Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-03-31
CURIOUS INDIAN CUSTOMS

neck or shoulder. The father, when
he returns from hunting, brings it
strange seeds to play with. fondles it,
and makes it necklaces OF other orna-
ments. Only once have I seen Indians
mingling in the games of their chill
drsl Indiana rarely, # ever, ill-treat
their offspring, Of whatever age they
may be. As soon as the children can
run about, they aye left almost to them
selves, or, rather, they begin to mimic
their parents. As with the adults, so
with the: children: Just asthe grown
up women work necessarily, while the
mep, alternately idle Or hunt, 50. the
boys run wild, playing; not such con-
certed games as in other parts Of the
world; more usually form child's play,
but only with mimic bows and arrows;
but the. girls, as soon as, they can, walk,
begin foEhelp the golder.sWemen. Even
the youngest girl can peel q few cassa-
va roots, watch pot on the fire, or
collect and carry home some sticks of
firewood. , The games OF the boy are
all such IS train him to fish and hunt
when he groWss up; the girl = oecupa-
tion teach her woman's work. e u
After by no means unhappy child
hood comes the age for marrying.
The young men choose their. wives.
Boys and girls are often betrothed at
a very early age; and the boy. or young
man brings tAe game that hes shoots.
and such other presents as he can OBJ
tain, to the girl. But when the proper
age o. marriage: comes, the youth is
free tochoose-his wife, and need not
necessarily take the girl to whom he
was .betrothed. Strangely enough, if
he, deserts his first love, he. as & mat:
ter of course, areclaims from her all the
durable presents, such as beads and
other ornaments, which he has given
her, But before he is allowed to
choose at all, he must prove that he is
man and can do mans work.
Without flinching, he suffers the intlic-
zion OF wounds in his flesh, or he al
lows himself to be sewn upzin 70 ham,
mock funo1 fre-ants; or By some 9TH
Or similar test he shows bis courage.
And he clears a space in the forest, to
be planted with cassava, and brings in
as much game and fish as possible, to
show that he is able to support himself
and others.
Unfortunately, the nature of the
bargain for wife is another obscure
point. 1t is certainly, sometimes, if
not always, by purchase from the
parents. l was once offered a wife in
this way, and that it was an exorbitant-
ly high price was the probably owing
to the fact that was rich in such
wealthas IN Indian oovets. The price
asked was two guns, two cutlasses, an
axe, i two ;razors, some knives, and a
piece Of blue cloth called salemporas
for her father, aud twelve lunches of
beads for the daughter. Sometimes,
again. a girl is given away by her
parents to q man in recOmpense for
some, service done. The marriage
fsonee arranged, sthe husband imme-
fdiately transports hts possession to the
house of his father-in-law, and there he
lives and works. The head of the
family, for whom he is bound to work,
and whom he obeys, is not his
own father, but his wife's. A complete
final separation between husband and
wife may be made at the will of the
former at any time before the birth Of
children; after that if the husband goes
sway y AZ very rarely happens, it is
B sidered not lawful separation.y but
assertion.
On one occasion a marriage took
place among the people of the Macusi
Ynlags M EhichS1 g9as living. The
old fsthdrH yefya oonservative of the
customs IF lis tribe, refused to allow
his daughter to be married at al,
unless her husband would take her
with the old orthodox Macusi cere-
~mony. A few square yards OF the
Isavannahf we're cleared 81 grass. and
stones. Over tffa mats made Of the
parallel strips of the eta palm were
spread. When al was ready the bride
and the b1idegroomc were placed Il the
clearing, round which the whole
population of the village gathered;
and the marriage was then and there
carried dnt: = :.
IN some tribes the man for some
time before marriage abstains from
meat. Once, during san- expedition,
fN8 were for some .daYg entirely with
out-provisions except q little venison;
but one of my companions, who
Intended to- take-a wife assso0n as the
expedition Wis s6veh srstased to take
his share of the meat. and went with
out food rather than break through the
restrictions Sateiledppen him. BY his
c6ukinG marfi1G& L. = ~ - & :,
The life of almost constant exposure
which Indians lead, acting on very
weaka copstitat iQnsegk kills them at an
early fage,S generally ~ ~dysentery or
consumption. And even when one
does live longer, life can hardly be en-
joyable to them, for pewerlesseld age
meets no with no respect. sWhen- old
and past work they are indeed allowed
to remain in their hammocks in the
houses which once, perhaps, belonged
to them, and are fed by the Younger
relatives in q rough and rrd@ ng man
ner;abH na fer1bes cGesor kihdness is
shot 10 4ep! & 4 s
WAea d2ti comes elher Is the old
or to tie young, the survivors, except
in rare Instances, show but very few
outward signs of grief. More than
once have seen an Indian die-hus-
band rwifs, o. sOn->kA sometimes I'M
sdcr, ffe NEST p4nhlS and distressing
circumstances, but the surviving wife,
husband, or parent, apparently almost
unaffected within Z few hours resumed
his Oh her usual habits and cheerfulness.
Yat In6ians hoinu an axcoe1in u1v rot.