meral names for their months, except Abib and Ethanim; the former
signifying a _green ear of corn_, the latter _robust or valiant_; by
the first name the Indians as an explicative, term their passover,
which the trading people call _the green corn dance_."

_7th, Their prophets or high priests._

"In conformity to, or after the manner of the Jews, the Indians have
their prophets, high priests, and others of a religious order. As the
Jews have a Sanctum Sanctorum, so have all the Indian nations. There
they deposit their consecrated vessels--none of the laity daring to
approach that sacred place. The Indian tradition says, that their
forefathers were possessed of an extraordinary divine spirit by which
they foretold future events; and that this was transmitted to their
offspring, provided they obeyed the sacred laws annexed to it.[3] [20]
_Ishtoallo_ is the name of all their priestly order and their
pontifical office descends by inheritance to the eldest. There are
traces of agreement, though chiefly lost, in their pontifical dress.
Before the Indian Archimagus officiates in making the supposed holy
fire for the yearly atonement of sin, the _Sagan_ clothes him with a
white ephod, which is a waistcoat without sleeves. In resemblance of
the Urim and Thummim the American Archimagus wears a breastplate made
of a white conch-shell, with two holes bored in the middle of it,
through which he puts the ends of an otter-skin strap; and fastens a
buck-horn white button to the outside of each; as if in imitation of
the precious stones of the Urim."

In remarking upon this statement of Mr. Adair, Faber, a learned divine
of the church of England, has said, that Ishtoallo (the name according
to Adair of the Indian priests) is most probably a corruption of
_Ish-da-Eloah_, a man of God, (the term used by the Shunemitish woman
in speaking of Elisha;) and that _Sagan_ is the very name by which the
Hebrews called the deputy of the High Priest, who supplied his office
and who performed the functions of it in the absence of the high
priest, or when any accident had disabled him from officiating in
person.

_8th, Their festivals, fasts and religious rites._

"The ceremonies of the Indians in their religious worship,[21] are
more after the Mosaic institution, than of Pagan imitation. This could
not be the fact if a majority of the old nations were of heathenish
descent. They are utter strangers to all the gestures practiced by
Pagans in th