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132 136 with a small piece of meat, praying &c. This being done the women and children might partake of the new fruits. The women, not being permitted to enter the sacred square, sent boys to get the new fire, and take to them. The women stood at a distance, received the new fire, and were then admonished by the priest to take the new fire to their house, and feed it with sound wood of seven kinds of trees (the same with which it was first kindled) and to keep it burning with those kinds of wood four days, not suffering it to go out. He also gave them various other instructions. After four days, they might burn any kind of wood they pleased. This direction was strictly obeyed..., But women, being in any of their uncleanness could not cook nor warm by the new fire, nor partake of the green fruit, but used their old fire & old food out in the woods or in a tent for their purpose till the time of their separation was evident. They then washed their flesh, their clothes, their utensils, &c, and partook of the fruits of the new year, & the benefits of the new fire. The uncleanness attending the woman courses of women, continued seven days, but that after child birth one moon, or month.

  Before the women returned with the new fire, they were told when to return for the purpose of being purified, with the water of purification, if unclearso call  it. It was made of the roots of a small kind of willow. These were pounded, and put into two larger pots, which were then filled with water, one of these was for the men, and one for the women & children. At the time appointed the women returned with these children. All drank of the water, above mentioned, and washed more or less with it, and were then considered clean from the pollutions of the past year. The men, made use occasionally of this water, for their cleansing, during their whole festival. At twelve o'clock on this day, the priest appoints two single women to lead the female dance. These carried each in her hand a fan made of swan's feathers, and had a certain picture fastened on her head. The women danced in a place by themselves, and the two men appointed to sing for them, were seated on a bench near them. The men danced in their sacred square, where no woman nor child must come. Each man carried in his right hand a birch or stick with swan's feathers tied to the end. This he held up when dancing thus giving the whole company a beautiful appearance. These switches were doubtless designed for the same purpose as the white pine boughs among the Cherokees, (and many will not suppose they had the same origin as the unclear among other Jews.) The musicians for the men were not seated, but moved from place to place. The dancers advanced towards them, & when they stopped, moved around them, thus the dance of both