106



ORIGIN Or THE



the Huron or the Iroquois goes to battle, or to the chase,
the image of his Okki is as carefully carried with him as
his arms. At night each one places his guardian idol on
the Palisades surrounding the camp, with the face turned
from the quarter to which the warriors, or hunters, are
about to march. He then prays to it for an hour, as he
does also in the morning before he continues his course.
This homage performed, he lies down to rest, and sleeps in
tranquillity fully persuaded, that his spirit will assume the
whole duty of keeping guard, and that he has nothing to
fear for that day.
  L'Abbe' Perrin tells us that they have also their Priests,
who are similar tothe Druids of the ancients,. These pre-
tend to have a more intimate correspondence with the
Deity, than any other mortal. They are, therefore, held
in the highest estimation, because they can either conci-
hate the favour of the Great Spirit, or avert the wrath of
the malevolent or inferior Deity. The Abbe observes,
that as the Indians seldom engage in the solemnities of re-
ligion, the priesthood is not a lucrative profession; by pro-
fessing, however, the gift of prophecy and the science of
physic, they are seldom reduced to a state of indigence or
want. Whenever the cures which they prescribe as phy-
sicians, prove unsuccessful, they have the policy to as-
cribe this failure to the evil Spirit, whose wrath, they say,
is implacable from some motives which they are not allow-



ed to divulge.
  The only v
knowledge of



their
stanc
have
they
dian q



country
I high in
, to their
despaire4
; are said



raluable part of their skill consists
simples, chiefly salubrious herbs, wit
abounds. We are told by medical r
their profession, that these Indian
own knowledge, cured diseases o
d. In administering these medicines
to use many ceremonies which are



in their
lh which
rien who
herbists
f which
, the In-
ridicum.



Ious, and sufficiently mysterious to acquire fame and vener-
ation among the superstitious, especially if the patient re-
cover, but if he die, the Evil Spirit is blamed.
  .The offices of priest, physician, and prophet or conjurer