Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1900-12-13
Welded BY EATING.
ODD MARRIAGE CEREMONY OF THE
NAVAJO INDIANS.
A Pudding Instead of Ring Used to
Join the Happy Couple, Who Eat
With Their Fingers From the Same
Dish, Cooked by the Medicine Man.

n fuddinR instead OF n Ring Used to
Join the Happy Couple, Who Eat
With Their Fingers From the Same
Dish, Cooked by the Medicine Man.
This quaint story of wedding among
the Navajo Indians is related by a white
man now working as a missionary with
this tribe. The Navajo reservation takes
in a large strip of country in New Mexico
and Arizona, and the Indians number
nearly 10000. The missionary writes as
follows:
"A short time ago we were invited to
|" l.' ....cndance at a marriage ceremony
vi ole of the Navajo braves TO one Of
the fairest daughters of the reservation.
This ceremony was to be performed in
the true Indian custom about four miles
from Fort Defiance at about O'Clock in
the evening. We arrived at the desig-
mated hut at the appointed time, and a
tree was pointed out to US where we could
tie our horses. A considerable number
of Indians were already there The gov
ernment agent at Fort Defiance and the
blacksmith were also invited, and they
entered the hut q short time after we had
arrived.
The squaws were all busily engaged in
baking bread, frying meat and boiling
coffee, for all Navajo ceremonies must be
preceded by a sumptuous feast A good
meal must be eaten before the medicine
man can administer his holy medicine
We have often wished that we might
have phonograph here in order that we
might keep record of the clear and res
onant voices of the Navajoes. When they
have once started to sing with all their
might and main so that the beads of per-
splratlon trickle down their cheeks, they
offer sight that would put any stranger
on the run. Their howing far surpasses
than of pack of wolves
Fifty braves had gathered on this oc-
casion and two chiefs who put on great
many airs. The cause of the feeling of
superiority with these chiefs is that the
government has appointed them as judges
to settle all disputes and trivial differ
ences that may arise among the members
of the tribe. On account of this they
have the opinion that they possess g.
great deal of wisdom and must be re-
spected accordingly. One can readily inn
agine that these chiefs are the worst ras-
Gals among the Indians, except possibly
the medicine men.
Some of the braves became inpatient
when they were compelled to wait short
time for the supper and went outside to
roast sheep at their own expense over
a campfire. But we were all soon seated
about the table in the hut and enjoying
our supper immensely. After we had
partaken of the meal large earthen dish
was brought forth, and the medicine.
man, who then acted in the capacity OF
+ha L..
We ascertained from the Indians at our
side that this was to be the wedding cake.
While seated in the hut the approach Of
many horses could be heard These we
learned, were from the bridegroom as
pay to his father-in-law for his prospec-
tive bride.
After the pudding was we'll done, it
was placed in basket made for that
special purpose, and the medicine man,
carrying jug of water and the basket,
headed the procession of the bride and
her friends to a new hut, where the,
bridegroom stood in waiting for his fu
ture wife. We followed the procession
and entered the hut, where we were Civ
en- reserved seats at the side Of the medi--
cine man. He commanded the bride and
groom to be seated next each other
Then taking the jug, he poured water on
the hands of the bride and commanded
her to wash both hands of her future
husband. Thereupon the bridegroom
was commanded to do likewise to the
hands of his bride. This ceremony i'm
pressed us great deal, for it shows the
true mutual submission both husband
and wife must be willing to undergo.
after the hands of both had been
washed the wedding cake, or, rather,
pudding, was placed before the bridal
pair and after it had been covered with
holy powder the exact places where they
must eat from it with their fingers was
pointed out to them. Following the COM
mand, the young man put his right hand
into the pudding and began eating, the
bride followed his example and began to-
eat of the pudding where the impression
of her future husbands fingers were still
to be seen.
after the bridal pair had made the.
circuit of the entire dish, eating as they
went, the medicine man declared the GER
emony complete with the simple word
'kaddih,' and the couple stood before the
assembly as man and wife. 1t did ap-
pear to us as really odd to see a couple
WI lhc VI
ing. We wondered why this ceremony
was not accompanied by a song and ask
ed if that was the end of it, whereupon.
we received the simple affirmative Of
'ow.'
Bread and coffee were then brought to-
the party, and all began to eat for the
second time, to the honor of the bridal
pair. We also partook of the bread,
which really tasted good, but passed the
wedding pudding which was now given
to the party. The pudding looked tempt
ing and must have tasted good, judging
from the manner in which the Indian
guests reached for it.
This marriage ceremony is not infre-
Quent among the Indians, for they believe
in plural marriages, and some have a
number of wives. Very few white people
have witnessed the ceremony, however,
and possibly few would care to see it the
second time. Divorces are also just as
frequent among the Indians. This is an
evil against which we have to contend."-