Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-27

THE UTE MARRIAGE DANCE.
when Indian Maidens ofrcr Love Potions
and Choose Their Husbands.
AN INTERESTING ePRINa-rME cxRrMox1-
HUNTING IN THE WOODS FOR "LovE" WEED
EvERr YEAR LEAP rEAR-nARRIAoE TIES
THAT ARE NOT VERY BINDING.
NOT ONLY DOES THE OLD FAMILIAR
quotation, ''In the spring the young mans
fancy lightly turns to thoughts Of love- apply 10
the youths Of the Caucasian race. but also to
our red brothers-the Indians. Their manner
OF avowing this love NAV be out Of the regnla-
ton manner OF the white man. vet no doubt 1,
Is as sincere according to their standard Of the
moral obligations, and it invariably leads to the
matrimonial altar.
The Utes have some very interesting customs
Tor Facilitating matrimony. They believe in
much marrying and giving in marriage" and
quite often the maidens marry for the wealth Of
PONIES, blankets or government income of the
suitor, Just like their white sisters.
One OF the customs peculiar TO the Ute tribe
Is called the tea dance" In the spring, when
nature is beginning 20 don her new apparel aud
the leaf bud is just opening. the maiden
wnnders up and down the Utah prairie and hill
In search Of the sweet-smelling herb that. COM
ing at this time of the year, called the "love
season, bears name which, translated, means
| "love weed"
Their search reminds one 81 school aavs whom
I'VE girls" hunted so anXiously for the four
leaf clover. Up and down the prairie bv the
brookside, between the rocks, never a nook or
Granny but is searched over in Quest Of the
precious herb. Having found a sufficient
ycha tfrhs No.. l.ls l..
shawl around her and with joyful face and
feet as feet as the deer of her own beloved
mountains, she returns TO her wick-i-up.
LOVE pR,uaHr.
Did not Rebecca give Isaac TO drink and he
loved herI Why should not our copper-sklnned
sister. through instinct il not knowledge. give
her chosen love draught 70 effect a like result?
| She delivers her treasure 20 the old squaws
who by its power. aided BY their incantations,
have won many husbands. and confident in their
matchmaking ability, the maidens leave all to
| them.
All the familiar haunts OF the youchs are de-
| serted for a few days. No more merry bare
| back broncho races or wrestlings or dancing and
| singing around the brush fires. The girls are
| busy preparing new dresses and ornaments.
| Some have buckskin dresses with woke and
sleeves beaded in beautiful figures. all fringed
and belled from neck to ankle so that ''she
| makes music wherever she goes" Others buy
| bright calico and promise some white squaw'
heap lot fish" for the making. One dress re-
quires only an hours work. as il is all one
piece, shirt-like, with an opening in the top
large enough TO admit the head The sleeves
are straight pieces open TO the shoulder. and
often revealing arms worthy OF q sculptor :
chsel. They wash and perfume their bodies
with some native herb or cheap perfume OBJ
| tanned from the trader. and their work of
preparation is done. The boys, where arc they?
Waiting for the girls.
| CALLED TO THE MARRIAGE DANCE
The seventh night of the new moon after the
love weed is found an immense homemade
drum calls the youth OF both sexes to the mar
riage hall. This drum was formerly the section
| of hollow tree with deer skin stretched
tightly over it. Now an empty cheese box COW
cred with light skin takes it's place. The hall
| itself Is some large new wick-i-up not made OF
| deer skin dressed and whitehead" but of heavy
white ducking. Ii is brightly lighted by the
moon and stars shining through the omen door
way, and by the large fire in the middle of the
wick-i-up, over which is brewing the 'love tea -
/ No chaperons are needed here. SO the elders 20
| outside and proceed with the music On.
Music hath charms TO soothe the savage
| breast" not only when threatened with war,
I but when Cupid is dangerously near. and the
clamor these musicians produce is perhaps bet
/ ter appreciated by them than it would be by
most of us. The principal instrument is a large
box Slated with tin. over which is fastened the
deer skin. Against this the Indian musicians
| place their fddles, consisting of a stick Of
pinion wood having saw-like indentations in
one side, this rubbed with a smaller cir
cular piece of like wood. grating and
buZzing noise is produced, but no discord
is made and most perfect time is kept.
! They chant or sing in time with this
music, but no one has ever been able to obtain
the words of the song. Ask an Indian who un-
derstands interpreting the councils, docs your
song mean this or that and if he is gracious
enough to answer at all. he will saw "Mavise'
tmaybc sol, or. Yes, all bout same" Musicians
have attempted to gain the air. but when il is
played on the piano or organ il is not distin-
! gCishable.
| Have anv of you ever heard a charivari in
some old-fashioned country place? The horns,
bells. rafting Of and pans, though more
discordsnt. are almost "a pleasant this Indian
| dance music.
THE YOUNG BRAVES.
Around one side of the great circular wick-i-
up sit the Young men of the tribe in all the
glory of new shirts, leggins. gee strings and
/ beautifully beaded moccasins. Their faces are
/ painted i'll various rainbow tints-obtained from
the usual source. the traders store-their hair
braided and perfumed with the same precious
/ liquid that the maideas like and ornamented
with feathers drawn from tail or wings of hawk
eagle or rooster and colored with like paint
/ tnat DedallDs their own skin and hair. Their
neck and body-often down to the waist-and
arms are covered with jewelry Of native ma
! terial or of bear teeth. shells or wampum
! The braves seem TO be gazing into space
| through the wreaths of cigarette and campfire
smoke. yet they the warm love drink and
the crescent of pretty girls opposite them.
clothed in their charming gowns made after no
Partisan stsle, vet in a tantalizing fashion
which half conceals and half reveals" the
bracelet-decked arm, the plump ornamented
neck and the round figure and slender waist
/ The skirt is short enough to show to advan-
tage the shapely little foot encased in a beaded
moccasin, the trim ankle above il. and often
times dainty bit of brown skim as stock kings are
not fashionable with them. They have their
| faces and finger tips painted with q single
| color-red. This red dive was formerly and
can still be. obtained from a sand stone found
there. which. when placed in water, soon colors il
a beautiful cardinal. II is less work now to ask
''ungumonish" (the storekeeper) to furnish
such a necessity. The red on cheek. chin and
forehead is SO slight that it beauties and does
not disfigure. while that on the fingers serves
to call attention to a small hand, with tapering
fingers and filbert-shaped nails.
| MAIDEN's PRIVILEGE.
With these western beauties every year NAV
be a leap year, and the maiden who has long
admired at a distance some ithe-lmbed, fleet