.MTA1Mw.NzA2NzM

481 and 64 penciled at top of page

Feasts etc. and then brought new fresh earth, and made an altar of earth in the middle of the room. He fixed the top of this very curiously, drew a circle on it, and within this circle, made a fire of small pieces of inside bark, taken new from the following trees, vir. White oak, Basswood, Black jack, Chestnut, Black oak, Water oak, and white pine. The priest then threw the piece of deer's tongue, reserved by the hunters, into the fire, together with seven kinds of new corn. These were taken from seven different ears, plucked from seven fields, the fields belonging to the seven different clans, thus one kernel sacrificed for each clan. While these were burning, the priest sprinkled a powder, made of old tobacco leaves, onto the fire, and prayed as usual to the woman above to bless their new fruit, and make it healthful to them. (If however the feast is to sanctify green beans, or any other green fruit except corn, the prayer is addressed to an old person above.) Then all feast together on the meat, & green fruit, except the conjurer, his right hand man and the seven men, & seven women who had been appointed to fast, and that night was spent in dancing to the honor of the old man above, in case of corn or the old person above in case this feast was to sanctify beans etc. The fourteen persons who had fasted etc continued seven days longer eating old