The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-02-02
AMONG THE INDIANS.

| the red maiden does not entertain high
standard Of morality is an error, for she
is Taught as other girls are, and grows up
with well developed ideas of the respon-
sibilities of life and firm resolution to
discharge them. Educated in the faith
herself to undergo hard labor, and at six
teen years of age is sturdy and strong,
brave against fatigue, and a perfect
hosewife. She may not possess New
England notions of cleanliness, but she
takes not a little pride in her appear
ance, and in the arrangement of her lodge
she displayes some crude ideas of taste
and a certain amount of neatness. If
she marries white man she makes him
good wife as long as she lives with him.
| His home is her sole comfort and his
comfort her ambition. She thinks of
him and for him, and makes it her study
to please him and make him respect and
love her. She recognizes in him one of a
superior race, and by her dignity and de-
votion endears herself to him and strug-
giles to make him happy.
! At the agencies on the upper frontier
thousands of men are employed, and it is
not an exageration to say that the major
ity OF them have Indian wives and live
happily. They are not sought after by
the maidens, for the Indian girls custom
is to remain quiet until the marriage con-
tract is made and the marriage portion
paid over. The husband must have the
dowry. with which he must invest
his projected mother-in-law before the
ceremony takes place. The process is a
little out of the usual run, and des-
crlption may be OF interest. The aspir-
ing bridegroom must be well known in
| the tribe before he can hope to win a
wife. Her people want to thoroughly un-
derstand him and to know if he can sup
port not only her, but also her relatives
in the events of pinch. He must be
kind-hearted man, with temper warran-
ted to keep in any domestic climate and
he must have good lodge and at least
bali dozen horses. If he be and have
all these, he can awooing go. Selecting
the lady, he makes applications to her
mother, and at q council the price is fixed
upon. If the girl be especially pretty,
her mother will demand gun, two hors-
es, and lot of provisions, blankets and
cloth. A gun is valued at $50, horse
at $50, and he must furnish material to
bring the amount up to from 500 to $780,
Then he tries to beat the dame down,
s3h s6hhe t ffehaso6 hs fof isttihg the girl go Il
not, he understands that he is making q
good choice. The courtship is left en-
tirely to the mother. She communicates
the intelligence to the bride-elect, who
dutifully sets upon preparing the lodge
for the nuptials. Relatives and friends
congregate, form circle, pound drum
and have feast, at the conclusion of
which the man and girl stand up. A
blanket is thrown over their heads, under
which they exchange vows of fidelity, af-
ter which the mother blesses them, and
the ceremony is complete But it fares
badly with a man who plentifully stocks
his wedding lodge. His wife will give
away everything he gives her, and
stores intended to last a month
will disappear in an hour. He, if
he be called cautious, viii give her bare
" enough to eat until he teaches econo-
my, a Lesson which, once thoroughly
learned, see never forgets. For some
time after the wedding the newly made
relatives haunt the happy lodge, demand
ing that they be feasted and cared for.
Woe unto him who acceds in the slight
est A firm refusal, well persevered in
| is all that will save him a life of misery.
According to prairie law, it is disre-
putable in white man to abandon his
dusky wife until she has grown too old to
work for him. Then he may send her
back to her tribe if be so elect The OBJ
| legation upon the wife is different. She
may not desert the husband for another
white man, but she may leave him for an
Indian who wants to marry her, provided
she has no children. If squaw desires
! to abandon her husband, the Indian of
her choice must pay back the price orig
inally paid to her mother. He may abate
no jot or title. and it is in such payment
that the divorce is perfected. She then
/ becomes single woman, free to marry,
| but she cannot live in the vicinity inhab-
! tied by her former husband. She must
move away with her new venture. Such
divorces are not infrequent. It is diff
| fcult thing for squaw to perfectly adapt
herself to her white husband. He may
be of the kindest disposition but his
ways are not her ways, and though she
struggles with all her strength to draw
closer to him and try to make her exis-
tenee a part of his, she cannot make him
one of her kind, and she drifts away from
him. The birth of children directs her
thoughts into new channel, and lessons
the chasm betTeen them, but without
them he has little hope Of keeping her
to himself. Sooner or later she will find
her affinity.
ACOUGH, COLD OR SORE THROAT
should be stopped. Neglect frequently results
! In an INCUR kRIF TTTE,. DTSp.cp on CoxST-1p-
/ TIoN. BROWNS BRONCHIAL TROCHES ARE