{Indians Not Eat Of The First He Kills.}
It Is An Establish'd Custom Amongst All These Natives,
That The Young
Hunter never eats of that Buck, Bear, Fish, or any other Game,
which happens to be the first they kill
Of that sort; because they believe,
if he should eat thereof, he would never after be fortunate in Hunting.
{Big bellied Woman never eat of the first Fish caught in a Ware.}
The like foolish Ceremony they hold, when they have made a Ware
to take Fish withal; if a big-belly'd Woman eat of the first Dish
that is caught in it, they say, that Ware will never take much Fish;
{Indians not kill Snakes why.} and as for killing of Snakes,
they avoid it, if they lie in their way, because their Opinion is,
that some of the Serpents Kindred would kill some of the Savages Relations,
that should destroy him: They have thousands of these foolish
Ceremonies and Beliefs, which they are strict Observers of.
Moreover, several Customs are found in some Families, which others keep not;
{Circumcision.} as for Example, two Families of the Machapunga Indians,
use the Jewish Custom of Circumcision, and the rest do not;
neither did I ever know any others amongst the Indians,
that practis'd any such thing; and perhaps, if you ask them,
what is the Reason they do so, they will make you no Manner of Answer;
which is as much as to say, I will not tell you. Many other Customs
they have, for which they will render no Reason or Account;
and to pretend to give a true Description of their Religion, it is impossible;
for there are a great many of their Absurdities, which, for some Reason,
they reserve as a Secret amongst themselves; or otherwise,
they are jealous of their Weakness in the practising them;
so that they never acquaint any Christian with the Knowledge thereof,
let Writers pretend what they will; {Indian Idols give an account of.}
for I have known them amongst their Idols and dead Kings
in their Quiogozon for several Days, where I could never get Admittance,
to see what they were doing, though I was at great Friendship
with the King and great Men; but all my Persuasions avail'd me nothing.
Neither were any but the King, with the Conjurer, and some few old Men,
in that House; as for the young Men, and chiefest Numbers of the Indians,
they were kept as ignorant of what the Elders were doing, as myself.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 303 of 377
Words from 87305 to 87725
of 110081
