MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



489 



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but are purchaser! of different fa- 

 thers. The infant daughteis are 

 often betrothed by their father to 

 men who are grown, either for 

 theaiselves or for their sons, for 

 whom they are desirous of provi- 

 ding wives. The compensation to 

 the father is usually made in 

 horses or mules ; and the girl re- 

 mains with her parents till the age 

 of puberty, which is thirteen or 

 fourteen, when she is surrendered 

 to her husband. At the same 

 time the father often makes a pre- 

 sent to the husband equal to what 

 he had formerly received as theprice 

 of liis daughter, though this re- 

 turn is optional A^ith her parent. 

 Isacajawea had been contracted in 

 this way before she was taken 

 prisoner, and when we brought 

 her back, her betrothed was still 

 living. Although he was double 

 the age of Sacajawea, and had 

 two other wives, lie claimed her, 

 but on finding that slie had a 

 child by her new husband, Cha- 

 boneau, he relinquished his pre- 

 tensions, and said he did not want 

 her. 



The chastity of the women does 

 not appear to be held in much es- 

 timation. The husband will for 

 a trifling present lend his wife for 

 Ji night to a stranger, and tlie loan 

 may be protracted by increasing 

 the value of the present. Yet, 

 strange as it may seem, notwith- 

 standing this facility, any con- 

 nexion of this kind not authorized 

 by the husband, is consideied 

 highly offensive and quite as dis- 

 graceful to his character as the 

 same licentiousness in civilized 

 societies. The Shf)shonees are not 

 so importunate in volunteering 

 the services of their wives as we 

 found the Sioux were ; and in- 



deed we observed among them 

 some women who ajjpeared to be 

 held in more respect than those of 

 any nation we had seen. Eut the 

 mass of the females are condemn- 

 ed, as among all savage nations, 

 to the lowest and most laborious 

 drudfferv. When the tribe is sta- 

 tionary, they collect the loots, and 

 cook} they build the huts, dress 

 the skins and make clothing j 

 collect the wood, and assist in 

 taking care of the horses on the 

 route ; they load the horses, and 

 have the charge of all the bag- 

 gage. The only business of the 

 man is to fight ; he therefore 

 takes on himself the care of his 

 horse, the companion of his war- 

 fuie ; but he will descend to no 

 other labour than to hunt and to 

 fish. He would consider himself 

 degiadcd by being compelled to 

 w alk any distance ; and were he 

 so poor as to possess only two 

 horses, he would ride the best of 

 them, and leave the other for his 

 wives and children and their bag- 

 e:as:e ; and if he has too manv 

 wives or too much baggage for 

 the horse, the wives have no al- 

 ternative but to follow him on 

 foot ; they ai'e not however often 

 reduced to those extremities, for 

 their stock of horse^s is very ample. 

 Notwithstanding their losses this 

 spring the)' still haA'e at least se- 

 ven hundred, among which are 

 about forty colts, and half that 

 number of mules. There are no 

 horses here which can be con-i- 

 dered as wild ; we have seen two 

 only on this side of the Muscle- 

 shell river which were without 

 ownei-s, and even those, although 

 shy, showed every mark of having 

 been once in the possession of 

 man. The original stock avus 



procured 



