The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-06-26
INDIAN MARRIAGES.
The Matrimonial 0Gestson Is q Trouble
some One to the Red hiea.


some One to the Red aien.
once asked the Pimas how they man
aged this question, says a writer in
Kate Fields Washington, and the old
men said IT had given them more trouble
than anything else, So that finally they
had dropped the whole business and let
the young people mate TO suit them
selves; if they loved one another they
remained together. if they did not, they
swaPped and that plan seemed TO work
better than any they had tried.
] had a case among the FiInas once
which required judicial decision and put
all my ability 20 the test
The wife of the chief came To my
headquarters, accompanied by a small
army of Amazons. 70 inquire what the
law was among the white people about
the everlasting question Of matrimony.
told her the American law allowed
man to have only one wife. She Then
said that Antonio had brought another
woman into the house, and wanted 70
know what l was going TO do about it.
Now, interfering between even an in
dian man and wife is no fun, so the
court took the ease under advisemcnt.
FinallyI asked her il the other woman
was as strong as she NO" she replied,
''she is a little squaw-"
had some Mexican chicotcs-horse-
whips-plaitcd OF rawhide, gave her
one of these and told her to 90 home
and whip the other woman like sixty,
The advice worked To a charm and the
encounter between the two women ter
minated the matrimonial entanglement
The great chief Of the Nojavcs, Ire
teba. had shown John Moss q gold mine
IN the Fl Dorado canyon; Moss sold IL
IN san Francisco for several thousand
dollars, and out Of gratitude offered TO
take the chief TO Washington; 50 they
had n grand tour ia the Atlantic states
Thinking it would please the Indians. /
had Ireteba's photograph taken, i'm
Perial size, and placed il iu the agency
on the Colorado river Tor the Indians to
see. But they failed to appreciate the
fne arts, and after looking at the photo
graph would go away without saying
good-by. 1 called up my Interpreter
Jose Cabezon. and asked him:
Jose, what j. the matter with the
Indians. that makes them so sullly2''
They are angry" he answered
They think the americans have killed
Ireteba and that that picture is his
ghost"
..Oh. no, s. replied, 'Ireteba is alive
and VIII return You tell the Indians l
viii stay here among them tin he comes
back"
When Ireteba returned he was
dressed in a major generals uniform,
with dashing sword and epaulets rs
big as a saucepan. He came TO the
agency in a furious passion.
Captain" he exclaimed, Il want TO
make a speech"
''All right responded l knew he
had been 10 Washington and caught the
contagion. 50 | fixed a dry goods box
with q rcd blanket cn Il for q r1atgum,
and he harangucd the audience for an
hour or two IA t-uc Indian fashion
Jose interpreted il 70 me, and the sub
stance OF it was that the Indians had
come To the agency during his absence,
and. !lavinr seen his ghost" concluded
he was dead aad prosecuted 10 divide
out his wives. horses and other personal
property among them.
Here was q serious case, involving
war, for which was partly response
bic: that Is / had raised the ghost,
and IL required diplomacy to lay It
again
/ inquired II they had not left him
any wife at all?
lie replied: Yes, one young one.
The only reason that she was not di-
vidcd out was that she had ran away
to her people among The Hualapais-"
told him 10 hold on a few days and
I'd send for her.
l sent ont 4 few friendly Hualapais
ont with horses 10 bring her in. She
turned ont to be a remarks bly, bright
little squaw, and brought with her a
fine little boy about five years old. To
make a long story short, l settled this
matrimonial difficulty by giving her all
the calico. beads and other goods which
would have gone to the harem if it had
not been dispersed, and dressing her
boy in uniform. The family lived happy
ever aftcr-ward. for al that ] know
The Apacles have not much of mar
riagc ceremony except n process OF bar
ter, and divorce among them involves
the cutting of OF the unfaithful WON
ans nose