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25 The feast or fast of atonement and purification, called A to hu na. (not physic dance. Three Killer) The stated time for holding this feast was the first of autumn. This, in modern times, has been held in several places in the nation. (Doubtless in more ancient times the whole nation met. enquire farther) Seven days previous to the feast, the seven counsellors convened the people at an all night dance (what seven counsellors) strikeout: (all priests I think) and gave notice that the above feast would commence on the seventh day from that time. The priests right hand man then selected seven counsellors, one from each clan, to assist on the occasion & to fast, together with seven women selected from the seven clans. He also selected seven men to cleanse the council house - repair the altar, new whitewash all the benches, posts, joists, and vessels for the occasion, & to whip the houses (to drive away the evil spirits) He then selected seven men to hunt, and others to provide the articles for purification. (All articles used for healing or curing the diseases of the body, and for cleaning bodily or mental defilements, are called by one general name nu wa ti, which we translate medicine.) The next morning the priest and his right hand man, the seven counsellors, and the seven women commenced fasting, and for six days ate only once in twenty four hours left margin, vertical note: Confirm a little after sunset and then nothing but light food (enquire). The hunters at the same time commenced the labour assigned them; and the first buck they shot down, the chief hunter approached, and taking hold of the tongue before touching it in any other place, cut off a piece from the end on the right side, and wrapped it up in leaves, for sacrifice. The man who shot the buck, then took off the skin, and barbicued the meat, which together with the skin and the skins of all the deer killed on the occasion belonged to the priest, and were delivered to his right hand man on the return of the hunters. But, the priest must not taste of the flesh of the buck, till he had offered the tongue for sacrifice. Those also appointed to provide the articles for purification, went in search of them. These articles were the following viz. The bark from mountain birch trees, and the sprigs of another kind of mountain strikeout birch, which grows in shrubs only; -- willow roots which had long been washed by a stream, standing in the bank, swamp dogwood root which had also in the same manner, been long exposed to the current. (The husks of this are red.) Wood misle tow -- | corn tastle | also spruce pine & A ta sunki, stinking wood -- yu wi yoka. All these articles were put into a cane basket, made of fine splints, & tied, i.e. made fast in the basket, and brought to the council house on the evening of the sixth day,