Ti-ENER.) MARRIAGE. 189 



disagreement that oue or the other of the parties usually leave with 

 little cereuiony. 



In rare instances, where there is a compatibility of temper and a dis- 

 position to continence, the pair remain together for life. 



Many of the girls bear children before they are taken for wives, but 

 as such incidents do not destroy the resiiectability of the mother the 

 girl does not experience any diflBculty in procuring a husband. Ille- 

 gitimate children are usually taken care of by some aged woman, who 

 devotes to it all her euergies and afl'ectious. 



The number (jf children born varies greatly, for, although these Eski- 

 mos are not a prolific i-ace, a couple may occasionally claim parentage 

 of as many as ten cliildren. Two or three is the usual number, and 

 many die in early childhood. 



When the family is prosperous the husband often takes a second 

 wife, either with or without the ai)proval of the first, who knows that 

 her household duties will be lessened, but knows also that the favors of 

 her husband will have to be divided with the second wife. The second 

 wife is often the cause of the first wife's leaving, though sometimes she 

 is sent away herself. Three or four wives are sometimes attained by a 

 prosperous man, and one instance was known where the head of the 

 family had no less than five wives. The occupation of a single snow 

 house by two or three wives briugs them into close intimacy and often 

 produces quarreling. The man hears but little of it, as he is strong 

 enough to settle their difficulties without ceremony, and in a manner 

 better adapted to create respect for brute strength than aft'ection for 

 him. 



The females outnumber the males, but the relationship among the 

 Koksoagmyut is now so close that many of the males seek their wives 

 from other localities. This, of course, connects distant people, and in- 

 terchange of the natives of both sexes is common. 



Separation of couples is effected in a simple manner. The oue who 

 so desires leaves with little ceremony, but is sometimes sought for and 

 compelled to return. Wives are often taken for a period, and an ex- 

 change of wives is frequent, either party being often happy to be re- 

 leased for a time, and returning without concern. There is so much 

 intriguing and scandal-mongering among these people that a woman 

 is often compelled by the sentiment of the community to relinquish 

 her choice and join another who has bribed a conjiirer to decide that 

 until she comes to live with him a certain person will not be relieved 

 from the evil spirit now tormenting him with disease. 



The only way for the couple against whom such a plot has been laid 

 to escape separation is for them to flee to another locality and remain 

 there until the jierson gets well or dies, whereupon the conjurer declares 

 it was their cohabitation as man and wife which alHicted the invalid. 

 A designing woman will often cause a man to cast off the legal wife 

 to whom he is much attached and come and live with her. In such in- 



