PETCHORA 515 



account of the marriage and burial ceremonies of the 

 Samoyedes. As before noticed, the information given by 

 the Samoyedes is given freely while we wrote it down ; 

 and though in this instance it was first spoken in 

 Russ, then in bad German, and lastly in English, we 

 believe that on the whole it can be relied upon as 

 correct. 



Sanwyede Marriage Ceremony. A young man wishing 

 to be united for life to the girl of his choice goes first to 

 her father's choom, and taps first him and then the 

 mother on the shoulder with a short stick, and then asks 

 to have their daughter in marriage. He then hands a 

 glass of vodky from a supply brought with him to the 

 father and mother. If they are agreeable to the union 

 they drink the vodky and the father says, ' I am willing, 

 you may now ask my daughter,' and then the suitor goes 

 away. 



Another day he comes again to the father's choom, 

 accompanied by all his people, and brings plenty of vodky. 

 He enters the choom, but the rest remain outside. The 

 father then gives him vodky, of which he drinks half, as 

 he sits at the right hand of his intended, and he then 

 with his right hand passes the remainder under his left 

 arm to her, and she finishes it. Then a glass of vodky is 

 given by the father to his daughter, and the former part 

 of the ceremony is reversed, the girl drinking half, and 

 with her left hand passing it under her right arm to her 

 sweetheart, who in turn drinks off the remaining half. 

 Thereafter a piece of raw flesh is given by the father to 

 the young man who eats the whole, and a second piece is 

 then taken from the floor by the young man, of which he 

 eats half, and, as with the vodky, passes the rest under his 

 left arm to the girl, and after she has eaten it another 

 piece is taken by her, half of it eaten, and the rest handed 

 to him. After that there is a general merrymaking, 



