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135 p. 42 137 New Moons. to respected new moons, the Cherokee women end their year with the first autumnal Moon. This was therefore called the great Moon. At the first appearance of that moon, the people of each Town assembled at the house of the priest, who was on this occasion attended by two right hand men, subject to his orders. One of these assistants selected seven men sing for the women, who soon commenced their dance. The first singer, taking his seat, and commencing his music, The women began Their dance, which consisted of a slow walk around the fire. The foremost had a tarapin shell, filled with pebles tied to her leg. The calf of her leg, (This has probably been introduced in modern times instead of the small bells women anciently, about The ankles.) The first singer continued his music about there quarters of a hour, and then retired, and the women took their seats, and rested a short, till the second musician commanded. This dance continued till the seven singers had performed each his part, and then all retired to nest. In the morning before sun rise, the priest collected all, men women and children into a house for the purpose and seated them in rows with their faces toward the east. He then opened a crack in the east side of the house, and set his diamond Crystalline quartz in the crack so that the sun when it rose would shine upon it, He then stood back about four feet, looking at the stone, with his face toward the sun, to which he addressed a prayer. Now, as he prayed it is said, the diamond became brighter and brighter, till at length, a brightness from it, like that reflected from a piece glass, struck first the underside of the roof of the house, moved back and forth, and descended lower and lower, till at last it struck the people as they sat. Now, if there was one in assembly to die before The return of another quarterly new moon, i.e. within three months, this light would pass without touching them. My informant says he has seen this himself, and has known several instanced, when this brightens did not touch particular persons, and those persons all died in less than three months from this time They were thus pointed out as the victims of death. During the time the priest did not touch the diamond, but simply stood repeating his prayers, The priest then put away his diamond, and all the people went out, The women to cooking, and the men to getting wood and pine, so as to have all prepared by twelve o'clock, one of the right hand men get the several kinds of bark for making fire for the altar, while the other was with the women & children, to see that none ate any before the proper time.