Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-12

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her off triumphantiy, arrayed In a long
cotton gown. made of madras handker-
chiefs neatly put together, and OF giar-
| ing colors. At the bridegroom's tent a
second party, composed Of female rela-
tives and friends Of the groom, fell vio-
| lently on the party of young men, and
with cuffs. cudgeling, shrieks and
bowls. rescued the damsel from their
arms, and 10. they pounce upon her IKE
chicken hawks upon a dove, and IN
moment. a wink almost, the bride lay
painting on the ground, stript or
every thread. her soft flesh quivering
from unwonted thunpings, her raven
hair dishevelled and her soft black eyes
peering pleadingly from out their half
closed lids; her hands vainly try tocover
her nakedness. and the Jostilng, howi-
ing plob seems ready 10 tear her, Hno
from limb.
A blanket is tossed in the air by some
one, deity caught by a squaw and wrapt
about the little bride, who is then picked
up by several of them and tenderiy set
in her new home where she tlndS her fu-
ture master awaiting her. Together they
prepared two dishes o f food and partake
and they are united for better or worse
until such time as the husband sees nj TO
return her to her people. Should the
bride prove to be other than q virgin,
her parents must return the presents
given them by the son-ln-law and he may
return her.
Presents made for wives vary with the
beauty and accomplishments OF the girl,
from one 10 twenty ponies. At the wed
ding lust described the value OF the
young lady was ten ponies, which were
promptly exchanged for edibles, and
feasting and dancing kept up as long as
they lasted, in some cases continuing Tor
two or three weeks.
We made daily visits to their camp
during the rest of our stay and never
tired of the brilliant cOlorS, the many
NANCY ours, the sociable ponies. the I'M
kempt naked youngsters, with protuber-
ant stomachs and spindly legs. and
half dozen or SO pappooses,
strapped to boards and set up against
the shady side of the tents, chewing pa
tiently away at the dirty little square of
mosquito netting, stretched on little
hoop-like bows over their heads to keep
flies and dogs tongues out of their eyes.
Sometimes they would be knocked over
by some of the ours, intent on catching
a particularly lively flea, and they would
Law patiently and quietly without whim~
pering, until picked up. But take one
of them off the board, remove its swad
ding clothes. and for few moments it
enjoys the freedom. then howls vigor-
ously until returned to his beloved
board.
Strange, isn't it?
Makes me think of an old Massa-
chusetts farmer l saw blowing stone
pile, whom l couldn't convince that
there was better land further west,
! attempted few remarks on the EN-
blematic wedding ceremony typical of
the wife leaving all her old life and as
sociations behind her when entering
upon her new existence. and blending
her existence entirely into that of her
husband-but was discomposed by the
irreyerent remarks of my companion
and refrained.
We learned in talking with the traders
that all OF the Indians, young and old,
without regard to sex, received the COM
Portable sum of $3.50 per annum, paid in
quarterly installments by the United
States government. This money Is the
interest on the amounts received by the
government, from the sale of lands
formerly owned by the Usage Indians i'll
Kansas; in spite of the large annuities-
some Indians with large families draw
ing sixteen and eighteen hundred dollars
per year-the unused interest now in the
vaults at Washington, belonging to those
people, amounts to more than four hun
dred thousand dollars. Should their
present reservation be sold at dollar
and twenty-five cents per acre, and the
proceeds added to their present cash and
bonds, each individual, papoose or brave,
full blood or sixteenth, would be worth
fifty thousand dollars. \ buck with a
family OF ten-and there are many such
would be worth cool half million
dollars.
Should the other Indian tribes become
as wealthy, then might they well be
called the noble red men, for the al
mighty dollar Is patent TO nobility.
The OSages are a magnificently formed
race, hardy and intelligent, rigidly moral
and, oldest of all, strictly honest. Con-
to the utmost degree, they re-
fuse to change their habits of living or
clothing. and instill in the minds of their
young the same conservatism.
4 party of thirtyfour or thirty-five
young squaws and bucks, who had been
from three to ten years at Carlisle school
in Pennsylvania, were returned as civil
lied a few days before our visit, and
all but one half-witted boy. shed
their civilized garments, put on
and returned to their old way
of living.
They will never be civilized until they !
are taken to school from their mothers
breast, and kept there until grown, then i
sent to work amongst the whites. In
some such way the tribal relations can
be broken up, and then thew can be civil /
lied out of existence. As we slowly |
climbed the long hill on our homeward I
journey, we saw gaunt, dust-smeared /
Indian on the summit, near a fresh heap 4
Of stones, in the top of which he had al I
fixed tall slender staff. with red cot 1
ton kerchief fixed flag fashion on it; he /
was wailing and grooming dolefully; he 4
Us with deep-set eyes, and /
swung his bony arms to and fro in ~ /
parent ecstacy of greif; for six long days I
and nights he had been there without 4
food. no bed but a blanket, and with an
occasional sup OF water for refreshment,
lad kept up his almost perpetual CRY.
Wierd and unearthly IS the sound Of the
die OF TIE u tltS OF Tie UcCteiSt-'I dS tltF
ire recited to the clouds and hiiltops. the
russell foliage of autumn and the hay at
nosphere lend the air Of universal grief.
For all the fasting, lamentations. recita-
ions and songs. this professional
'mouruer' could crowd into eight days.
ne received pony from the relatives of
ne dead. As We passed out of sight,
olting over the rough roads, his cries /
pursued rs. like the wall Of a lost spirit,
searching the thin air for the home Of its
'athers. M c.