The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-04-23
.BURIATS MUST STOP
STEALING OF WIVES
Marriage Laws in Siberia
Have Been Changed.


used to be in Siberia. One of the
latest laws reported to the outside
world provides three years imprison-
ment for any Buriat who, following
the customs of his fathers, steals the
woman of his choice. The matter is
complicated by the reported prefer
ence of the women to be stolen rather
than to be asked for or bought.
"The Buriats are true children Of
nature when not influenced by outside
cultures says a bulletin from the
Washington headquarters of the Ma
tional Geographical society. "When
the Russians came upon them on the
banks of Lake Baikal in the Sixteenth
century many of them made their liy-
ing wholly by hunting and fishing,
while the majority had only progressed
one more step in their journey from
raiSers.
Nature Worshipers at Heart.
| "a little handful of Buriats, after
contact with Russian colonistS, have
become agriculturists; and remark
ably good agriculturists at that, even
surprising the average Russian
farmer But the great majority still
make their living close to unmodified
nature, as herders and hunters.
at is in their religious life that
their love of nature makes itself most
deeply felt. Many are frankly Sha-
| manists-nature worshipers. Those
nearest Mongolia profess Lamaism,
But nature worship underlies the rites
the rivers, the rain, the wind-all are
peopled for them by gods. Even the
nominally Christian Buriats nearest
the shores of Lake Baikal insist that
'"the Holy sea" doesn't like to be
called lake. and that when so ill.,
suited it will become stormy and tur-
bulent, perhaps destroying shipping.
"The nomadic Buriats. near the
Monaghan border. have many traits in
! common with their kinsmen the Mon
gols. They are like them in appear
ance, live for the most part in ''yurtas"
| or skin huts. raise cattle and sheep
and are excellent horsemen. The typi
cal well-to-do Buriat and his horse are
inseparable companions during life;
and an ancient custom demands that
the horse be tied to his owners grave
| to Starve and so accompany him in
death. The heirs of the deceased uSu-
ally manage to get around this custom,
however, either by substituting a
WORKOUT hack for the good saddle
| horse, or by tying the latter with a
weak thong When the horse escapes
and trots back to his fellows they say
that 1t is the will of heaven that he
| live. The Buriat horses are remark
| able for their endurance often trot-
| ting fifty and sixty miles without
pause, and showing no fatigue at the
journey end.
"Buriats are so welded to the yurtas
| that many who hare followed Russian
customs and built permanent huts,
! leave smoke hole in the center of the
roof (as in yurta) and build their
| fires in the center Of the floor. They
are fond of display, and the more pros
porous have rugs on floor and walls,
and wear silken robes. They are as
inveterate smokers as the Burmese.
| and as in Burma even small children
smoke. Tea drinking is also COM
| mon habit. The Buriat man Of affairs
wears broad silk girdle, in which he
thrusts his pipe and teacup, that these
necessities may be ever at hand.
Brides Have Fur Dowries.
"Only small group of Bufiats have
practiced the theft OF their wives. One
common custom is for families that
have both sons and daughters to ex-
change girls as wives for their respec-
tive sons. If the makeup of the faml-
lies does not permit exchanges, wife
is in effect bought, usually by a gift
of cattle. The brides dowry usually
more than offsets the price, however.
In some cases the dowries are furs
worth many thousands of dollars.
"The old Siberian province OF Trans
Baikalia, east Of the great lake, is the
region in which most of the Buriats
live. This is considered the most beau
tiful part Of Siberia, land OF alter
mating forests and steppes. The soil
is permanently frozen, although the
immediate surface thaws out in sum-
mer. Agriculture Is not possible over
much of the Bnriat country, but the
shallow soil permits grazing activities
"In the forested regions the tree
roots penetrate the soil only few
inches but grow far horizontally
Many of these poorly anchored trees
are overturned by the wind; and
characteristic feature of the country
is supplied by the great rough disks
Of roots Of the fallen trees towering
almost as high as their upright fell
lows"