The National tribune., 1903-08-20

walls to very great extent. This is not
considered a crime, and old women of the
tribe practice it. A widow may marry
again after a years mourning for her
first husband; but having children, no
man will take her for a wife and thus
burden himself with her children. Wild
ows generally cultivate a small piece of
ground, and their male friends or rela-
tives generally pillow the ground for them.
MARRIAGES.
Marriages among the Pimas are en-
tered into without ceremony, and are
never considered as binding. The lover
selects a friend, who goes with him to the
hut Of the girls parents and asks the
father to give his daughter to his
friend. If the parents are satisfied
and the girl makes no objection, the
latter at once accompanies her hus-
band to his hut and remains with him as
long as both feel satisfied with the COM
pact. If, however, the girl refuses, the
lover retires at once. and all negotiations
are at an end. Presents are seldom
given, unless a very old man desires a
young bride. Wives frequently leave
their husbands and the latter their wives.
This act of leaving is all that is necessary
TO separate them forever, and either party
is at liberty to marry someone else; only,
at the second marriage the assistance Of
a friend is dispensed with. Instances Of
fidelity and strong affection are known,
but many Of the wives do not hesitate to
surrender their charms to men other than
their husbands, which, though possibly
disagreeable to the husband, is not con-
sidered a crime by the tribe. Only the
worst of the women of the tribe cohabit
with the whites, but it is undeniable
that the number of such women is in
creasing from year to year. Although this
has caused great deal of disease in the
tribe, and disease is rapidly spreading, not
one of the chiefs or old men of the ma
ton appears to have thought it necessary
to raise warning voice or propose pun
ishment to the offenders; prostitutes are
looked upon as inevitable, and are by no
means treated with contempt or scorn by
the Pimas. Modesty is unknown both to
men and women. Their conversation,
even In presence Of children, is extremely
vulgar, and many Of the names of both
men and women are indecent and often
sive.
Generally several married couples, with
their children, live in one hut, and many
OF the men who can support more than
one wife, practice polygamy. The wife is
the slave Of the husband. She carries
wood and water, spins and weaves, has
the sole care of the children, and does all
the work in the field except blowing, SOW
ing and perhaps irrigating. 1t is the Pima
woman that, with patient, hard labor, win
nows the chaff from the wheat and then
carries the latter upon her head to the
store of the trader. where her husband
who has preceded her on horseback-sells
it, spending perhaps all the money re-
ceived for it in the purchase of articles in
tended only for his own use. Pima wom-
en- rarely ride on horseback. The husband
always travels mounted, while the wife
trudges along on foot. carrying her child
or heavily laden ki-ho ON her head and
| back.
WEAPONS AND WARFARE.
The only weapons used by the Pima
before the Introduction of firearms were
the bow and arrow and warclub. For de.
fenslye purposes they carried a round
shield, about two feet in diameter made
of rawhide, which, when thoroughly dry,
becomes so hard that an arrow, even if
sent by powerful enemy Mt a short dis.
lance, cannot penetrate it. These weapons
are stiR QS70-1S7D used by them to a
great extent, and, like all Indians, they
are good marksmen with the bow, shoot.
ing birds on the wing, rabbits on the run
and fishes while swimming in the shallow
waters of the ella River.
For hunting fish and small game they
use arrows without hard points, but the
arrows used in battle have sharp, two
edged points made OF flint, glass or iron
When going on scout against the Apache
Indians, their bitter foes, the Pimas fire.
quently dip the points of their arrows into
putrid meat, and it is said that q wound
caused by such an arrow will never heal
but keep on fostering, finally producing
death.
The war-club is made out of mesquite
wood, which is hard and heavy. 1t il
about 16 inches long, half being handle
and the other half the club proper With
it they strike the enemy on the head
This weapon is even now QS7Q-1S7I very
much used. for the Pimas rarely attack
their enemies in open daylight. They
usually surround the Apache raneheria q,
night, Some warriors placing themselves
near the doors of oil huts; then the terri
BILE war-cry is sounded, and when the sur
lprised Apaches crawl through the loMel