Chapter 5 

 ABOUT THEIR MARRIAGES. 



One of the things necessary for the conservation of the life of 

 man was company, for which reason God ordained that man should 

 have woman, with whose company he should pursue two ends, one, 

 the intercourse, of which he was capable, and the other, that from 

 the union of the two would be born children who would follow 

 in the propagation and increase of the race. Although it has 

 been an ancient custom among all nations to give the women to their 

 husbands, it has not been everywhere in the same manner or with 

 the same ceremonies, and for that reason I shall set forth those 

 which these Indians employed. 



The general custom which they employed for seeking a woman 

 for the purpose of marriage was that the man who wanted to be 

 married went for several days to and fro about the house of the 

 woman that he desired, but without entering it, waiting for an 

 occasion to speak to her, and when he found her all alone he told 

 her: / ivant to marry you, or Wc should get married. There were 

 others who sent a third [party] to talk to her in private, and if the 

 girl said yes, she notified her parents, and if they agreed, the bride- 

 groom was notified that he could come into the house and talk with 

 them and with the girl. There were also certain ones whose mar- 

 riage was fixed up by the old people, and it was that after the parents 

 of the girl had been notified these same old people notified her 

 telling her: You have to marry such a one, and you will live well, 

 and you will have many things, for he knows how to kill deer, 

 cottontail rabbits — and [telling herj other similar things. 



The first time that the bridegroom entered the house of the bride 

 he brought his little present, now a deer skin, otter skin or seeds, 

 or shell beads, in fact, whatever he could, and from that day on he 

 was considered bridegroom of the house, tending to the bringing of 

 something to eat, for he ate and in most cases also slept there, but 

 without cohabiting with the bride, or having the least indecency with 

 her either in words or actions, and they were very scrupulous about 

 this. 



During this period, which we may call the period of betrothal, 

 the obligations of the bridegroom were to bring wood to the house 



23 



