.MTA1Mg.NzA1Mzg
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
6 spoken by any common person, nor on any common occasion. so also the above hymn must never be sung but by some person selected, and set appart for the purpose and he must not sing it only at this feast of purification. On the first day of the feast this hymn was sung three times, i.e., morning, noon and night; and so on the fourth or last day.
On this day all the people fasted, men, women, and children, and even infants must fast till after noon, - till after drinking the water of purification, & being washed with it, The seven counsillors who fasted with the priest, watched the pot, keeping continually about the fire. The seven whippers returning to the council house about ten o'clock, distributed barbicued meat through the town to be cooked. This was done as in the green corn feast only new ripe fruits were and instead of green. About noon the above whippers took the seven white gourds from the bench, dipped some of the water of purification, and handed it to the people, each to those of his own clan, who drank of it, and rubbed some on their breasts. They gave also to their children & washed their breasts with it; and during the after noon used this drink, from time to time as they saw fit. When the sun was about two hours high, the right hand man of the priest ordered all to repair to the river for bathing; and as they stood on the bank the priest prayed for the, as at the council house, and then ordered them to wash. The men then turned a little upstream and the women and children down, and all waded in, & with their faces to the east, plunged entirely under water, and then turning quickly to the west plunged again: then to the east &c. seven times. God had directed them to do this, and not stop on arising from the water to wipe their faces, some went in with old clothes, which they let loose in the water, to put on clean new ones when they went to the bank: and others changed their clothes so that all on returning to the council house were habited in a clan dress. On leaving the water the priest & his right hand man walked behind: and on arriving at the council house, all took their mats in silence & great solemnity, and the priest proceeded to offer the purifier. Standing on the west side of the fire, having his right hand man by his side, and his seven counsellors behind him, he held the deer tongue in his right hand, and prayed silently, as before