66 JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS PSYCHOLOGY 



&quot;the damsel directly falls into the greatest apparent consternation, for 

 single women always affect the utmost bashfulness and aversion to any 

 proposal of marriage, lest they should lost their reputation for modesty, 

 though their destined husbands be previously well assured of their acquies 

 cence/ (16, 1: 146; cf. 19: 79.) 



Paul Egede tells of a bride who ran away from the man s 

 house several times, always, however, &quot;where she expected to 

 be found.&quot; (20:28.) Nansen s comment on this custom is 

 interesting : 



&quot;In Greenland, as in other parts of the world, good taste demanded that 

 the lady in question should on no account let it appear that she was a 

 consenting party, however favorably disposed towards her wooer she might 

 be in her heart. The Eskimo bride was bound to struggle against her 

 captor, and to wail and bemoan herself as much as ever she could. When 

 they first saw marriages conducted after the European fashion, they 

 thought it very shocking that the bride, when asked if she would have the 

 bridegroom for her husband, should answer Yes. According to their ideas, 

 it would be much more becoming for her to answer No. When assured that 

 this was the custom among us, they were of the opinion that our women 

 must be devoid of modesty.&quot; (43: 140.) 



However, &quot;it sometimes happens that the young woman really 

 objects to her wooer.&quot; (43:141.) In such cases, she either 

 has her way (16.1:146) or she is taken against her will, when 

 she may give the man visible remembrances of a strenuous 

 fight. (66:181.) 



More informal ways (for forcible abduction is &quot;good form&quot;) 

 obtain, however, in which the young people decide the matter 

 between themselves. (53:263, 406.) Crantz assertion that a 

 woman &quot;can never make choice of a husband&quot; (16.1:159) 

 must admit of exceptions. There are several instances on 

 record where the girl has a definite choice in the matter (66: 

 188; 50:55; 53:208.) One of Cartwright s experiences shows 

 that independence of spirit and action is not entirely wanting 

 among Eskimo women. A man arranged with this English 

 gentleman to give the latter one of his wives, a young woman 

 of sixteen. All her relatives &quot;expressed great pleasure at the 

 honor of the alliance.&quot; But the woman thought otherwise. 

 &quot;You are an old fellow and I will have nothing to say to 

 you,&quot; was her verdict. &quot;So there ended my courtship,&quot; re 

 marks the author. Like independence was shown by a widow 

 who, according to a tale, &quot;greatly harassed by the persecutions 

 of a man who wanted to marry her, fled to the inland with 



