Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-06-01
AMERICAN AB0RlGINES.

AMERICAN AB0RlGINES.
Some Traits Developed in Domestic
Indian Life.
Chicago Tmea
Among the many amiable traits
which distinguish the character Of the
American Indians, those of conjugaI
affection and fidelity are not the least
remarkable. When couple is newly
married, the husband, without saying q
single word upon the subject, takes
considerable pains to please his wife.
and by repeated proofs of his skill and
abilities in the art of hunting, to make
her sensible that she can be happy with
him, and that she will not want while
they live together. At daybreak he
will be off with his gun, and often at
breakfast time returns home with q
deer, turkey or some other game. He
endeavors to make it appear that it is
in his power to bring provisions home
whenever he pleases; and his wife,
proud of having such good hunter
for a husband, does her utmost to serve
him and make herself agreeable. The
more man does for his wife's COM
fort, the more he is esteemed, par
ticularly by the women, who will say:
ssThis man surely loves his wife,"
"In the year 1852" says Mr.. Hecker-
welder, in his interesting account of
the American Indians, 81 was witness
to remarkable instance of the dis
position of Indians to indulge their
wives. There was famine in the
land, and a sick Indian woman ex-
pressed great desire for a mess Of
Indian corn. Her husband having
heard that trader of Lower Sandusky,
Ohio, had little, set off on horseback
for that place, one hundred miles dis
tant, and returned with as much corn
as filed his hat crown, for which he
gave his horse ia exchange, and came
home on foot, bringing his saddle back
with him. 1t very seldom happens
that an Indian condescends to quarrel
with his wife, or abuse her, though
she has given him just cause.
In such case the man, without re-
plying or saying single word, will
take his gun and 60 into the woods,
and remain there a week, or perhaps q
fortnight, living on the meat he has
killed, before he returns home again.
well knowing he cannot infict great
er punishment on his wife for her con-
duct to him than by absenting himself
!. for awhile, for she is not only kept in
suspense, uncertain whether he will
return again, but is soon reported as q
bad and quarrelsome woman; for, as
/, Inr nj
tell his wife on what day or time he
will return, which he never fails to do
when on good terms, she is at once put
to shame by her neighbors, who, soon
suspecting something, do not fail to
!, put such questions as she cannot an
swer.
When at length he does return, she
, endeavors to let him see by her atten-
tons that she has repented, though
neither speak to each other single
word on the subject of what has passed !;
and as his children, if he has any, will.
on his return, hang about him and
sOOthe him with their caresses, he is,
on their account, ready to forgive, or
at least not to say anything unpleasant
to their mother. If these traits in the
conduct of the untutored Indians in
domestic life put the manners of more
civilized nations to the blush, how
much more severe is the reproach to
social life contained in the following
account:
Gin the year 1771," says the author
already named, "while I was residing
on the Big Beaver, I passed by the
door Of an Indian who was trader,
; and had quantity of goods in his
house. He was going with his wife to
Pittsburg, and they were shutting up
the house.
, GAS no person remained in during
their absence, this shutting was no
thing more than putting a large hominy
pounding block outside the door to keep
it closed. AS I was looking at the
man with attention while he was SO
employed, he addressed me in these
words:
"'See, my friend, this is an Indian
lock that am putting on my door,
"'Well enough answered; but /
see you leave much property in the
house; are you not afraid those articles
, will be stolen while you are gomez"
"'Stolenl By whomp'
"'By the Indians, to be sure
".No, no. he replied; mo Indian
would do such thing; and unless a
white man or white people should hap
pen this way, shall find all safe on my
return.