48 THE ABORIGINES OF PORTO RICO [eth. ann. ;;5 



Comparatively little is known of the niurriage customs of the abo- 

 riginal native Porto Ricans, and it is commonly stated that wives were 

 treated as slaves. I'here is eveiy reason to believe that the caciques 

 were pol3'gamous, also that certain of tlie women exercised consid- 

 erable power in the government of the island. The great men, accord- 

 ing to Pane, had twenty-live or thirtj' wives, all of whom lived under 

 the same roof as their lord, on terms of equality, although, according 

 to Oviedo, one was more esteemed than the rest; but this honor gave 

 her no right or title superior to the others. 



Their marriage ceremonies wei'e celebrated with dances called nreitos. 

 The right of the first night, when the bride had connection with other 

 men of the rank of her husband, was practised not only by cacicjues 

 and their dependent chiefs, but also by the common people. 



Las Casas mentions that in the betrothals of the caciques the would-be 

 husband was wont to send his principal man to the maid's father, ask- 

 ing for the daughter as wife and companion for life. In some sections 

 of the Island he sometimes sent with his embassy presents of food or 

 game. It was customary, after the father had promised his daughter 

 to the cacique, for the latter to accompanj- the messengers to the 

 father and determine the amount of the dowry of the bride. On his 

 return he sent a present to the father of the girl every day for a month, 

 and when that time had passed he again went to the father to receive 

 the In-ide, who had been shut up in a specially prepared apartment, 

 where no one could see her but the children who brought her food. 



AVhen the groom had given the father all the dower he had promised 

 the bride's hair was cut as a sign that she had become a matron and had 

 lost her liberty by marriage. Among the common people the would-be 

 husband worked out the dowry of his bride l)y becoming the servant 

 of her father, as Jacob served Laban for Rachel and Leah. 



Charlevoix says that some of the Carib possessed two wives, and one 

 of their caciques is stated to have had at least thirty, one of whom was 

 specially honored but who had no control over the others. All slept 

 about their husbands. At the death of a cacique two of the wives, g'en- 

 erally favorites, allowed themselves to be buried alive with their former 

 lord. Other favorite wives of the cacique sometimes voluntarily 

 entered the grave and were buried alive, while the remaining wives 

 were appropriated by the cacique's successor. 



Hunting and Fishixi; 



The principal food supply of the West Indians was vegetable in its 

 nature and agriculture was their main occupation, but the procuring 

 of animal food by the chase, and especially by fishing, was also an 

 important industr}'. 



Very little has been recorded concerning the luuiting and fishing 

 customs of the Porto Ricans, but it appears that in some of the Antilles 



