510 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [BTH. ANN. 46 



They make no address nor grace to Wakofida or any other 

 supernatural power at ordinary meals, or common feasts. This is 

 done on stated occasions which will be mentioned hereafter. 



Courtship and Marriage 



The way courtships are conducted is that the suitor in the first 

 place always endeavors to induce the girl to run away with him. He 

 has two objects in this. First, it shows her great regard for him and 

 flatters his vanity that she leaves her parents and departs to another 

 band, with and under his protection. Next, having the girl in his 

 possession obviates the possibility of a refusal, and also he can 

 afterwards pay his own price for her instead of that demanded by 

 her relatives. To accomplish this they paint, dress, and adorn them- 

 selves extravagantly, and are always on the watch to catch the woman 

 outside or away from the view of her parents. He dogs her steps 

 so closely that opportunities must present themselves when he can 

 recite to her his tale of love. Of course this consists of the usual 

 promises and flatteries used by all men for like purposes which often 

 prove successful. Should he obtain her consent to depart with him 

 they will agree upon a place of rendezvous and signal, which he 

 repeats to her in the night with his flute from outside the lodge at 

 the appointed time to meet him, and they leave, traveling night and 

 day until they arrive at another camp. Here they stay with some 

 distant relative or friend three or four weeks and return as man and 

 wife, when he looks around for some means to satisfy the parents. 

 Or it sometimes happens that having become tired of her in the 

 meantime he throws her on their hands and proceeds to seduce 

 another. The young Indians are great profligates and boast of their 

 success in this way. 



If, however, by all their efforts they can not succeed in this they 

 then marry. When this is decided upon no courtship is necessary. 

 The suitor sends a horse by the hands of some respectable old man 

 who ties the animal to the door of the lodge where her parents reside 

 and, entering, presents a pan of cooked meat to the girl who is de- 

 sired as a wife. Consent is asked and obtained or refused through 

 the medium of this man. The nearest of kin are always asked 

 (the girl's father and mother) ; if she have neither then the eldest 

 brother, or uncle, etc. If the parents refuse, both the victuals and 

 horse are sent back and negotiation ends. But if the suitor be de- 

 termined to have her he will try again, sending two or three horses, 

 guns, kettles, and all he can raise, until objection on that score is 

 overruled and she becomes his property by going to his lodge at 

 dark and remaining there. When the right price is paid the offer 



