The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-05
INDIAN WEDDING, OSAGE GUS
 TOM.
The Green-Corn Dance-Nuptials of
 Paul Red Eagle and Ida Strike

| 1ue GIeeH-COTn DaHC6-NuptlalS or
 Paul Red Eagle and Ida Strike 1 Axe.
 1 For week the Pawnee and Otoe h. dians have been visiting the Osage tribe on their reservation in the north eastern corner of the territory and a grandh green-corn dance and dog feast has been in progress. The great fea- ture of the encampment, however, was an old-time Indian wedding, celebrated according to Osage usages and customs, probably the most novel, brilliant, ex- citing and entertaining wedding cere- monies that it has ever been the lot of man to witness. The contracting par ties were Paul Red Eagle and Ida Strike-Axe, full-blooded members of the Osage tribe, who are the richest people on the face of the earth, every member of the tribe being worth twen ty-five hundred dollars in cash in addi- ton to hundreds of acres of fine land, and the ceremony represented all tn pomp, splendor and dignity character istic of the tribe
 | As is the custom, contract was re- gently made between the friends and parents of the bride and the friends and parents of the groom, calling for so many horses for the hand of the bride.
 In this case the stipulation called for forty of the finest ponies in the tribal reservation. All this occurs without the knowledge or consent of the two to l be welded, ard not until the wedding day did the b~fde know whom the
 groom was to be, or the groom know
 what maiden of the tribe was to be his bride.
 Four o'clock in the afternoon was tn
 hour for the ceremony, and at the ap- pointed time six young men, intimate friends Of the groom, appeared, accom- i panied by as many young and active squaws all prepared for a race. The young men lined up side by side, while to the front some thirty steps the i squaws were standing in line. At
 distance of two hundred and fifty yards to the northeast and near he WlgWam. the bride appeared on horse- back, handsomely and gorgeously dec 1 orated with all the f1nery end para ] phernalia known to the red men, and the horse, the finest to be found in the i tribes herds was literally covered with gay trappings, making an impos- ! ing spectacle. In the rear of the bride appeared her mother, also mounted, and logged out second only to the bride. | When the mother and daughter got within one hundred and fifty yards of the waiting line of young bucks and
 squaws they halted. and at the report | of the rifle of the father of the bride they made wild dash for her. The first brave to reach the bride and touch
 her hand receives the horse she is seat ed upon, and Edward Chouteau, an ed ucated young Indian, won the race and | secured the fine animal upon which she rode. Desha White Spear, the first
 squaw to reach the bride, became the 1 owner of the beautiful bridal robe and
 will put it away for her own wedding ! day. when it will again be contested for by racing maidens The race over, the great robes wrapped about the bride
 were spread upon the ground and she dismounted upon the center of them and was immediately seized by a score ] of squaws and carried to the wigwam ] of the groom, which, in this instance, proved to be large farmhouse.
 1 The bride was carried into the house and seated at large table loaded with food, which in quality would have done credit to any wedding feast of civiliza- | preparations for many a great ban quet. The bride once seated 1nd sur rounded by her maids, the groom ap- peared and seated himself by her side, and when young Red Eagle appeared on this occasion the bride, contrary to all precedents, gave him a winning smile and he kissed her. The bride and groom ate out of one dish. and all the relatives, friends and neighbors crowd ed about the table and ate of the feast | in their usual manner, while great
 loads of good things to eat were carried
 out and distributed to the members of
 the visiting tribes, the feast lasting un- ; til far into the night.
 1 In accordance with the custom of the
 tribe, the young groom now becomes ! the head of the house for the entire l family of the bride. The father, in re-