his illustrious fore-fathers, which he endeavoured to enumerate largely: when the young sinner had received his supposed due, he went off seemingly well pleased.
This Indian correction lessens gradually in its severity, according to the age of the pupils. While the Dog-King was catechising the little ones, he said Che Haksinna, "do not become vicious." And when they wept, he said Che-Abela Awa, " I shall not kill you," or " I shall not put you into, the state of bleeding Abéle[1]"
Like the present Jews, their old men are tenacious of their ancient rites and customs; imagining them to be the sure channel through which all temporal good things flow to them, and by which the opposite evils are averted. No wonder therefore, that they still retain a multiplicity of He brew words, which were repeated often with great reverence in the temple; and adhere to many of their ancient rules and methods of punishment.
- ↑ The Indians use the word Hakse, to convey the idea of a person's being criminal in any thing whatsoever. If they mention not the particular crime, they add, Hakset Kanehah, pointing as it were to those who were punished in Canaan. Such unfortunate persons as are mad, deaf, dumb or blind, are called by no other name than Hakse. In like manner Kallakse signifies "contemptible, unsteady, light, or easily thrown aside,"—it is a diminutive of קלל of the same meaning. And they say such an one is Kallaks'-Ishto, "execrated, or accursed to God," because found light in the divine balance. As the American Aborigines used no weights, the parity of language here with the Hebrew, seems to assure us, they originally derived this method of expression from the Israelites, who took the same idea from the poise of a balance, which divine writ frequently mentions. Job, chap. xxxi; describes justice with a pair of scales, "Let me be weighed in an even balance, that I may know my perfection." And they call weighing, or giving a preference, Tekále, according to the same figure of speech: and it agrees both in expression and meaning, with the Chaldean Tekel, if written with Hebrew characters, as in that extraordinary appearance on the wall of the Babylonish monarch, interpreted by the prophet Daniel. When they prefer one person and would lessen another, they say Eeàpa Wéhke Tekále, "this one weighs heavy," and Eeàko Kallakse, or Kall'aks'ooshe Tekále, "that one weighs light, very light." When any of their people are killed on any of the hunting paths, they frequently say, Heenna tungga Tannip Tekále, "right on the path, he was weighed for the enemy, or the opposite party," for Tannip is the only word they have to express the words enemy and the opposite; as Ook'heenna Tannip, "the oppofite side of the water path:" hence it is probable, they borrowed that notable Assyrian expression while in their supposed captivity, brought it with them to America, and introduced it into their language, to commemorate so surprising an event.
