346 



ACCOUNT OF THE INDIANS. 



her residence. At the close of this period, she 

 returns to her tent, and the father of the child 

 prepares a feast to which all their neighbours are 

 invited, the object of which as they say, is, to 

 welcome the arrival of the little stranger, from a 

 far country. 



Should a male child live, the parents dry the 

 meat of the first animal that he kills, and careful- 

 ly keep it, until they can collect a sufficiency of 

 something to make a feast. They then invite 

 their friends, of both sexes, to come and partake 

 of the fruits of the hunt of their son ; for, they so 

 call it, because the animal which he killed, they 

 mix with what his parents have procured. Be- 

 fore any taste of the feast, one of the most re- 

 spectable men present, takes a little out of the 

 dish, and throws it into the fire ; and then be- 

 seeches the Great Spirit, to be kind to the lad, 

 and to allow him to grow up, and to become a 

 skilful hunter ; and to cause that when he goes to 

 war, he may not behave like an old woman, but 

 may return with the scalps of his enemies. 



Indian women appear to suffer less pain in 

 child birth, than women in civilized countries. 

 They rarely ever take any medicine, at the time 

 of delivery, though they do, at times, drink water, 

 in which the rattle of a rattle-snake has been 

 boiled. In the season of labour, they place their 



