The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-29
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
OF THE NAVAJOS
New York Pressl

her, taking unto himself a younger and
prettier one. Thus he takes his wives
tandem. instead of abreast, as the Nor
mons did.
The Navajo secures his wife by pur-
chase, and the Navajo maiden never
lacks offers of marriage. She is not at
liberty TO choose for herself, but is
sort Of standing invitation which her
mother holds cut for informal propos-
ais.
The Navajo mother-in-law is the
greatest on earth for the daughter be
longs to her mother until married
when the bridegroom also becomes the
property of his motner-in-law. with
whom he is required to live. AS he is
also required never TO look her in the
face, eXiste ice becomes a complicated
problem.
The young girl seldom gets a young
husband, and the young man seldom
gets young wife Property among
the Navajos IS most possessed by the
old men. so they are, as a rule, able to
offer a larger price for the girl than is
the young man who has not yet had
time to. accumulate his fortune. It re-
quires several ponies and a good flock
OF sheep 10 buy young and buXom
Navajo maiden.
L recently witnessed an old squaw
leading young girl, about 20 ears DID,
in the scnool grounds at the Navajo
agency" says a writer in the Indian
School Journal LAS she approached
the agents office she fell uron her face
by he sidewalk and Immediately set
up a loud niournful wailing.
Some of her people must be dead"
l said 10 the agent.
No" he replied: Il know the old lady
well. You see that little girl sitting
there on the sidewalk beside her? Well
that girl is about 1G years old. A short
time ago her mother sold her to an old
man for his wife.
He is 20 years old and stone blind
The matter was reported to me, and
ordered her to bring the girl 70 the
agency and put her in school and that
is what she is here for. but she does not
want TO give the girl up. and that is
why she is Wailing
She hopes to get my sympathy
but l will not stand for it, The girl
must go to school, where she belongs
So saying, he called a policeman and
ordered the girl taken to school and
turned over TO the matrOn."
The Navajo wedding ceremony is
thus described by A. VI. Stephen:
'On thu night set for the wedding
both families and their friends meet at
the hut Of the brides family. Here
there is much feasting and singing. and
the brides family makes return pres
ents TO the bride groOm's people bur
not. of course, to the same amount
The women of the brides family
prepare cornmeal porridge which is
poured into the wedding basket The
brides uCcle then sprinkles a circular
ring and cross of the sacred blue pol
len of the larkspur upon the porridea.
near the outer edge and in the center.
The bride has hitherto been lying be-
side her mother. concealed under a
blanket on the woman's side of the no
gan (huD. After calling to her TO
come 10 him. her uncle seats her on the
west side of the hut, and the bride
groom sits down before her. with his
face toward hers and the basket of
porridge set between them.
"A gOurd of water is then given TO
the bride, who pours some of il on the
bridegroom'S hands while he washes
them, and he then performs a like Of
flee for her. With the first two fingers
of the right hand he then takes a pinch
of porridge. just where the line of pol
len touches the circle of the east side.
He eats this one pinch. and the bride
dips with her finger from the same
place.
die then takes i'm succession a pinch
from the other places where the lines
touch the circle and a final pinch from
the center, the brides fingers following
his. The basket of porridge is then
passed over to the younger guests, who
speedily devour it with merry clamor-a
custom analogous to dividing the brides
cake at a wedding. The older relatives
of the couple now give them much good
and weighty advice, and the marriage
is complete
The Navajos do not bury their dead
At least. they do not inter them. The
Navajo's superstition prevents him
from even so much as touching a dead
body.
So. before life has entirely left the
body, it is wrapped In a new blanket
ed spot, where it is deposited on top of
the ground, together with all personal
effects of the deceased. and if it be an
infant. the cradle. trinkets, etc. are
carefully deposited beside the body.
When there are 10 longer any signs of
life in the body, stones are piled up
around and over it. i'm order, they say,
to keep the coyotes from carrying it
off
Ii the deceased be 4 grown person his
favorite saddle pony is led up to the
grave where it is knocked i'm the head
with an ak Here it lies, with bride,
saddle and blankets, ready for the jour
ney to the spirit world.
The Navajos never dig a grave them
selves, though they like very much 20
have the white people bury their dead,
and If they are anywhere near where
white people live they will ask them, in
case they have a death in their family,
to take charge of the body ana bury it.
II by chance one of their number dies
in the house before they have time TO
remove him they Immediately set fire
to the house and burn it up, with it's
contents. thus crsmating the body
Believing that an evil spirit enters a
body at death. and that if they come
in contact with their lead this evil
spirit will enter into their bodies. they
are afraid to touch a corpse or even
the house in which the person died.
Upon the death of the head of Il Nav
ajo family all of his possession go to
his relatives-brOthers. sisters. ETC.
instead of descen ding to his wife and
children. The custom is peThapsA the
most harmful Gin effect of any prac-
ticed these days by the Navajo.
1t often leaves the wife and children
destitute, especially where the husband
owned flocks as well as the CO tile and
the ponies. However, the Navajo wom-