132 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I33 



tell what the bride price had been but went on to say : "If we had been 

 rich we might have brought as bride price several animals, probably 

 a cow with its calf, a young cow bearing a calf, an experienced ox, a 

 young untrained ox, and a horse. We might have taken as gifts two 

 large black shawls, one for the girl's father and one for her mother ; 

 for the mother, also, a kapam [dress], a trariilorjka [headband of 

 silver medallions], and a trapelakucha [silver ornament with long 

 danglers, usually ending in a cross, worn on the breast] ; for the girl's 

 father, we might have brought 50 to 60 pesos of silver. After we had 

 handed over the gifts, the girl's mother led the girl to my mother. The 

 girl's mother and father then talked to her, telling her to obey my 

 father and mother ; from then on, to respect me, her husband, and also 

 her sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, and whoever would be in our 

 ruka. Then we ate — we had not eaten any food that day. After that 

 we sat around and talked, and in the afternoon the women prepared 

 another meal. We ate it, and then went home. I took my bride with 

 me. When we arrived at my home, a plentiful meal and mudai had 

 been prepared for us there, also." 



Kidnaping a bride, spoken of as stealing a w^oman, or eloping with 

 one who had consented to marriage unbeknown to her parents (both 

 ways are called ijapitun) were institutional but were not considered 

 proper ways of marrying. Kidnaping was done either by the father 

 of the man and the man, or by the man himself. Kidnaping occurred 

 when the woman's father refused the man's father his request for the 

 woman ; when the fathers had agreed upon a marriage, but the woman 

 refused to marry the man ; when the man knew that the woman was 

 willing to marry him, but her parents refused to allow her to do so ; or 

 when the man was unwilling or unable to pay the bride price. 



A woman informant described kidnaping as follows : "The man's 

 father asks the girl's father for the girl, but he refuses to give his 

 daughter. Then the man's father finds six men, the strongest he can 

 find among his friends, and they set out to steal the girl. During the 

 night they go to the ruka of the girl and the strongest of the six men 

 sneaks in and carries the girl out by force, holding her securely in his 

 arms, like one does a baby. The men outside stand ready to defend 

 him and themselves, should the father and brothers of the girl re- 

 taliate — something they may do with pieces of burning wood or what- 

 ever they can lay their hands on. The men outside may take from their 

 hands whatever they have, but they are not to hit the father or 

 brothers. Sometimes, however, the men on both sides are much beaten 

 up and even receive head injuries. If the girl resists and will not 

 voluntarily mount the horse they have brought for her to ride, they 



