, 1885-03-28
HOW RED ROMEoS WOO
A PRINCESS TELLS OF LOVE MAKING
IN THE WlcwkM.


when "a girl reaches womanhood AMI 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 ave brought wisdom,
the girl Is given. She schools her in domss-
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 a tepee, which Is "A
small wigwam, where she romains
with them twenty-five days During this
time she performs work which Is supposed
TO DO strengthening. II consists chiefly of
piling wood Three times u day, at morn
ing. noon and night, she stacks five piles Of
wood, making fifteen each day. Every Eve
days her relations take her to the river to
battle, and at the end OF the time she gives
her clothing to her attendants and returns
TO the family lodge. When the young girl
paS spent twenty-five days in the tepee she
has made her debut into the society Of her
tribe, and that Is considered as a public an
nouncement that she is ready to marry.
"Of course a pretty. shapely girl Is In great
demand, just rs a belle IS in your society.
A lovely Indian girl Is as much sought after
in her circle as a great beauty is IN a London
drawing-room. But, oh. how different the
two kinds OF courtship arei We nave no
parties in the wigwams 10 which young folks
go and get acquainted and court. Tn young
men and girls have no theatre to attend and
no long walks homo after tho play is over.
They never go riding together nor s~trolling
through the woods along the river bank.
They never idle together in tho canoe on the
water, plucking lilies and flowers Although
they seem u enjoy much greater liberty to
roam and wander whithersoever their fancy
may lead them. vet they are kept close m
prisoner.
you may suppose that the girls and
young men would steal out of their lodges
OF moonlight nights and have clnndestine
meetings and WOO in that way, but they
mover dare TO do il. Indeed, they never
speak together. a word never passes be-
tween them. But still a girl very soon
knows when IA young man Is Interested Ia
her. He tries 10 catch her attention by his
horsemanship or his skill with the bow or
his athletic accomplishments. He rides by
her at a furious speed and returns again and
again In this way he attracts her attention
and informs her, although he does not speak
a word, that he loves her and would like to
marry her. But this does not comprise all
Of his courtship. At night, when tho In
hnNo lit 70 lutll WIZ LII anu
are sleeping, the young man rises from
his bed OF leaves and skins and
goes to tho lodge occupied by the girl he
loves. He enters silently and site down be-
side her couch. A lodge is circular in
shape, and at night when the inmates 90 10
bed they heap brushwood 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 enters
the lodge he can see by the freight where
tho young girl is sleeping and he goes di-
rectly TO her side where, often stepping over
other sleepers, and sits down by her bed IL
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 secs the young man enter shs
wakens the girl. who rises and goes To
whore hor mother is sleeping and lies down
beside her. As soon as she does this the
young man rises and goes out as silently ns
he came in.
@Not n word Is spoken. He does not touch
the girl while he IS sitting by her as sho
sleeps. Her grandmother does not speak a
word OF encouragement TO him., neither does
her mother Indicate that he is "a welcome
sutton. The next night he comes again, and
takes up his position beside the girl, and
keeps this up for a long time. During all
the time he is counting in this way, he Is
treated ms an absolute stranger by the girls
relations. They may have entertained him be-
fore he began his attention to the girl; her
brothers may have hunted with him and
shared the game with him, but when he once
begins to 700 tho girl all familiarity and
friendship ceases He Is mover invited 10
eat OF food prepared by the family Of the
girl, aud her bruthera never offer him any
thing on the hunt His presence is wholly
ignored. If the girl does not like him she
tells her grand mother, and when the young
man comes again ut night, that good old
lady rises from her bed, takes a handful Of
hot ashes from tho fire and throws them In
his face. That's the mitten.
at the girl likes him and Is willing 10
marry him, then she tells her grandmother,
who informs the girls father. II the family
think IL is a suitable match the father in
vites the young man to that tent and asks
him, in the presence of the girl. if he loves
her and will take good care OF her. Then
the father asks the girl IL she loves the
young man, and tells her the duties OF
q wife IL 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
uay ~ nAe1 lor the wedding. a great FEAST
is prepared. The relatives Of the girl and
the young man sit around a great campfire
together, the young man and girl sitting
side by side The food Il in the baskets. The
girl has carefully cooked q basket Of food
FOR her intended husband, and rs she hands
IL to him he selves 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 90 To a lodge. where they live to
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