They knew the name and person,
also, of his brother Elkswatawa, [Footnote: "A door opened."] or the
Prophet, whose name has also become incorporated with the histories
of the times. These two chiefs were very powerful, though scarce
dwelling regularly in any tribe; but their origin, their careers,
and their characters were known to all, as were those of their
common father, Pukeesheno, [Footnote: "I light from fly--"] and their
mother, Meethetaske.[Footnote: "A turtle laying her eggs in the
sand."] But with Onoah it was very different. With him the past was
as much of a mystery as the future. No Indian could say even of what
tribe he was born. The totem that he bore on his person belonged to
no people then existing on the continent, and all connected with
him, his history, nation, and family, was conjecture and fancy.
It is said that the Indians have traditions which are communicated
only to a favored few, and which by them have been transmitted from
generation to generation. An enlightened and educated red man has
quite recently told us in person, that he had been made the
repository of some of these traditions, and that he had thus
obtained enough of the history of his race to be satisfied that they
were not derived from the lost tribes of Israel, though he declined
communicating any more.
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