequently, in their plaintive notes, repeat To He (fa} Wah, To He ('fa) Web, To He fa Ha, To He fa Heh -, with a re ference probably to the Hebrew cuftom of immoderately weeping and wail ing for their dead, and invoking the name of God on fuch doleful occafions ; and which may have induced thefe fuppofed red Hebrews to believe the like conduit, a very efiential part of religious duty. Neetak Tab-ab figmfies " a faft day," becaufe they were then humbly to fay Ah, and afflict their fouls before YAH. In like manner, Tab- Abe fignifies " one who weeps for hav ing killed, or murdered another." Its roots are IT, Tab, their continual war- period, and, Vntf, Abele, fignifying " forrow or mourning ;" for, as killing, or murdering, is an hoftile act, it cannot be drawn from rQN, which fignifies brotherly love, or tender affection. Nana-Tah-Abe defcribes a perfon weep ing, while another is killing him. Now, as Nana is " a relation," Tab " God," and Abe as above, the true meaning feems to be, "One, like bleeding Abele, weeping to God." Like wife their name for felt, Hawa, may inform us, that though at prefent they ufe no fait in their religious offerings, they forbore it, by reafon of their diftant fituation from the fea-fhore, as well as by the danger of blood attending the bringing it through an enemy's country -, for, according to the idiom of their lan guage, if they had not thought fait an eflential part of the law of facri- ficature, they moft probably, would not have derived it from the two laft fyllables of the great divine name ; whereas they double the confonant, when they exprefs water, without drawing it from the clear fountain of liv* ing waters, YO HE WAH.

With the Hebrews, as before obferved *, ^90, I'ephale, fignifies " mak ing or pulling of the hand, cohefion, conjunction, or entering into fociety ;" and " praying, or invoking." In conformity to that original flandard, when the Indians would exprefs a ftrong, lading friendship, they have no

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