The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-13
CUSTOMS o. HaB HAVAO&
RHRs IVA hOe0HF Avn gRG
~lW RUG6A

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w sswseeWss ~ VsWHs Hlyts zee aaps
SlaaR teFemaHy sl#pie sspssfllfiess
gspteHt ~ VatalH4 FFsHt 1t4afN9
Aeavps RWHeFas geHsts ssf feafsWss
fh~ savsbu h ssatr shH' rrivesmu,ta IN
ieugirNry hmt " ~ hss ~ eHy feuesly
~ sHrh sifH sniy ~ rpyHf sesiby n M
tNts esnNr' sHofi Ne httufY N @vars'
Wivrs
WIEN = ycuun viz hsa srywn od snd
uaiv IN HtssiHed dfteH disgHets hsF
takiHa rHtu hlIuneH = vWi6enf anil p%Feytisf
Hrs tbas h. iakrs hs slvss f~sAtlsTnf
lnslesH ~ shfssst ~ TIE WeFfnuus dbf
Tha Nsvaiu aNgiSeNs M elfe w gusehaea
sod the SavHiu n'sl,feH never lsess osefN
~ fuaefiaer shr u nns ~ ilfefty Nv eheras
fof hefesF but n = s,tt ~ standiae ins
vltatiu6, shieh het mnehef hrFia ar' fcf
lntpftWai ~pgepnasls
The NavaIo moeher.ia .lew II fltr greatest
On ssfth, fof Tia daughter isIongs Nv her
n,otbef Until married. Wteh ttW ~hfideafcoea
alrp leeotuet 'hr pr.f@fty ~ hia mothefs
ln.law, With whnfn ~ ~ regtilr'a 10 live
~ ~ h ata1 fppuirud n-veF Nv idpH her IN
The fare, e%tisteHcs t~Ac0tnea . cnmpilctisd
| pfoblem
Tbs young chi ssldom asts = young
husband and me yosne man asidom aets
. young WIFI. Property Among The Navss
Ioe IL iaoatly pornrssps nv ths otd men,
~ they ere, ~ . role. abs ~ offer n larger
pFics fer Tho alfI than IL the young man
who has not yet had tlme w accumula,s
hia fortune. n requirea several ponies
and . good hoch os sheep ~ b,iy y Young
and butom Navajo maiden
y Tscantiy Witnessed On OLD squaw lead.
Ing q young girl shout 10 years old. IN Tho
school grounds NJ the Navajo agen p
Aaye u writer In The fndidn School Journal
'As she approached the agents oiice shs
fell upon her face by the sidewalk and i'm
mediately set up q loud. mournful waiting,
Some Of her people mtst 10 dead
said 10 the agent.
NO he replied. \ know the old lady
we'll. You see that little girl sitting Tiers
on the sidewalk beside herr Well, that girl
10 about ten years old. 4 short time ago
her mother sold her 10 an old man for his
wife.
he 10 10 years old and stone blind. Tbs
matter was reported to me, and I ordered
her 70 bring the girl TO the agency and put
her In school, and that is what she is here
for. but she does not wan to give the girl
up and that lie why she lie wailing.
''She hopes to get my sympathy, bat ]
will not stand for It, That girl must 60 TO
school. where she belongs
so saying, he called a policeman and or.
dered the girl taken to school and turned
over 70 the matron.
The Navajo wedding ceremony Is thus
described by A. NJ. Stephen:
On the night set for the wedding both
AaI Att A. IA
Of the brides family. Here there lie much
feasting and singing and the brides family
makes return presents to the bridegroom's
people, but not, Of course. TO the same
"The women Of the brides family prepare
corn meal porridge, which is poured into the
wedding basket. The brides uncle then
s~prinkles a circular ring and cross Of the
sacred blue pollen of the larkspur upon the
porridge, near the outer edge and in the
centre.
her mother, concealed under a blanket, on
the woman's side Of the hogan (hut). After
calling to her to come to him, her uncle seats
her on the west side Of the hut, and the BRIDE
groom sits dow before her, with his lace
toward hers and the basket OF porridge set
between them
"A gourd Of water is hen gwen to the
bride, who pours some Of 1t on the BRIDE
groom's hands while he washes them, and
he then performs a like office for her. With
the first two fingers Of the right hand he
the line Of pollen touches the circle Of the
east side. He eats this one pinch, and the
bride dips with her finger from the same
place.
He then takes in succession a pinch
the circle and a final pinch from the centre,
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
The elder relatives of the couple now give
them much good and weighty advice, and
the marriage is complete"
The Navajos do not bury their dead
vajo'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 n carried
TO some convenient secluded srot, where
he deceased, and if It be an infant the
cradle, trinkets, DC, are carefully deposited
beside the body. When there are no longer
any signs ip sr OF Hfe sn IN d the 6 70 Y o stones tb ARE
say, to keep the coyotes from carrying
If the deceased be a grown person his
f~avorite saddle pony is led up to the graves
WIleIe ~ lS hllOCheu VI lie HSdu WIFI dn axe.
Here it lies. with bride, saddle and blanket,
ready for the journey to the spirit world.
The Navajos never dig a grave them
selves, though they like very much to have
the white people bury their dead, and il
they are anywhere near where white people
live they will ask them, in case they have a
death in the family. to take charge Of the
body and bury it. If by chance one Of
their number dies in the house before they
have time to remove him they Immediately
set fire TO the hogan and burn it up, with
its contents, thus cremating the body.
Believing that an evil spirit enters a
body at death, and that if they come in
contact with the dead 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 a Navajo
family all Of his possessions go to his rela-
tives-brothers, sisters, &C. instead Of
descending to his wife and children. This
custom is, perhaps, the most harmful In
effect OF any practised these days by the
Navajo.
1t. often leaves the wife and children
destitute, especially where the husband
owned the f1ocks as well as the cattle and
the ponies. However, the Navajo women
1900