The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-09
WOMEN OF TUREESTlH.
What yeresfchagin. the Russian
Artist and Traveller. Says.
Life Among the Kirguis Tribes Of
Central Asiz-A Charming reung
Woman for $50 Hsrses-A Chief
Diseases Harriage-s.A Nisera-
able Law

he famous huSSku artlst anu tTaF-
eler. yasiili yerestchagin, are large
number OF reproductions of his
former works and albums Of sketches
in Turkesfan. which country IS be-
coming lnore connected with Europe
every day. Speaking OF Turkestan
recently. Mr.. yerestchagin said;
When you pass the Ural noun
tains. the frontier between Europe
and Asia, yoa enter upon the stsppes.
which in the spring are beautifully
green, covered with grass and flowers,
which in autumn are made quite
barren By the sun. Further on be-
gins the real desert, moving sands,
kept more or less together by the
only thing which grows in such
places, running bush or tree called
saksaui. which serves for burning
tcooking and eating purposesl as well
as To keep the sands in their place.
The steppes during the spring are
covered with the tents of the kirguls,
a very large collection of tribes occu-
pying the whole of Central Asia The
kirguis are a mixture of the MOugoi
and Turks and number few millions.
They are a very good-hesrted people
and are Mohammedans but not very
fanatic. The position Of the women
is not so bad a. the position OF the
women OF the settled population
(meaning the tribes residing perfna-
nently in the cities) OF Central Asia.
HOW THEY Buy WIVES.
Naturally, however, their position
Is not To be compared TO that OF Euro
pean women. The kirguis woman is
always bought from her parents by
her future husband. As q rule the
payments are made in cattle, as money
is scarce among these people.
"A charming and g0odnatured girl
can be purcha- ed for, say 100 horses.
10 or 20 camels and a few hundred
sheep, in addition 10 a large tent, some
cloth and some money. if the man has
any. Once the price of the girl is set
tied upon and one-half or one-thir of
the amount Is paid the future husband
can come to the tent of the girls
father, and j. even allowed to remain
there with her in the absence of the
giil's parents. but only for a short
time.
when the whole amount is paid
the husband can take his wife to his
own tent. There in that country. a
in Europe. it is not wise TO let the flu
ture husband take his wife without
getting from him all that he has prom
ised tn give for her.
Il remember a charming young
woman who was bought by her hus-
band for $50 horses As the husband
was very old and she was the third
wife, and moreover as she bore him
no children, she was beaten nearly
every day and finally came To me for
consolation. | have a sketch of her
in one of my albums, and YOU will see
that she is a most beautiful woman.
Unfortunately, could not change her
position, and / fear that if her hus-
band is not dead she is still beaten
every day.
A CHIEF DISCUSSES MARRIAGE.
The kirguis look on their women,
as learned from actual conversation
with Kirguis chief, who introduced
me to his young and pretty wife, as
having no other object in life than to
vie each with other wives in their eff
forts to please the head of the family.
''As the kirguis woman | refer to
was speaking of the fact that the tribe
moving to fresh pastur-
ages and showed her JOY at the pros
poets of change, | asked her if she
did not want TO go still further, and
would take her with me. far. far.
very far. She laughed and answered:
Not yet; but see that my husband
has the intention to take another wife
should he do so, then. yes will ask
won take Nor vary
far
Il said, all right; find it quite cor
rect
How correct ~ asked her hus-
band. Do you mean to say that your
custom to have only one woman is
better than ours, which is to have
many OF them .
Certainly answered.
But You do not understand, be
that when there are many
they get along much better. Every
one of them understands that If she
ceases to please me, or If she is capri
cious, | shall leave her tent and go 10
the tent of another wife and live with
the other wife. SO they strive one
against the other to be kind to me-
II did not approve OF this reasoning,
and | aid: in our opinion there Is
more in the woman than
her person. Our women 1 added.
are un.'ed 10 their husbands not only
by the body, bat by the mind, heart
and soul
What . he exclaimed. But il my
wife by accident should lose an eve
and be blind in one eve for lie? Do
You mean to say that / must remain
with her for the rest of my lifei'
" Certainly | answered.
Then the kiFguis chief spat in dis
gust on the floor OF the tent. and ex-
claimed: What miserable law"