The representative., 1901-01-03
HIGH PRICED BRIDES.

1t Costs = Fortune to Marry. Chicka-
saw SQuaws.
The man-buck or paleface-who
wants to marry a squaw of the Chicka-
saws will have to pay $1,000 'fof the
license-so orders the council of the
tribe. The price seems high to people
in Washington, but 1t is all right, once
the facts are known. For a long time
there has been a disgraceful traffic in
brides among the Chickasaws, Kiowns,
Comanches, Apaches and Creeks of this
territory. Beautiful young squaws have
been placed upon the auction block and
knocked down to the highest bidder. Of
tentimes they thus become the unwilling
brides Of worthless husbands. The
barbarous custom has drawn many white
adventures, attracted merely by pc
cuniary gain, for many of the squaws
have headlight worth $4,000 or more.
The consideration for a bride is usually
ponies valued at about $40 each. At
a sale last January pretty member of
the Usage tribe was sold for 283 ponies.
$3.50. The white men usually make ar
rangements with the father of the girl
to pay trivial sum down and to pay
the remainder of the price for the bride
in labor.
The new high marriage license act
does not prohibit the mixing of races,
but the white man, in order to secure
tribal citizenship, NUT pay $1,000 for
the privilege. In all other. respects the
Chickasaws are highly civilized, and
many of their women are happily mar
ried to white men who wooed them for
themselves alone.
Quanah Parker, chief of the Conan
ches, is a pronounced polygamist, he be-
ing credited with no less than eight
wives, purchased at the auction mart.
came smitten with the charms of Too
nocy, an unusually attractive and we'll
educated maiden. The father strongly
favored Parker's suit. The girls wishes
"Ci z AOC SOASuItCO. OAC az COmA0Au-
ed, however, to encourage the young
warriors advances. There was brisk
competition at the sale, at which Too
nocey's father officiated as auctioneer
rival. His first bid when the auctioneer
cried: How much am 1 bid for the
pretty squaw?" was so ponies. Parker
raised him SO more. Few Tails prompt
ly followed with the offer of 250. Then
they began to raise each other by small
numbers, until Parker finally squelched
his rival by bidding 500 ponies, which
was more than he possessed and quite
out of Few Tails reach. Parker satis-
fed the girls father that he would make
good the deficit, and Too-nocey became
his first bride. He worked long and
faithfully to pay for his wife, and was
soon made chief of his tribe, since when
he has been industriously adding to his
harem.
The Osages do not let bride go on
"stand-off." The consideration must
be forthcoming at once. The weddings
of this tribe are gay affairs. A num-
ber of bucks race for the brides pony,
and maiden squaws compete in the same
way for her robe. During the festivi-
ties the bride, elaborately gowned in
white robe of buckskin covered with silk
and adorned with many ornamentations,
including costly diamonds, emerges
from her wigwam. During the race
for her pony the brides mother divests
her of her beautiful wedding presents,
leaving her clad only in a nightrobe.
Then the bridegroom runs from his wig
warm, throws his blanket around her and
carries her off to his happy home No
word is spoken throughout the cere-
mony After the wedding the guests
assemble in another part of the town
and feast on boiled dog, fried dog, can
ned dog, and dog soup.-Washington
Times.