The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-07-15

- liSpA'J VIZ stafSS VI tHeir auspaltQoJ 1iief
are sold in satisfaction of their debts; and
4 men have been known to pawn their wives
for money to purchase some office, or even a
pony. The ,Mupniporees have court of ju-
risdietion answering Sir Creswell Creswelis,
4 only not so we'll managed. The Koupooees
are subdivided into four great families; and
no one can marrya member of his own fami-
ly Marriages are arranged without reference
to the fkings of parties. When a son be-
comes lnarriageable, his father chooses a wife
for him, and pays her price, which is usually
high, and a matter of pride; and, strangely
enough. unhappy results do not seem to flow
from this general disregard of the Affections
Conf jugal infdelity is said to be rare; runaway
matches, however, sometimes take place, to
the disgust of parents and indignation of the
general community. Adultery is punished
with death, and the forfeiture of the property
of the adulterer to the injured husband !;
while the family of the adulteress must re-
fund her price and pay her debts When
wife predeeeases her husband, the latter has
to pay Mundoo," or At the price of her
bones," to her father, if alive if not, to her
next OF .kiE: gMgndoo is also payable on the
death of children !; but it cannot be demand
ed for persons killed by enemies or wild beasts
or who die of any swelling, or cholera, or
small pox.* When woman dies in child
birth, the child is not permitted to live. but is
burned with her, If the husband die before
the wife, the wife is taken by the husbands
brother. She cannot return to the parental
home SO long as there are any near (male y
relations of her husband remaining. Poly-
gamy is permitted, but not common. Chill
drer1 are named as among the Rockies at fes-
tivities, which takes place FIVE days after the
birth, without distinction between boys and
girls. Among the Murrings there is resula-
ted payment for a wife, in fault of which the
first-born of the marriage becomes slave
They are divided into families like the Kou-
pooees, and the marriage of members of the
same family is strictly prohibited. The con-
sequences of marriage among the Tangkool
are peculiar. When son marries, his faith
er becomes person of secondary importance
in the house, and is obliged to remove to the
front part of 1.-THE part of least comfort and
honor. This strange rule has a higher per-
lection among the Loohoepas, who, whilst
like all the other tribes they buy their wives,
choose for themselves, refusing in such mat
ters to be guided by others. When the eldest
son has brought home his wife, it is the sig
nal for his father and mother and the rest of
the family to quit for new home, where they
live till the marriage of the second son, when
they have again to move. Of the marriage
law of the Mows and Murams we know lit
tie more than that marriage is prohibited with
in certain degrees of affinity. The price of
wife among the Murams is, merely nominal.
The women greatly exceed the men in num-
bers, and wife, can.easily be got for piece
of coarse cloth. Generally among the tribes
adultery is punished as among the Koupoo-.
ees; also, generally children, especially males,
are highly priced. Exceptin the case of a
child whose mother dies in childbirth. child
murder is unknown. In one instance. indeed
IN the small village Of the Phweelongmai
the practice of Staying female children pre-
vailed. Major M'Culloch found the practice
existing in 1850, when happily astop was put
to it. The theory was, that every female
child born in certain way should be killed;
but in practice all were SO borI, or at least all
were put to death. The custom must have
originated in some superstition, or in an asso-
citation, casually: established, of misfortune
with female children born in the prescribed
manner A child so born was said to commit
" amoonge"-transgress to
the ".tholo' of certain Africans, who, accord
ing lne to Livingstone, kill all children who cut
their teeth in the upper sooner than in the
under jaw There were no peculiar customs
among the Phweelongmai to explain the
practice, such as explain female infanticide
among t'l nlg the Rajputs. The Rajputs are said to-
kill every female child but the first, the rea-
sen being the cost of getting daughters mar
RED, 1t is point of honor with Raiput
father to give his daughter a large portion, and
celebrate her puptials with ruinous festivi-
ties" --.,f---; -,--... -s.,., .r, ..r...-r
." Mundoo'' is found among the Rockies under the
name " Longmul" It is thought a most extraordi-
nary exacton. 1t is not, however, unlike the old
IS ScOtch according to which fha daath 20 AZ.