130 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I33 



AGE AND QUALITIES OF PARTNERS 



Generally a man is older by several years than the woman he 

 marries. In only 7 percent of the 116 families recorded in the census 

 taken in Alepue in 1940 (Censo de Alepue de Noviembre de 1940) 

 was the wife older than her husband. The second and subsequent 

 wives were usually much younger than the man. The youngest of 

 three wives of a Conaripe man — the man was 80 years old in 1947 — 

 was 40 years younger than he when he married her. He had three 

 children in 1947 younger than 10 years of age. 



Both men and women were considered of marriageable age when 

 in the twenties ; however, a man was often in his early thirties before 

 he married. Ages of parents and their children taken at random from 

 the 1940 census of Alepue follow: Husband, 46; wife, 36; children, 

 17, 15, 14, 13, 8, 7, 5. Husband, 38; wife, 35 ; child, 2. Husband, 41 ; 

 wife, 38; children, 18, 15, 14 and 14 (twins), 12, 9, 4, 2. Husband, 

 53; wife, 55; children, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8. 



A desirable wife is one who can do the work expected of a woman, 

 namely, care for children, plant a garden, prepare and cook all foods ; 

 and she should know all things regarding the preparation and use of 

 wool, such as washing it, spinning and weaving it into chamall, 

 choapino, blankets, and other useful articles. A man is ready for 

 marriage when he knows how to cultivate the soil, raise cattle and 

 sheep, and has acquired both land and animals. Formerly, a man had 

 also to be able to fight in war before he was allowed to marry. When 

 the father thought that his son was ready for marriage, he suggested 

 to him that he marry. Occasionally a man decided for himself that he 

 was ready. "Today no one asks about any qualities any more," said 

 a 70-year-old man. "As long as they are married — that is all that 

 counts !" 



From the day of marriage the man is spoken of as kure qen wentru, 

 or kuri qelu, or kure tjechi wentru (married man, or man having a 

 spouse), or merely wentru (man) ; the woman, as fet'an rjelu (a 

 married one), or fet'a rjechi (married woman), or merely domo 

 (woman) . 



A man after the birth of his first child, and any old man, is called 

 fucha (old man) ; a woman, after her first delivery, and any old 

 woman, is called kuje (old woman). Such men and such women may 

 also be spoken of as tremke die (the eldest ones). There is no change 

 of appellation when a man becomes a grandfather, or a woman, a 

 grandmother. 



