Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-04-23

from his bed of leaves and skins and
goes to the lodge occupied by the girl
he loves. He enters silently and sits
down beside her couch. A lodge is cir
cular in shape, and at night, when the
inmates 90 to 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 towards
the outside OF circumference of the
wigwam. The Indians sleep on leaves
and robes, and are covered when Sleep
ing with skins. AS the young man en-
tiers the lodge he can see by the fire
light where the young girl is sleeping,
and he goes directly to her side, often
stepping over other sleepers, and sits
down by her bed. 1t is customary for
the young girl to sleep near her grand
mother, who is expected to rest lightly
after the girl has made her debut. AS
soon as she sees the young man enter
she awakens 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.
mot word is spoken. He does not
touch the girl, while he is sitting by
her as she sleeps. Her grandmother
does not speak word of encourage
ment 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 be is treated as an absolute
stranger by the girls relatives. They
may have entertained him before he be-
gan his attention to the girl; her broth
ers may have hunted with him and
shared the game with him, but, when
he once begins to WOO the girl, all IA
miliarity and friendship ceases. He is
never invited to eat of food prepared by
the family of the girl, and her brothers
never offer him anything on the hunt.
His presence is wholly ignored. If the
girl does not like him she tells her
grandmother, and when the young man
comes again at night, that good old
lady rises from her bed, takes a hand
full of hot ashes from the fire and throws
them in his face. That's the mitten.
If he persists in his attentions and con-
tinues to come again and again, tho
whole family unite in heaping indigni-
ties upon him, but the girl is never a
party to this. Her brothers and sisters,
and father and mother throw ashes up
on him, dowse him with water, fagel-
late him with stout switches and drive
him from the lodge. Sometimes an In
dian persists, in spite of such assaults,
and goes again and again to the tent
Juboro tho cri,,1 ic c1oo,ainn Sn1oatin1a &c
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.
If the family think it is a suitable match
the father invites the young man to the
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 if she loves the young man, and
tells her the duties Of q wife. If both
say they love each other, the two be-
come 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 prepar-
ed. The relatives of the girl and the
young man sit around a 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 hus-
band, and, as she hands it to him, he
seizes her wrist with his right hand and
takes the basket with his left. That is
the marriage ceremony. The girl S
father then pronounces them man and
wife, and they 60 to lodge, where
they live together
sit may seem to white people that
the Piute system of courtship is crude
and foolish; but it has a great many
pleasant features, and does not lack the
excitement, although it is unexpressed,
which attends that period of girl
life. San Francisco Call.