Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/88

 76 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

and it evidently is a remain of the tradition of the creation. The Creator, indeed, renewed to the Hebrews the old precept of fandtifying the feventh day, on a particular occafion. And chriftianity promoted that religious obfervance in the weftern world, in remembrance of the work of redemp tion. The Greeks counted time by decads, or tens j and the Romans by nones, or ninths. The number, and regular periods of the Indians public religious feafts, of which prefently, is a good hiftorical proof, that they counted time by, and obferved a weekly fabbath, long after their arrival on the American continent.

They count the day alfo by the three fenfible differences of the fun r like the Hebrews fun-rife, they term, Hafle kootcha meente^ " the fun's com ing out ," noon, or mid-day, Tabookbre, and fun-fet, Haffe Oobea, lite rally, " the fun is dead " likewife, Haffe Ookkatbra^ that is, " the fun is fallen into the water ," the laft word is compounded of Oakka, water, and Etbra^ to fall : it fignifies alfo " to fwim," as inftincl: would direct thofe to do, who fell into the water. And they, call dark, Ookklitte derived from Ookka^ water, and Illeb, dead ; which fhews their opinion of the fun's difap- pearance, according to the ancients, wno faid the fun flept every night in the weftern ocean. They fubdivide the day, by any of the aforefaid three ftandards as half way between the fun's coming out of the water j and in. Jike manner, by midnight, or cock-crowing, &c.

They begin the year, at the firft appearance of the firft new moon of the vernal aequinox, according to the ecclefiaftical year of Mofes : and thole fynodical months, each confift of twenty-nine days, twelve hours, and forty odd minutes ; which make the moons, alternately, to confift of twenty-nine and of thirty days. They pay a great regard to the firft appearance of every new moon, and, on the occafion, .always repeat fome joyful founds, and ftretch out their hands towards her but at fuch times they offer no public facrifice.

I/ Till the 70 years captivity commenced, (according to Dr. Prideaux, 606-

years before the ChriUian era) the Ifraelites had only numeral names for

the folar and lunar months, except HUN and D^JINH ; the former fignifies

a green ear of corn -, and the latter, robuft, or valiant. And by the firft

name.

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