The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-25
MARRIAGE BY FORCE.
Indians Of TERRA del Fuego Take
Advantage of Their Strength.

Advantage of Their Strength.
DR.. Frederick A. Cook tells Of a little
known race Of abcrlgines in an article
in the Century Magazine for March on
1.-THE Giant Indians of TERRA del Flu
ego whom he visited on the Belgian
Antarctic expedition. Of their marriage
customs he writes:
Marriage, like almost everything Ona,
Is not fixed b. established rules. 1t is
arranged and rearranged frem time to
time u SUIT thS CoRVenience Of the con
tracing parties. Women generally have
very little to say shout IT. The bar
gain is made a1mest solely by the men,
and physical force d the princ4Res bend
Of union. For ages the strongest bucks
have been accustomed to steal women
from neighbering trfbes, and frem the
neighboring clans of their own tribe.
The Onas, being by far the most pow
erful Indians, have thus been able to
capture and retain liberal supply Of
wives. A missionary who has been in
constant contact with these Indians for
thirty years, has given it as his epin-
lon that a plurality of wives is entirely
satisfactory to their peculiar emotions
and habits Of life.
The relation to one another OF the
common in the family wiswam is of
novel interest. As rule they are ne
more jealous than are the children in
a civilized heFDe circle. The principal
reason of this is that the wives are
often sisters. A young man takes, By
force, by mutual agTeesnsnt, or by bar
ter, the oldest daughter of a family. II
he proves himself a good hunter and
kind husband, the wife persuades heE
sister to join the wigwsm and share
her husbands affections. Frequently,
when a girl is left an orphan, she is
taken into a family and trained TO be-
come the supplementary wife Of her
benefactor in after years. In the hut
each wife has her own assigned posi-
ton, always resting IN exactly the same
spot, with an of her belongings about
her. The wealth of the hSusehOfd is
not common to all of the occupants.
Each women has her own Basket Of
meat fTagnJents or shell fish, her own
bag with implements, nesGss, siaews
and bits of fur, and each VIE has her
own assenobsase of children.
The work Of the man IS strictly limit
ed 20 the chase. He carries his bow
and CULVER of arrows, and his eye 10
ever On the horizon for CANA but he
seldom st90pS TO anything ike manual
laser shat is not connected with the ar
toal Necessities of the chase He kills
the game, bnt the wife must carry il
into camp. In moving, fhe women take
up all of their earthly possessions, pack
them into a huge rSA. ans with this
firmly strapped across their backs, they
fellew the unencumbered lead Of their
brave husbands. Thus the women car
y. day AFTER day, not only al tbs
Household furniture, BIT the children
and peroable portions Of the house. The
WeEaen certainly have all the uniIIJeT-
estfng detail and the drudgery Of lie
hezped upon them, but they seem to
e81sV IT. In defense Of the men il
should be said that they are worthy
huESan&s. They will fight 6sreely to
rk'osSct their hsnlss and they VIII guard
the honor OF their women with their
own blood It is & crying sin Of the ad-
vance Of Christian civilization that this
red man Of the fer south Should be
compelled TO lag down his life at the
feet Of the heartless pale-faced invad-
ers to shield the honor OF his home.