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97 24. 99

request to have them take their seats in the council house that night. The afflicted family, accepting the kind invitation repaired to the council house, where all the town met them and took them by the hand. After this token of affection, the mourners might return home, if they chose, while the others continued the dance.

In case the deceased was a husband, the widow continued long in a single state; and for ten months let her hair go loose without dressing, or taking any particular care of it. She did not wash, nor seem to pay any attention to herself, but wore her clothes thrown carelessly over her.

Among the Creeks when a husband dies, the widow, while mourning, neither combs her hair nor anoints it, and neither? washes her face or apparel. But at the end of four months her former husbands brother, or nearest kinsman, may marry her, but no other. See farther on a future sheet.
With regard to ceremonial uncleanlinesses and defilements, both of males and females, we may learn there from the Bible but the manner of cleansing was, as might well be expected, in some respects different. See another sheet hereafter. 
The ancient Cherokees, on going to bed, sung, or chanted, the following prayer, viz., Let my soul be in the first heaven, let my soul be in the second heaven, and so on , to the seventh heaven. The first heaven was supposed to be as high as the tops of the trees. The second, as high as the clouds, and so on to the seventh, which was supposed to be the place where God resides. In each of these heavens angels were supposed to be stationed, attending to the various duties assigned to them. Some doubtless repeated other kinds of prayers.

During the night, even when sleeping alone they were supposed to contract, or be in danger of contracting, certain defilements, therefore the most religious , as priests &c. used to observe the following ceremonies in the morning, for their cleansing. On awakening sometimes before day, they turned onto their faces, and sung four times the following words, viz. Ki na tu hu yi, ko lu lac ti, ha tla su gu ti. They then devoted sometime to meditation, and then sung the same again and so on, till day light. Just as day light appeared, they arose and went to a stream, and standing on the bank, sang again the same words, and then plunged into the stream, and continued under water as long as they could hold their breath. They then arose, and again plunged, as before; and thus seven times. After this they supposed themselves purified from all uncleanlinesses, and relieved from all enchantments etc. they might have been exposed to during the night. The Indians generally had another prayer also which they sang in the morning, while going to the water.