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26

The priest then proceeded to offer the sacrifice. This was done as follows. The priest always had an assistant, called his right hand man. He also had a room for the purpose of offering sacrifice, into which no one must ever enter but the priest and his right hand man. His assistant now swept this room peculiarly clean, and then brought new fresh earth, and made an altar of earth in the middle of the room. The top of this he made smooth, and drew a circle round it, including a span sufficient for the fire. He then kindled the fire 

within the circle on the top of the altar. He made the fire with seven kinds of bark, taken from the east side of the white oak, Bass wood, Black jack, chestnut, Black oak, Water oak, and white pine.

 The priest then proceeded to offer the sacrifice, give thanks, pray or as in the great national feasts - trnd? at the order of the right hand man the victuals was brought forward and at his orders also all partook at the same moment, except those sixteen who had been fasting, these still continued at the town house eating old food seven days longer, when all assembled again & all partook together of the green fruit.
After this the seven men above mentioned appointed the second great feast of first fruits &c.
 Families which wish not attend the town, or national feasts, before tasting of their green fruit sent for a priest to visit them. He took some of their new corn, pounded, in the

palm of his hand and some grains of the same on his fingers. He then stood before the fire and gave thanks for the new food and prayed that it might be healthful to the family. He then threw what he held in the palm of his hand into the fire, and then gave to each member of the family a grain of what was on his fingers. with this they rubbed their breasts & and then all partook of the new fruit. citation: T. Pridget.

 For near fifty years past each town has taken the liberty of celebrating the feast of first fruits separately, without any special order from  the national council; This appears from the statements of some old men that about fifty years ago each town held that feast separately by permission from the national council.