Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-09-20

Stated q mothers heirs are her children Her sheep are divided among her daugh- ters and her horses and ornaments among her sons. When a daughter dies her property goes to her mother, or if dead, to mothers sister, The property of a deceased son goes to his brother, that of a younger to the eldest, and vice versa. If he has no brothers, then to his mothers eldest brother or nearest of her male kin. The heirs of a married woman dying with ont children are her brothers. It is quite common for father who deems himself about to die to divide his property thus: Half to his children and the other half among his brothers and his mothers brothers. The eldest well-conductei brother and sister of the mother control these distributions, and loose women are debarred from inheritance and not infre- quently snch property as she may possess Is taken from woman who leads all abandoned life. Unfortunately, however, morality can not be placed as a prom inent virtue among the Navajos Poly gamy is very general. A lew men have four or five wives each, quite a number have three each, but two wives each may be said to be the polygamous custom. Probably about one-third of the male adults are polygamous. Girls are be- trothed at very early age and some are married while yet mere children; but the marriageable age may be set at from F to If years. The typical marriage be- tween two young persons is arranged by their families, the elder brother of the brides mother setting the value of the presents which the bridegrooms people must give the brides family, ranging fo "a brides family also make return presents, but not of course to the same amount as those received. The wedding Is very interesting ceremony, and marriage gives the husband no control over the wife's property.
 DREADED TABoOs.
 "A taboo lies between the brides moth CT and her son-in- law, and after the mar riage night they must never look each other in the face again. One of the so- cial taboOs Is that a man may not marry a woman of his own clan. A brother and sister may not touch each other after they have become grown, nor may they receive anything directly from each others hands. No person is permitted to tell his own name Hi public. Among the taboos which apply to all alike may be cited the follow 1Qg. 1ut IOTSSJS dDOuuI WIll Nllu tlT keys, but the Navajos must never taste of them, nor of fish, nor are they permit ted to handle or even look at them. Bears are numerous but except in self-defense they must never be killed, nor will d Ma vajo even touch a dressed bear skin. Neither will he kill a snake They deem 1t fatal to plant tree, and they abomin- ate swine-iesh as if they were devout i Jews. The wood of the hunting corrals and coals must never be used as fuel, nor will they touch food that has been pre- | pared on such fire. The house where a | person has died must never be entered again. For all of these customs curious mythologic reasons are assigned. Within | the last ten years, however, the younger people are gradually overcoming the tra- | ditional dread of taboo5."
 The agent concludes that the tribe Is in 1 a stage Of transition toward material progress. He reads lesson to the heath enjoying cl rehes when he cites the very meager effects which have been made to 'Christianize the Navaios, and says in con clusion: ''There is no doubt that they need enlightenment and that good mis- slonaFy work would greatly assist the work of civilization which is being done by the | Government, but 1t seems that the various denominations prefer to send their mls- sionaries and money abroad, while the American aborigine is left in total dark ness on the borders of the nineteenth cen tury civilization"