682 ARTS AND CRAFTS OF GUIANA INDIANS [BTH, ANN. 33 
the bridegroom, “ Will you take care of her?” to which the young 
man replied, “ I will take very good care of her” (G, 1, 286). With 
the Berbice River Arawak, however, parental advice seems to have 
been offered to both parties. Thus, says Van Berkel, although the 
Indians have neither guardians of the peace (politie) nor laws, they 
nevertheless marry one another as well as civilized nations. When 
the young people have a mutual understanding, and the parents on 
both sides are in agreement with the marriage, the blood relations 
assemble together and one [of the kinsmen] entering into conversa- 
tion with the bridegroom, reminds him not to run after any other 
[woman], but to mind his wife, to be diligent, and cut a provision 
field, to go fishing and hunting daily for his kitchen, to help catch 
crab, etc. And the bride [is warned] that she must have nothing to 
do with anyone else, to show becoming loyalty and respect to her 
husband, to set food and drink before him always when he gets home, 
and not to play with the children any more. As a matter of fact, 
they-are likely to fail in this respect, because the girls marry at the 
age of 11 or 12, when one knows it is rare to find that amount of 
composure which marriage well requires (BER, 22). 
887. The supplying and acceptation of the food is a subject of 
common mention in the description of the marriage ceremonies. In 
our own colony Bernau speaks of a feast being given alternately 
by the bride and bridegroom (BE,59). “Among the Moruca River 
Arawak,” writes Schomburgk, “the swain, having chosen a girl out- 
side of his own caste, makes sure beforehand, through the girl’s rela- 
tives, that he will not meet with a refusal. Knowing this, he visits 
her parents, tells them how poor he is, that he has no wife, etc., which 
the father in a number of pretty phrases indorses. If at the con- 
clusion of these preliminaries the girl places something to eat be- 
fore the young man, so is consent promised, the suitor eats what is 
placed in front of him, and the marriage is concluded. In the 
evening the young girl’s hammock is slung by her mother close 
to that of her future husband” (SR, m, 479). In Surinam the 
marriage ceremony is very simple. It is sufficient for the man 
anxious to marry to take the girl all the game and fish that 
he has caught during the day. If she accepts this present it is 
a sign that she is willing to have him, It is then her business to 
prepare the supper and bring it to him in his carbet, and then retire 
to her own home. She returns, however, the next day in order to 
fix a date for the celebration-of the marriage. In the meantime the 
future spouse, with his relatives and principal friends, makes some 
big hunting and fishing expeditions. The wedding day having ar- 
rived, the bridegroom goes to seek his bride, and tells her, “ I have 
chosen you for my wife.” This suffices for her to follow him imme- 
