The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-08-14
PsrTlcoAr RULE INDEED.
The Women Of Alaska Run Things Pref.
II Much rs They Please.

PETTlcOAT RULE INDEED.
Ths Women Of Alaska Run Things Pref
II Much rs They Please.
The Alaskan man, according to Kate
Fields Washington. never dares make Z
bargain without his wife's consent, be.
cause she is the better trader.
So clever are the women in prepar-
ing the fish and berries for the winter
collecting the roots. plating the mats
and baskets out of rushes. and weaving
the precious Chilkat blanket that they
are valuable members of society, thei,
judgment and opinions are respected,
and their advice is followed.
1t is the husband who collects the
wood and makes the fire, cleans the
fish, and constructs the wooden uten.
sis for the household.
When the Thlinket woman has com.
pany drop in unexpectedly to dinner,
Or makes"aafeast to pay off her social
Indebtedness, is it she who stands
heated and tired over the great fire
where the huge joints are roastinQi
Not at all. The husband cooks And
serves the meats.
When young and handsome woman
adds to her value by presenting her
husband with sons and daughters, does
she renounce her active outdoor life.
excitement of the fishing, the staining
and weaving of her mats and baskets.
or leaves the gathering of the winters
rations to the husband, while she de-
votes her valuable skill to GROOMING
lullabies and walking the house with
teething and screaming babiesp Not
in the least? Her baby is not the
spoiled tyrant of pampered civilization.
he is bound into his cradle and kept
there until he can walk. His mother
takes him out about once week for a
bath, puts him back in his cradle.
hangs him up on tree perches him
on a wall, or lays him down in some
out OF the way corner wherever it Is
most convenient and serenely pursues
the even tenor of her way as II he did
not exist, exactly as his father does.
Howling does not change baby's con-
dition, as he presently discovers, and
so there is little crying, and, in conse.
quence. babies are not such nuisances
az they are when permitted to have
wills OF their own before possessing
brains enough to guide those wills dis
creet1y.
The pride Of the Thlinket housewife
is in her mats of black, red, yellow
and blue, dyed and woven precisely as
her great-grandmother fashioned mats
before her. She weaves squatting up
on the ground, but she sews lying fiat
upon her stomach and leaning upon
her elbows. Doubtless there are few
round-shouldered women among them.
but how they manage to work under
such apparently adverse circumstances
is difficult to understand.
Their finest art in weaving is the
Chilkat blanket made by each woman,
assisted by her children if she has any,
of the wool of the mountain sheep.
in highly decorative art and worn on
ceremonial occasions only. A woman
working alQne occupies two months in
making 6ke Of these blankets and
works from eight to ten hours day.
The weaving and plating is neyer
commenced until the severity of the
weather drives the women indoors.
a little incident illustrative of the
absolute authority of these women is
told by captain who witnessed it al
Cape Cross. One of the chiefs acct
dentally prevented a woman in her
canoe from approaching tho ship.
whereupon she seized paddle and
struck him on the head so violently as
almost to disable him from defending
himself from the blows which followed.
This unequal combat continued half an
hour, IN spite Of the Captains firing I
gun over their heads to brighten them.
and finally this sweet child of nature
stepped into the mans canoe whipped
knife from her dress, and cut hel
victim once across the thigh, being
prevented from continuing her little
pleasantly only by the forcible inter
ference OF the captains men. During
the whole engagement not a mar
among tho natives dared interfere.
would be an interesting discussion fo1
the women's clubs-the reason of sucl
a state of submission to feminine con
troll, which is said to depend not upol
the virtues of the husbands, but be
cause Of the utility of the women, WIN
in all the industries OF the nation ar
equally skillful with the men.