Their foterffiti feaft of love, 113
temples, prophets, and priefts of all the idolatrous nations of antiquity, from the favage Americans; which mews wit| convincing clearnefs, efpe- cially by recollecting the former arguments, that the American Aborigines were never idolaters, nor violated the fecond corrirrfandment in worfhipping the incomprehenfible, omniprefent, divine efience, after the manner defcribed by the popifli hiftorians of Peru and Mexico; b^t that the greateft part of their civil and religious fyftem, is a ftrong old picture of the Ifraelitifh, much lefs defaced than might be reajcmf^ r expefted from the circum- ftances of time and place, , -' "^*5*
��Every fpring feafon, one town or more of the Miflifippi Floridians, keep a great folemn feaft of love, to renew their old friendmip. Tftey-caj^tHis ' annual feaft, Hottuk Aimpa^ Heettla, 'Tanda^ " the people 0e* dance, and walk as twined together" The fhort name of their yearty feaft of love, is Hottuk Impanaa^ " eating by a ftrong religious, or Social principle;" Impanda fignifies feveral threads or ftrands twifted, or warped together. Hiffoobiftardkjhe^ and Telpboha Panaa, is " a twifted horfe-rope," and " warped garter*." This is alfo contrary to the ufage of the old heathen world, whofe feftivals were in honour to their chief idols, and very often accom panied with deteftable lewdnefs and debauchery.
They aflemble three nights previous to their annual feaft of love; on the fourth night they eat together. During the intermediate fpace, the young men and women dance in circles from the evening till morning. The men mafque their faces with large pieces of gourds of different fhapes and hieroglyphic paintings. Some of them fix a pair of young buffalo horns to their head; others the tail, behind. When the dance and their time is ex pired, the men turn out a hunting, and bring in a fufficient quantity of venifon, for the feaft of renewing theirjove, and confirming their friendfhip with each other. The women drefs i't* and bring the beft they have along with it; wjygjyjfw fprings paft, was only a variety of Efau's fmall red acorn pottage, astneir crops had failed. When they have eaten together, they fix in the ground a large pole with a bulb tied at the top, over which
- The name of a horfe-rope is derived from T-arakfke " to tie," and tTi/Joola " an elk,
or horfe that carries a burthen;" which fuggeffo that they formerly faw elks carry burthens, though perhaps not in the northern provinces.
Q^ they
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