adopted as a religious rite. As they worshipped the sun, so it was their endeavor to imitate that source of light. The Natchez Indians were once reckoned among the most powerful as well as most enlightened on this continent, but are now dwindled down to a few hundreds of contemptible beings. They still worship the sun. They offered human sacrifices, till falling within the jurisdiction of the United States, a stop was put to rites so unnatural and horrid. At a feast on the first of May, they still light a calumet and present it to the sun Sometimes in their more pious fervors, they cast all their property into the fire, while their priests, and warriors, men, women and children, in seperate circles, dance and sing around the flames. These sacred fires were formerly considered to be eternal, like those of Vesta; but within a few years they have become intermittent, and are kindled only on some of their solemn feasts. They have different grades of gods both good and evil, whom they consider as the authors of all blessings and mischiefs they ever experience. The one superior good spirit they call "Kilche Manitoo," or great unknown spirit; and one superior bad spirit they denominate, "Matchi Manitoo," or wicked being. The upsetting of a canoe, or the agitations of a storm are laid to the charge of him, as being supremely mischievous, The Panieses in New-England were an aristocratical order of men, resembling that of the Huskanaw in Virginia.— They were selected from the rest of their countrymen in childhood. The objects in view were partly military, partly political, and partly religious. As statesmen, they always in peace and war surround the person of the king as his counsellors. In religion they did penance, and dreadful were the severities they inflicted on themselves. Like the Huskanaw they drank a poisonous juice, as a part of the rights of initiation into the mysteries of the order, and with a view that some evil spirit might appear to them. Those, who are fond of tracing the origin of nations from affinities of languages, may find some room for speculation in the resemblances between the Indian Panieses and the predecessors of king Avander in Arcadia in Italy, who were primitively called Pani," and afterwards Fauni. The Panieses worshipped Ketan, a god which signifies wood; and the Italian Pani, were supposed to spring from trunks of trees and hard wood, a sentiment which agrees with the modern scheme of a local creation, adopted by late infidel philosophists. Other resemblan ces are still more striking; and Virgil shall give the description of the ancient race of the Pani, and every reader will see how it agrees with the Aborigines of America. "Gensque virum truncis et duro robore nata: Queis negue mos, negue cultus erat; uee jungere tauros, Lib. 8, 315. The original natives entertained very rude notions concerning religion. Many of them believed in a plurality of gods which made them oppose to the adoption of the christian system. A chief on the banks of Merrimack river said, that he believed in 27 gods, and should he give any credit to the christian religion? The Indians, however, have some conceptions of one Supreme Being, exalted above all the rest in power and glory, whom they styled, the great man above, the Great Spirit, the Master of life. Him they called in NewEngland, Ketan, or Kitchtan, to whom they prayed; and to whom, in case he granted them health, plenty and victory, they promised furs, offerings, &c. They had a strong faith in the existence of an evil spirit, whom they denominated Hobbamock, resembling the devil. To common people he did not choose to render himself visible; but the Paineses and powaws, the priests and the chiefs pretended they saw him frequently, and in the shape of some fawn, but more frequently in that of a snake, which is a singular coincidence with the Mosaic account. They believe in one primitive pair from whom the whole human race proceeded. Their priests were called powaws, who were also their physicians. To these priests they paid a reverence, bordering on divine worship. It is probable, that they derived some of their idolatrous notions from the Roman Catholics in Canada. A few images were found in their possession, but these, they said came from the north. When the Europeans came among them, religion had greatly declined. The Narraganset Indians offered sacrifices. They had temples, and stated times for worship. The oblations were entirely voluntary; and into the sacred fires the richest treasures of the people were cast. The most of the Indians entertain very reverential conceptions of God, whom they call the Great Spirit, a being eternal, invisible, benevolent, powerful, and perfect. Their heaven is towards the southwest, whence fair weather usually proceeds, and where, of course, their God would choose to reside. It is a Mahomedan para dise, made up of ever-bearing cornfields, flowery meads, pleasant rivers, clear skies, perpetual health, curious wigwams, good hunting, fishing and fowling, and a full store of Wampumpeag. Their enemies also were provided with a place of spontaneous torture. Some writers have asserted, that the natives were so ignorant of the things of religion, that they had not a name for the Deity. It ought to have