Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/92

 8o On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews,

fingers, in common difcourfe, to accompany their fpeech, is the reafon that ftrangers imagine they make only a gaggling noife, like what we are told of the Hottentots, without any articulate found, whereas it is an ancient cuf- tom of the eaftern countries, which probably the firft emigrants brought with them to America, and ftill retain over the far-extended continent *.

��ARGUMENT VII.

In conformity to, or after the manner of the Jews, the Indian Americans have their PROPHETS, HKSH-PRIESTS, and others of a religious order. As the Jews had a fanSum fanftorutn, or mod holy place, fo have all the Indian nations ; particularly, the Mufkohge. It is partitioned off by a mud-wall about breaft-high, behind the white feat, which always flands to the left hand of the red-painted war-feat -, there they depofit their confe- crated vefiels, and fuppofed holy utenfils, none of the laity daring to ap proach that facred place, for fear of particular damage to themfelves, and general hurt to the people, from the fuppofed divinity of the place.

With the Mufkohge, Hitch JLalage fignifies " cunning men," or perfons prefcient of futurity, much the fame as the Hebrew feers. Cbeerat&btge is the name of the pretended prophets, with the Cheerake, and nearly ap proaches to the meaning of W1J, Nebia, the Hebrew name of a prophet. Cheera is their word for " fire," and the termination points out men poffeft of, or endued with it. The word feems to allude to the celeftial cherubim, fire, light, and fpirit, which centered in O E A, or YOHEWAH. Thefe In dians call their pretended prophets alfo Lod-che> " Men refembling the holy fire," or as Elohim, for the termination exprelTes a comparifon, and Loa, is a contraction of Loak, drawn from r6tf, Eloah, the fingular num ber of Dv6N, Elohim, the name of the holy ones. And, as the Mufkohge

��* The firft numbering was by their fingers ; to which cuflom Solomon alludes, Prov. iii. 16. they numbered on their five fingers : and Ovid fays, Seu, quia tot digitis, per quos numerare fo- lemus ', likewife Juvenal, Sua dextra computat annos. Others numbered on their ten fingers, as we mny fee in Bede de ratione temporum. And the ancients not only counted, but are faid to fpcak with their fingers, Prov. vi. 13, " The wicked man he teacheth with his fingers." And Nasvius, in Tarentilla, fays, dat digito literas.
 * ' length of days is in her right hand." The Greeks called this, A^oWfMtftptt^f/r, becaufe

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