The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-05-01
Flute Courtship.

Flute Courtship.
Sarah Winnemuca in San francisco Call
Piute courtship lacks freedom, and yet
it is not devoid Of that intense excitement
that attends love making the world over.
You may suppose that the girls and
young men would steal out OF their lolg-
e. moonlight nights and have olandes-
tine meetings and WOO in that way, but
they never dare to do it. Indeed,
they never spels together. A word
never passes BETWEEN them. But still
girl very soon knows when young man
ID interested in her. He tries to catch
her attention by his horsemanship, or his
skill with the bow, or his athletic ac-
complishments. He rides by her at
furious speed snd returns again and
again. In this way he attracts her atten-
ton, ahJ informs her, although he does
not speak q word, that he loves her and
would like TO marry her. But this does
not comprise all OF his courtship. At
fight when the Indians have retired to
their wigwsns and are sleeping, tho
young man rises from his bed of leaves
and skins and goes to the lodge occupied
by the girl lie loves. He enters silently
and sits down beside her couch. A lodge
is circular in shape, and at night when
the inmates 60 to bed they heap BRUSH
wood sud logs on the fire IN the center
of the teit; and then lie down with their
feet toward the fifa and their heads to-
ward the outside or circumference of tho
wigwam. The Indians sleep on leaves
and robes and are covered when sleeping
with skins. As the young man enters
the lbdge he can see by the freight
where the t6sing girl is sleeping and he
goes directly to hey side, often stepping
over other sleepers, and sits down by her
bed. It is customary for tho young girl
to sleep near her grandmother, who is
expected to rest lightly aftef 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
IL.
Not q word is spoken. He does not
touch the girl, while he is sitting by
her side as she sleeps. Her grand
mother does not speak word of en-
couragment to him, neither does her
fhcther indicate that he is Il welcome
suitor. The next night he comes again
and takes up his position beside the
girl, and keeps this up for long time.
During ill the time lie is counting in
this way he is treated as an. absolute
stranger by the girls relations. They
may have entertained him before he
begun his attention to the girl; her
brothers may haze hunted with him and
shared the game with him, but when he
once begins to WOO the girl all famil
iarity and friendship ceases. He is
never invited TO cat of food prepared by
the family of the girl, and her brothers
never offer him anything on tho hunt.
His presence is wholly ignored. If the
girl does not like him slie tells her
grandmother, and when the young man
comes again vt night, that good old lady
rises from her bed, takes q handful of
hot ashes from the fire and throws Them
in his face. That's the mitten. If he
persist in his attentions and continues
to come again AID again. tic whole
family unite in heaping indignities upon
him, but the girl is never party to
this. Her brothers and SISTERS anu
father sud mother throw ashes upon
him, dowse him with water, fagellate
him with stout switches and drive him
from the lodge. Sometimes an Indian
persiste, in spite of such assaults, and
goes again and again to the tent where
the girl is sleeping. Sometimes his
perseverance wins her heart but
not often.
If the girl likes him and is willing
to marry him, then she tells her grand
mother, who informs the girls father.
II the family think it is suitable
match the father invites the young man
TO the tent and asks him, in the presence
of the girl, Ii he lotcs and will take
good care of her. The1i the father asks
The girl is she loves the young man.
and tells her the duties of wife. II
both say they love each other, the two
become engaged, but even after that
they do not talk together, neither do
they go about together. A day is fixed
for the wedding. A great feast is
prepared. The relatives Of the girl and
the young man sit around great camp
fire together, the young man and the
girl sitting side by side. The food is in
baskets. The girl has carefully cooked
basket of food for her intended nus
band, and as she hands it to him lie
seizes her wrist with his right hand and
takes the basket with his left. That is
the marriage ceremony. The girls
father then pronounces them man and
wife, and they 60 to a lodge, where
thev live together.