been recollected, that all names of spiritual things are taken from natural objects. The Hebrew name of God intimated imcommunicable existence, or self-sufficiency, the Greek Jupiter was derived from a word signifying to live, the Roman implies a creator, the Saxon word God, is of the same etymology as good, whilst the Indian name of the Deity is as significant as an etymon of them all. Richtan was the name of God adopted by the Indians of New-England, but Manitoo was a much more common word, and signified excellent, and few words in any language can be found more significant of the divine nature. It is obvious, that all languages must fail in conveying to us any adequate conceptions of the essence of a spiritual being, infinite and incomprehensible. The more northern nations believed in an infinite number of genii, which were subaltern spirits, both good and bad.These were supposed to exert great influence over the fortunes of men, and to have extensive control in the affairs of the world. The evils flowing from a full belief in the existence of Witchcraft, and in the power of fascination, in the reality of a modern spirit of prophecy and the agency of an invisible genii, are great and distressing. They are sources of constant uneasiness, deception and persecution. The artful are always taking advantage of the weak and credulous. The few are rising to power and consequence by imposing these deceptions upon the many. The terrible scene of supposed witchcraft at Salem, where so many suffered by this delusion, originated, in a great measure, from stories told by an Indian and his squaw to the two children who were first infected with these notions in the family of the Rev. Mr. Paris of that town, whose credulity, as well as that of governor Phips, with many of their cotemporaries, was not much less extravagant than that of the savages. The Shawanese prophet Meanemsiceh, at Tippacanoe, would still have some followers in most parts of enlightened America and Europe. There is either a pleasure in the faith of things incomprehensible, or men seem delighted with the imposition. The fancy of spirits inhabiting deserted houses and the existence of imaginary beings are not worn out of the minds of many. Superstition still keeps off witches by the help of the horse shoe, or knows how to kill them with a silver ball. In christian countries, there are still charms and spells believed, lucky and unlucky days, and much of the savage remaining in mystery and wild fanaticism. - The savages indulge a singular mixture of contrary passions, of courage and cowardice, of magnanimity and despondency. They are impatient of sickness, and fearful of death. This is obvious from their sobs and sighs, tears and shrieks. Their mourning for the dead is excessive. No comfort seems to survive, and over the grave they shudder, while they raise a kind of "Irish-like howlings." It gives them great distress ever to hear any more, even the names of the deceased. King Philip sought to slay John Gibbs, because he accidentally made mention of a friend of his, who had been dead for some time. They bury their dead sometimes in an erect, and sometimes in a sitting posture.When they desert a country, they often collect the bones of their deceased friends, and deposit them beneath a huge mound of earth. These mounds may be seen in various parts of our country, and one may be mentioned on the Niagara River, in the village of Queenston, in Upper Canada. They bury with the dead, food, bows and arrows, pipes, and whatsoever pleased them most while living, or might be necessary in the country of souls. They believe in the immortality of the soul without the help of metaphysics. The chicung, the shadow, that which survives the body, they grossly imagine, will at death, go into some unknown, but curious place. The wicked will be punished by mere privations of the pleasures reserved for the good. Both rewards and punishments are founded on their conduct towards mankind, and not on any relation which subsists between them and the Supreme Being. Their worship is made up of two parts, sacrifice and cantico, the latter of which consists of songs and dances. They thank the Great Spirit for all mercies, and acknowledge his government and providence. Their religious assemblies were frequent. In case of long continued dry weather, their solemn fasts were prolonged for weeks, or till rain came. Their attachment to their children O2 is very great, and at their decease they address solemn prayers to heaven. After their harvest and season of hunting they used to have religious festivals, in order to express their gratitude to their Divine Benefactor. The United States have attempted, with some success, to civilize the western savages. They have carried the arts into their country. The loom and the plough are already in motion. Useful animals are rapidly multiplying, and new comforts reach their dwellings. Their children are taught to read, and the wilderness teems with blessings not its own.Knowledge, however, must be increased among them, before much can be expected. Their implicit reliance on dreams, witchcraft, magic, prophets and priests, must be destroyed, or imposture will be successful, and their degradation as well as wretchedness certain. |