Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-01-11
A MOTHER-|N-LAW
How She is Treated by Many
Different Tribes Of
People.
In Some Cases She is Not AL
lowed to Address the
Son-in-Law.

(
ca 1t is unlawful for a young man 20
see the face of his mother in-law. If
they live i'll the same house Il partition
must be set up between them. Ii they
so in the same boat she has to step in
first, so as to keep her back turned on
him. Roclefort 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 occasionsH
In many parts of Australia woman
! will 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 if it is impossible she
hides her face With her cloak She
| thing In the world. The Kaiir woman
| hides behind a bush and holds shield
! to her face. She would far rather.
| speak to a stranger than to her son-in-
| law.
Franklin, who gave much time to the
Ill,
assures us IL Is considered extremely
improper for Il woman to speak to her
| son7in-law, and when She has any inn
| portant communication to make it is
| considered proper for her to turn her
| back on him and speak by means of a
| third person The same law holds good
among the Sioux and DakOtaS. and if
VII tnI -,
having his garments torn from Ills
back and thrown away. With the Oma-
has neither the father nor mother has
anything to do With the son-in-law
nor he with them. They Will not look
ut one another or speak his name
In his travels to Tilnbuctoo 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 otllcr.a all the time. He
says. II tried in vain to discover the
| origin of the whimsical custom, but
the only answer could obtain WAS, 1t
| Is our way
This custom extends beyond the re-
latinns. II the lover is of different
| the women'S camp. except Il few init
mate friends whom he is permitted to
visit. \ little tent is generally set up
| 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 a girl
| avoids her mother rs much us he can
and grows more distant after he is
| married. With some Victorian tribes
| the estrangcmcnt is even glcnlrr-tle
| mother and aunt as Well may moi look
| ut the young man nor speak to him
| from betrotli.,l TO death. When they
| speak before each other they have to
use turn language. Under no con,
| dition would the young man dare to
| speak to his wifc's mother
| Maclean, who studied this custom
| among the Zullls of Africa says a
| daugliter-inlaw must cut herself off
| from her husbands relatives She is
| not allowed even to pronounce thcl
names mentally. This statement shows
that in some countries the girl must
| ignore her husbands relatives as much
as he does her mother, but this is less
! frequent.
! In Asia among the Mongols and the
| Calmucks Il woman dare not speak to
her father-in-law nor sit down in his
| presence. Uallas in an interesting
work on the OStaks of Siberia declares
that young married woman avoids
her fatl,er-in-aw 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 mother-in-aw If he
meets ner by chance he hides.
/ In 4 'iiina after the wedding day, Il
man never sees Tire face of his dauglls
/ ter-in-law. 4 similar custom exists in
1 Borneo and the Fiji islands.
Some people consider II absolutely
criminal for Il young man even to give
n stray glance to his lnother-ln-law,
however good looking she is They
say that they must not look on her
lest they go mad. 1t is the fasmU;
/ with some tribes in central Africa 10
hit with bent knees iii their presence
and not to put their feet ont, 4 kongo
| proyerl states: My mother-in-law Is
angry with me. but what do | care z,
1 We do not eat from the same dish
| some lnen will speak TO their mothers
by marriage. but willsnat call them
by nlme 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 nipthcrin-la
among many peoples is strange The
1 cause for IT is not positively known.
Sir John Lubbock feels that its origin
lies in capture where il man really
seized his Wife. This aroused the in-
! dignation Of tlie girls parents, who re-
sentel his doings by treating him with
| great scorn Gradually this capture
was only make believe. but the moth,
| er-ln-law still shows her aisapproyal
sby having nothing to do with her
i daughters husband. Professor Il. r.
Taylor says 1t Is an act OF cutting
Wien 4 young man comes into Il f;,in-s
! lily he In ignored he is ut least lint con