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This is properly a military feftival, in which the 

 warriors are the fole actors, and one would natural- 

 ly conclude it had been inftituted only to give them 

 an opportunity of vaunting of their famous exploits. 

 I am not the author of this opinion, which does 

 not,quadrate with the fentiments of thofe who main- 

 tain that the calumet derives its origin from 

 caduceus of Mercury, and that on its firft insti- 

 tution it was looked upon as a fymbol of peace. 

 All thofe whom I faw dancing, finging, and beat- 

 ing the drum and chichikoue, were young perfons 

 equipt as when they prepare to take the field ; they 

 had their faces painted with all forts of colours, 

 their heads were adorned with feathers, fome of 

 which they held in their hands byway of fans : and 

 the calumet was alfo adorned with them and was 

 fet in the moft confpicuous place : the orcheftre 

 and the dancers were placed quite round, the fpec- 

 tators being placed up and down in fmall bodies, the 

 women apart from the men, all of them fitting 

 on the ground, and adorned with their fineft 

 robes, which at a diftance made a very pretty ap- 

 pearance. 



Between the orcheftre and the commandant who 

 fat at the door of his own apartment, they had 

 erected a poll, to which at the end of each dance, 

 a warrior came and gave a blow with his battle- 

 ax on this fignal followed profound filence, when 

 this man proclaimed fome of his own valorous at- 

 chievements; and receiving afterwards the ap- 

 plaufe of the company, he returned to his place, 

 when the games begun again. This lafted four 

 hours two for each nation, and I confefs I was far 

 from being charmed with it, not only on account 

 of the monotony and unpleafantnefs of the mufick, 

 but alfo becaufe the whole of the dances confided 



only 



