MARRIAGE CUSTOMS 153 



her parents and relatives the permission is given. He 

 then seeks an opportunity of finding the girl alone, 

 which is no easy matter, for she is supposed to be 

 guarded by the women of the village. Besides, the 

 girl is covered with two or three coats, and is wrapped 

 about with fish -nets and straps, so that motion is almost 

 impossible. If the young man succeeds in finding 

 her alone, or in company with only one or two women, 

 he seizes her and begins tearing off her garments,, 

 for this constitutes the ceremony of marriage. .But 

 this is not an easy thing, to do ; for though the girl 

 herself makes little resistance, such other women as 

 are about fall upon the would-be groom without mercy, 

 and beat and scratch him and use every means to 

 prevent him from accomplishing his purpose. If, how- 

 ever, he is successful in tearing off her garments he 

 immediately walks away from her, whereupon she gently 

 calls him back, and the ceremony is complete.. It 

 seldom happens that the young man succeeds the first 

 time, and instances are known where a man has tried 

 for several years to secure his bride, without success. 



When successful, the groom carries off his bride 

 to his own village without any ceremony ; but after 

 some time they return to the bride's home, and a 

 marriage feast is celebrated, somewhat after the fol- 

 lowing manner : The bridal party, including the bride- 

 groom's friends, approach to within a hundred paces 

 of the village from which the bride has-been taken. 

 They sing and go, through certain mystic rites, with 

 a fish's head wrapped in tow and carried by an old 

 woman. A coat of sheepskin is put on the bride, and 

 several images are hung about her till she can hardly 

 bear up under the load. A boy of the village colnes 





