Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-11-01
THE MOTHER-IN-LAW
HER STRANGE POSITION AMONG MANY
OF The WORLDS PEOPLES.

ted 40 speak to Nor Look Upon the
Husband OF Her Dauxhter-Theorie.
About Thss Queer Custom.
Among the Arawaks OF South Ameri
ca II Is unlawful for a young man TO
see the face OF his mother-in-law. II
they live In the same house n partition
must be set up between them. II they
go In the same boat she has TO step in
first. so as TO keep her back turned ON
him. Rochefort says: Among the Ca
ribs all the women talk with whom
they Will. but the husband dare not
converse with his wife's relatives ex-
cept on extraordinary occasions"
In many parts OF Australia a woman
VIII not look at her daughters husband
at all hazards. She hides whenever he
comes near her. going out of her way
to avoid him. and IL IT is impossible she
hides her face with her cloak. She
would not mention his name for any
thing In the world. The Kaffir woman
hides behind bush and holds n shield
10 her SAGE. She would far rather
speak TO stranger than TO her son-in-
law.
FRANKLIN, who gave much time TO the
studies OF the North American Indian.
assures us II is considered extremely
improper for woman TO speak TO her
sOn-in-law. and when she has any i'm
portant communication to make IL Is
considered proper for her 20 turn her
back on him and speak 10y means OF a
third person. The same law holds good
among the Sioux and Dakotas. and IL
violated the offender is punished by
having his garments torn from his
back and thrown away. With the Oma-
has neither the father nor mother has
anything 10 DO with the son-in-law
nor he with them. They will not look
at one another or speak his name.
In his travels 20 Timhuctoo Caillies
narrates that from the moment Of be-
trothal the lover is careful not TO see
the father and mother OF the bride.
They avoid each other all the time. He
says, Il tried in vain TO discover the
origin Of the whimsical custom. but
the only answer l could obtain was. 1t
is our way"
This custom extends beyond the re-
lations. If the lover is OF a different
camp he avoids all the inhabitants Of
the womcn's camp. except few init
mate friends whom he is permitted 10
visit \ little tent is generally set ND
for the son-in-law. and when he is
obliged to cross the camp he covers his
face. This custom exists among In
dian tribes and extends far beyond.
In the tribes OF New South Wales the
young man. when counting girl.
avoids her mother rs much as he can
and grows more distant after he is
married. With some Victorian tribes
the estrangcment is even greater-the
mother and aunt as well may not look
at the young man MOI speak TO him
from hetrothal to- death When they
speak before each other they have To
use turn language. Under no con-
dition would the young man dare 10
speak 10 his wife'S mother
Alaclean. who studied this custom
among the ZuluS OF Africa. says a
daughter-in-law must cut herself off
from her husbands relatives She is
not allowed even 10 pronounce their
names mentally. This statement shows
that in some Countries the girl must
ignore her husbands relatives as much
as he does her mother. hut this is less
frequent
In Asia among the MOngols and the
Calmucks woman dare not speak to
her father-in-law nor sit down in his
presence. Uallas in an interesting
work on the Ostiaks OF Siberia declares
that a young married woman avoids
her father-in-law whenever she can,
especially during the early years OF her
married life. In the meanwhile the
husband Is not expected TO see any
thing OF his mothcr-in-hw. II he
smectS ner 10y chance he hides.
In China, after the wedding day, n
man never sees the face OF his daugh-
ter-in-law. \ similar custom exists in
Borneo and the Fiji islands.
Some people consider il absolutely
criminal FOR a young man even 10 give
n stray glance To his mother-in-law
however good looking she is. They
say that they must not look on her
lest they 90 mad. 1t is the fashion
with some tribes in central Africa to
sit with bent knees in their presence
and not To put their feet out. 4 KOngO
proverb states: My mOther-in-law is
angry with me, but what do care?
We do not eat from the same dish"
Some men will speak 10 their mothers
by marriage. but will not call them
by name. This is true Of the people
of the Torres strait.
Many more Instances might be men
toned, but these are enough TO show
that the position of the mother-in-law
among many peoples is strange. The
cause for it is not positively known.
Sir John Lubbock feels that its origin
seized his wife. This aroused the in
dignatiOn of the girls parents, who re-
scented his doingS by treating him with
great ScOrn. Gradually this capture
was only make believe. but the moth
er-in-law still shows her diSapprOval
by having nothing 10 do with her
! daughters husband. Professor +, H.
| Taylor says IL Is an act OF cutting
When n young man comes into fam
| lily he is ignored; he is at least not con.
sidered one of them, Roth eXplana-
tions may be true in part. but they dc
/ not tell the whole story. II is more
/ likely that feeling Of rivalry and
! jealousy is ut the bottom of II all
| Chicago Tribune
The Poor Moon.
Natives in Bulawayo. South Africa