Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-03-29
HOW RED ROMEOS WOO
A PRINCESS TELLS OF LOVE MAKING
IN THE WlGWAM.
Cupid ~ . Coppcr-Colored Imp-No 1cs-
Cream, No Croquet, No Cooling.
No kissing, No Nice
Little Quarrela.


No kissing, No Nice
Little Quarrela
(San Francisco CALI
A reporter asked Sarah Winnemucca how
Piute courtships were carried on. She be-
came interested at once and thus chattsd:
"When a girl reaches womanhood and her
family desire to indicate to the tribe that
their daughter has reached the marriage
able period, she makes her debut, as you say
in English, but the Piute girl comes out in an
entirely different way than that adopted by
her white sister. Just before she reaches
womanhood her grandmother has especial
charge OF her. To that old lady, whose
years are supposed to have brought wisdom,
the girl is given. She schools her in domes-
tic duties and explains to her the nature and
importance Of the wifely relation. The
girl then goes with two older fe-
male relatives in tepee, which is
small wigwam, where she remains
with them twenty-five days During this
time she performs work which is supposed
to be strengthening. 1t consists chiefly of
piling wood Three times day, at morn.
ing. noon and night, she stacks five piles OF
wood, making fifteen each day. Every five
o0yo hSI I0idtAouS b6k0 IlN0h W
bathe, and at the end of the time she gives
her clothing to her attendants and returns
to the family lodge. When the young girl
has spent twenty-five days in the tepee she
has made her debut into the society Of her
tribe, and that is considered as public an
nouncement that she is ready to AIRY.
~Of course pretty. shapely girl is in great
demand, just as belle is in your society.
A lpyalv Indian cyir ri IL of
in her circle as q great beauty is in a London
drawing-room. But oh, how different the
two kinds Of courtship are! We have no
parties in the wigwams to which young folks
go and get acquainted and court. The young
men and girls have no theatre to attend and
no long walks home after the play is over
They never go riding together nor strolling
through the woods along the river bank
They never idle together in the canoe on the
water, plucking lilies and flowers. Although
they seem to enjoy much greater liberty to
roam and wander whithersoever their fancy
may lead them, yet they are kept close as
prisoners.
"You may suppose that the girls and
young men would steal OF their lodges
of moonlight nights and lave clandestine
meetings and WOO in that way, but they
never dare to do it Indeed, they never
speak together A word never passes be-
tween them. But still a girl very soon
knows when young man is interested in
her. He tries to catch her attention by his
horsemanshIp or his skill with the bow or
his athletic accomplishments. He rides BY
her at = furious speed and returns again and
again In this way he attracts her attention
and informs her, although he does not speak
. word, that he loves her and would like to
marry her. But this does not comprise all
Of his courtship At night, when the In.
dians have retired to their wigwams and
are sleeping, the young man rises from
his bed Of leaves and skins and
goes to the lodge occupied by the girl he
loves. He enters silently and sits down be.
side her couch. A lodge is circular in
shape, and at night when the inmates 60 to
bed they heap brush wood and logs ON the
fire in the center Of the tent and then lie
down with their feet toward the fire and
their heads toward the outside or circumfer-
ence of the wigwam. The Indians sleep on
leaves and robes and are covered when Sleep
ing with skins As the young man enter.
the lodge he can see by the freight where
the young girl is sleeping and he goes di.
rectly to her side where, often stepping over
other sleepers, and sits down by her bed II
is customary for the young girl to sleep near
her grandmother, who is expected to rest
lightly after the girl has made her debut
As soon as she sees the young man enter she
wakens the girl, who rises and goes to
where her mother is sleeping and lies down
beside her. As soon as she does this the
young man rises and goes out as silently as
he came in.
"Not word is spoken. He does not touch