﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  SOCIAL 
  LIFE 
  325 
  

  

  posed 
  lover, 
  concluded 
  to 
  accept 
  the 
  transfer; 
  the 
  marriage 
  so 
  strangely 
  

   entered 
  on 
  turned 
  out 
  pleasantly 
  for 
  hoth 
  parties. 
  

  

  The 
  marriage 
  ceremony 
  as 
  described 
  above 
  depended 
  for 
  its 
  

   completion 
  on 
  the 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  girl 
  as 
  the 
  son's 
  wife 
  by 
  the 
  

   father 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  man, 
  but 
  should 
  this 
  formal 
  consent 
  be 
  denied 
  

   by 
  either 
  parent, 
  while 
  this 
  act 
  interrupted 
  the 
  festivity, 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  

   invalidate 
  the 
  marriage 
  or 
  have 
  any 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  issue 
  of 
  such 
  mar- 
  

   riage; 
  it 
  merely 
  made 
  the 
  lives 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  couple 
  difficult 
  and 
  

   uncomfortable. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  tribal 
  usage 
  or 
  tradition 
  which 
  made 
  

   it 
  possible 
  to 
  deprive 
  a 
  child 
  of 
  its 
  rights 
  to 
  or 
  through 
  its 
  father; 
  

   according 
  to 
  tribal 
  custom 
  all 
  a 
  man's 
  children 
  had 
  equal 
  claim 
  on 
  

   Mm 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  responsible 
  for 
  all 
  his 
  progeny. 
  

  

  Cohabitation 
  constituted 
  marriage 
  whether 
  the 
  relation 
  was 
  of 
  

   long 
  or 
  short 
  duration, 
  always 
  provided 
  that 
  the 
  woman 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  

   wife 
  of 
  another 
  man, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  relation 
  was 
  a 
  social 
  and 
  

   punishable 
  offense. 
  Prostitution, 
  as 
  practised 
  in 
  a 
  white 
  com- 
  

   munity, 
  did 
  not 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  obligatory 
  that 
  a 
  man 
  and 
  wife 
  should 
  belong 
  to 
  different 
  

   gentes 
  and 
  not 
  be 
  of 
  close 
  blood 
  relation 
  through 
  their 
  mothers. 
  It 
  

   was 
  counted 
  an 
  honor 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  to 
  marry 
  a 
  woman 
  who 
  had 
  tattooed 
  

   on 
  her 
  the 
  "mark 
  of 
  honor" 
  (fig. 
  105). 
  Marriage 
  with 
  a 
  man 
  either 
  on 
  

   or 
  about 
  to 
  go 
  on 
  the 
  warpath 
  was 
  not 
  permitted 
  ; 
  such 
  a 
  union 
  was 
  

   looked 
  on 
  as 
  a 
  defiance 
  of 
  natural 
  law 
  that 
  would 
  bring 
  disaster 
  on 
  

   the 
  people 
  for 
  the 
  reason, 
  it 
  was 
  explained, 
  that 
  "War 
  means 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  life, 
  marriage 
  its 
  perpetuation." 
  The 
  same 
  law 
  was 
  

   thought 
  to 
  be 
  operative 
  when 
  a 
  hunter 
  failed 
  to 
  kill 
  game; 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  said: 
  "His 
  wife 
  may 
  be 
  giving 
  birth 
  to 
  a 
  child." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  family 
  the 
  father 
  was 
  recognized 
  as 
  having 
  the 
  highest 
  

   authority 
  over 
  all 
  the 
  members, 
  although 
  in 
  most 
  matters 
  pertaining 
  

   to 
  the 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  children 
  the 
  mother 
  exercised 
  almost 
  equal 
  

   authority. 
  In 
  the 
  event 
  of 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  mother 
  and 
  father, 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  the 
  father 
  had 
  no 
  brothers, 
  the 
  uncle 
  (mother's 
  brother) 
  had 
  

   full 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  children 
  and 
  no 
  relative 
  of 
  the 
  father 
  could 
  dis- 
  

   pute 
  the 
  right 
  of 
  the 
  uncle 
  to 
  the 
  children. 
  During 
  the 
  lifetime 
  of 
  

   the 
  parents 
  the 
  uncle 
  was 
  as 
  alert 
  as 
  their 
  father 
  to 
  defend 
  the 
  

   children 
  or 
  to 
  avenge 
  a 
  wrong 
  done 
  them. 
  The 
  children 
  always 
  

   regarded 
  their 
  uncle 
  as 
  their 
  friend, 
  ever 
  ready 
  to 
  help 
  them. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  marriage 
  was 
  arranged 
  by 
  a 
  girl's 
  parents, 
  with 
  or 
  without 
  

   her 
  consent, 
  it 
  was 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  with 
  a 
  man 
  in 
  mature 
  life 
  and 
  estab- 
  

   lished 
  position. 
  The 
  would-be 
  husband 
  made 
  large 
  presents 
  to 
  the 
  

   girl's 
  parents 
  and 
  relatives. 
  When 
  the 
  time 
  came 
  for 
  the 
  marriage 
  the 
  

   girl 
  was 
  well 
  dressed, 
  mounted 
  on 
  a 
  pony, 
  and 
  accompanied 
  by 
  four 
  

   old 
  men 
  she 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  lodge 
  of 
  her 
  husband. 
  Young 
  men 
  

   derided 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  marriage, 
  saying, 
  "An 
  old 
  man 
  can 
  not 
  win 
  a 
  

   girl; 
  he 
  can 
  win 
  only 
  her 
  parents." 
  (PI. 
  42.) 
  

  

  