Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-12-21

THE DOMESTIC LIFE or TIE HALF-BREEps OF
GANApA

CANADA.
A letter from Winnipeg says The cere-
mony of taking wife, 10y which this mer-
curial race sprang into existence III the old
days of the fur trade, cannot be considered,
in the light of the present day, as an elabor-
ate performance. or one much incumhered
with social and religious preliIninaries. If 1t
failed in literally fulfilling the condition of
force implied 10y the word taking, 1t usual
ly degenerated INTO mere question OF bar
ter When the French Canadian wanted
wife he took Il horse, u gun, some white
cloth or beads, and. repairing to the lodge of
his red brother iii the Wilderness purchased
the heart and hand of the squaw he desired
from her stern parents. II she did not love
after these presents, the lodge poles were
always handy to enforce that obedience nee
essary to domestic tranquility This custom,
! may say. has by no means fallen INTO DIS
use. but is still in vogue along the border.
Now, as IN the olden time OF the fur trade,
there Is no uniform price for squaWs, their
qualifications being taken into account, and
price demanded III accordance with their
capacity to render service. Usually one may
be purchased for pony, small quantity OF
Hour and sugar. little tobacco and II bottle
OF whiskey. But Woe to the purchaser If he
should make his abode ut any point conve-
nlent of access to the tribe TO which his
squaw belongs. While she is with the tribe
the squaw is kicked about and whipped by
any buck that takes notion to do 70. When
she becomes the white mans squaw things
are different. There rs not an Indian III the
tTlbc who does not clam relationship with
her She is sister 10 most OF them aud first
cousin To- the remainder of them They
meet her with kiss, and she feels thht she
must ask them IN to dinner, aud give each
one something TO remember her by. The re-
suit of all tins Is. that the white man soon
finds that he has married an entire Indian
tribe and has made an ante inurtem distrlbu-
ton of his property.
Speaking of the indinn woman tins writer
says Their general occupation. like that
OF all the married women III the camp. when
not engaged IN culinary duties seemed to be
the dissemination of nourishment from the
maternal font 10 swarms of children. This
maternal occupation among the half breeds
| Is protracted to an advanced age OF child
hood, Circumstance probably due. To the
, fact that four DAYS after ITS birtl. the newly
! born infant receives no nuuTlshII cnt from ITS
/ mother, IN order that m after lie It shall h,-
able Ia withstand the pangs of hunger The
iniantie mind doubtless. being conscious
| that IL has been robbed of its lust right tn
| deayors to make up Tor lost time 10y this pro
| lOngatiOn OF the tenn of nursing. Ina slmi-
lar manner tho breed doubtless obtains
his appetite for strong dirk from the TACT
that the first thing administered to him after
birth is spoonful OF strong port wine, or
oven sPiits, IA order to insure HIM vIgor
| Gus constitution III after life. From the per
sistency with which he follows this pIactic,
as he grows older 1t is only fair to suppose
that he Is insuring himself yigor of con
stitution which will carry him INTO the nine
| ties