188 THE HUDSON RAY ESKIMO. 



- MARRIAGK. 



A woman is married as soon after puberty as a male comes along 

 who has the requisite physical strength to force her to become his wife. 

 Many of the females are taken before that period, and the result is that 

 few children are born to such unions and the children are generally 

 weakly. 



The ceremony between the couples is quite simple. The sanction of 

 the parents is sometimes obtained by favor or else bought by making 

 certain presents of skins, furs, and other valuables to the father and 

 mother. The girl is sometimes asked for her conseat, and, if unwilling, 

 often enlists the sympathy of the mother, and the affair is postponed to 

 a more favorable opportunity, or till the suitor becomes disgusted with 

 her and takes somebody else. 



If the parents are not living, the brothers or sisters must be favora- 

 ble to the union. There is often so much intriguing in these matters 

 that tlie exact truth can seldom be ascertained. 



Where all obstacles are removed and only the girl refuses, it is not 

 long before she disappears mysteriously to remain out for two or three 

 nights with her best female friend, who thoroughly sympathizes with 

 her. They return, and before long she is abducted by her lover, and 

 they remain away until she proves to be thoroughly subjected to his 

 will. I knew of an instance where a girl was tied in a snow house for 

 a period of two weeks, and not allowed to go out. She finally sub- 

 mitted, and they returned with the other couple, who were less obstrep- 

 erous, and doubtless went along to help their male friend and com- 

 panion. The woman left her husband in the course of two or three 

 weeks, and when he was asked about it lie acknowledged that she had 

 pulled nearly all the hair from his head and showed numerous bruises 

 where she had struck him. This same woman was afterward tied to a 

 sled to make her accompany the man she subsequently chose as her 

 hu.sband, who wished her to go to another part of the country. It was 

 a lively time, some of the old women pushing her and persuading, the 

 younger ones doing all in their power to obstruct her. ('hildren are 

 often mated at an early age, and I have known of several instances 

 where two friends, desirous of cementing their ties of fellowship, engage 

 that their childreu yet unborn shall be mated. In such instances the 

 children are always recognized as married, and they are allowed by the 

 parents to be so called. I knew a small boy of less than seven years 

 who always addressed a girl of apparently a year older as his wife. 



The marriageable age of the female varies greatly, although puberty 

 takes place early. I have known of a child of fourteen having children. 

 I heard of a half-breed girl, on the Labrador coast, who became a 

 mother a few months after the age of thirteen. 



Monogamy is generally the rule, but as there are so many counteract- 

 ing influences it is seldom that a man keeps a wife for a number of 

 years. Jealousy resulting from a laxity of morals produces so much 



