Adair's History of the American IndiansAdair, James
History
Adair's History of the American Indians
Adair, James
Indians -- Origin; Indians of North America -- Southern States
I cannot however conclude this argument, without a few remarks
concerning the Indian methods of _making peace_, and of renewing their
old friendship. They first smoke out of the friend-pipe, and eat
together; then they drink of the _Cusseena_, using such invocations as
have been mentioned, and proceed to wave their large fans of
eagles-tails,—concluding with a dance. The persons visited, appoint half
a dozen of their most active and expert young warriors to perform this
religious duty, who have had their own temples adorned with the
swan-feather-cap. They paint their bodies with white clay, and cover
their heads with swan-down; then approaching the chief {167}
representative of the strangers, who by way of honour, and strong
assurance of friendship, is seated on the central white or holy seat,
“the beloved cabbin” (which is about nine feet long and seven feet
broad), they wave the eagles tails backward and forward over his
head[XLI]. Immediately they begin the solemn song with an awful air; and
presently they dance in a bowing posture; then they raise themselves so
erect, that their faces look partly upwards, waving the eagles tails
with their right hand toward heaven, sometimes with a slow, at others
with a quick motion; at the same time they touch their breast with their
small callabash and pebbles fastened to a stick of about a foot long,
which they hold in their left hand, keeping time with the motion of the
eagles tails: during the dance, they repeat the usual divine notes, YO,
&c. and wave the eagles tails now and then over the stranger’s head, not
moving above two yards backward or forward before him. They are so
surprisingly expert in their supposed religious office, and observe time
so exactly, with their particular gestures and notes, that there is not
the least discernible discord. If the Hebrews danced this way, (as there
is strong presumptive proof) they had very sweating work, for every
joint, artery, and nerve, is stretched to the highest pitch of exertion;
and this may account for Saul’s daughter Michal, chiding David for
falling in with the common dancers.
Footnote XLI:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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