Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-01

.'N~ -. 80 -. eoVifnaIernal afTec-
ton upon estaphshed ways and Gus
toms were reduced 70 minimum by
the establishment of the motbar-in-,,,y
taboo. which gradually grew to a fixed
custom or law. What harm could an
irate mother-in-law do if she were alb
solutely prohibited from speaking to
her daughters husband? And. on the
other hand, what show would a man
have if left unprotected to the mercy: ot
three or four mothers in law. for poly-
gamy is commonly practiced in the
tribe 2s4-ssome such. LAY is an actual ma
cessity in primitive societies.
The complications brought about. .by
this iIarucular condtioQ, are manv and
various An accidental meetin sSr for
examplsds veryYa dtwafd for both. sAt
other Indians are present. frantic
warnings to hide himself are shouted
to- tlfe'rran, and if he is on horseback
he wiltshire out as if for his life. The
woman is warned and threatened. and,
lif possible. hurried off and concealed
behind rock or bush. If no way of
escape is possible, the man drops down
upon the ground, huddled up into as
small a space as possible, and, draw
ing his blanket over AS head, remains
thus hidden until the danger is past.
Should a woman who is a mOther-in-
law catch a glimpse at a distance of
her daughters husband she will dart
off to one side like a frightened rabbit
and crouch down behind some bush or
grovel on the ground while the man
passes by with his face turned away.
Even in those cases where for good
cause n separation between man and
wife has taken place the taboo still re-
mains in full effect. The position of
the man who has several wives and
has. perhaps, discarded two or three
not an unusual case =zand has, per-
haps, half a dozen rmothers- law,
who might crop out in the most I'M
expected places. is certainly not an
|enviable one. The boosted freedom of
the savage is to him cruel myth, for
be it remembered he most firmly be-
|lfeves that should he so much as look
upon the mother of one of his women
the results will be most disastrous to
him. - -
The sympathies of the people are
with the man, and every effort is
made to protect him from the baleful
influences arising from the proximity
of his mother-in-la Should he
visit a house where she is, although it
is her own. the woman must retire
when he is seen approaching, and
must remain outside and hidden I'M
til he leaves. No matter if the weather
be bitterly cold, no matter if the near
est neighbor be miles away, such is the
law, and such is the practice.
Some of the side effects, as it were,
of this custom are peculiar. The sill
yersmith of the tribe, a man of high
intelligence and leader among his
fellows, wealthy and wishing several
wives. apparently devoted much
thought to the problem. His business
brought him into contact with many
thousands of Indians, and he was I'M
willing to place himself in a position
where he might be compelled at any
to drop everything and run
for shelter. He solved the problem in
a way very satisfactory to him by mar
pying three sisters. ~"
Another method, even more peculiar,
is shocking to us, but to the Indian APP
pears not only proper but an easy So
luton of a perplexing problem. 1t isl
not at all uncommon for Navajo to
Il NOiIldI 'llCl uduSutCIs vi
he takes the mother, usually an
elderly woman. first, and the daughter |
next, although negotiations are car
ried on at the same time. By this ex-
pedent he obtains the woman he wants |
with no mother-in-law appendage.
In his eyes all women are to be |
cherished, not only from any chivalrous |
regard or the sex, but because the old |
children, and because all women, young |
and old, are weavers, and the we'll
known Navajo blankets, the. manufac-
ture of which is now a considerable in |
dustry, are made by the women. When |
a woman dies her man does not speak |
Of what she has done for him or the |
children she has borne him, but only |
that she was a good blanket weaver.
He mourns the loss of a valuable and |
machine. |
The Navajo women mature early and |
also fade early. Girls are usually sold
in marriage at IA or Is years of age,
but they are often reserved" when but |
or 10 years old by part payment. |
as civilization progresses,
no doubt, the sewing machine plan will
be introduced, and a man will be able
to pay for his wife in monthly INSTALL
ments.
On the Navajo reservation there are
few squaw ,men-white |
men who marry Indian women and
thereby attain certain rights in the
tribe In such cases the usual price Is
$50 paid in cash to the brothers and
uncles of the woman. and not in
horses, which constitutes the sole and
exclusive legal tender when the tram
saction is between Indians. Very much
higher prices than this are sometimes
realized In one instance a white
trader offered $500 in cash and goods
for a young woman-and grass wild
ow at that! The offer was declined.
Her people wanted $3.50, and had the
man not died at this point in the nego-
tiations, the sale would have been
made.
To the squaw men the mother-in-law
taboo is not a matter of firm belief, as
it is to the Indians-at least not at
first, but they are ready subscribers to
-, doctrine