702 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 187 



sume of hir kiusfolke, or whom it pleaseth y* king to apoynt (for y* man goes 

 not unto any place to be marled But y* woman is brought to him wher he 

 dwelleth). At hir cumminge to him, hir father or cheefe frends ioynes the 

 hands togither and then y" father or cheef frend of y'' man Bringeth a longe 

 striuge of Beades and measuring his armes leangth therof doth breake it ouer 

 y* hands of thos that are to be married while ther haiides be ioyned together, 

 and giues it unto y'' womans father or him that brings hir. And so with much 

 mirth and feastinge they goe togither, When y" Kinge of y" cuntry will haue 

 any wiues he acquaintes his cheef men with his purpose, who sends into all 

 parties of y* cuntry for y" fayrest and cumliest mayds out of which y® Kinge 

 taketh his choyse giuen to ther parents what he pleaseth. If any of y° Kings 

 wiues haue once a child by him, he neuer lieth with hir more but puts hir from 

 him giuinge hir suffitient Copper and beads to maytayne hir and the child 

 while it is younge and then [it] is taken from hir and mayntayned by y' 

 Kings charge, it now beinge lawfull for hir beiuge put away to marry with any 

 other, The Kinge Poetan hauinge many wiues when he goeth a Huntinge or to 

 visitt another Kinge vnder him (for he goeth not out of his owne cuntry). 

 He leaueth them with tow ould men who haue the charge on them till his 

 returne. (Smith, John, Arber ed., 1884, pp. cvii-cviii.) 



According to Strachey, Powhatan had more than a hundred wives 

 and he supplies us with the names of twelve of the most favored. 

 Of marriages in general he says : 



They expresse their loves to such women as they would make choise to live 

 withall, by presenting them with the fruicts of their labours, as by fowle, fish, 

 or wild beasts, which by their huntings, their bowes and arrowes, by weeres, 

 01 otherwise, they obteyne, which they bring unto the young women, as also 

 of such somer fruicts and berries which their travells abroad hath made them 

 knowe readely where to gather, and those of the best kind in their season. Yf 

 the young mayden become once to be aororians virgo, (i.e. arrived at puberty), 

 and live under parents, the parents must allow of the sutor ; and for their good 

 wills, the woer promiseth that the daughter shall not want of such provisions, 

 nor of deare skynns fitly drest for to weare ; besides he promiseth to doe his en- 

 deavour to procure her beades, perle, and copper, and for handsell gives her before 

 them something as a kind of arrasponsalitia (earnest money in ratification of the 

 espousal), token of betroathing or contract of a further amity and acquaintance 

 to be contynued betweene them, as so after as the likeing growes ; and as soone as 

 he hath provided her a house (if he have none before) and some platters, morters, 

 and matts, he takes her home ; and the weroances after this manner maye have as 

 many as they can obteyne, howbeyt all the rest whome they take after their 

 first choise are (as yt were) mercynary, hired but by covenant and condicion, 

 for a tyme, a yeare or soe, after which they may putt them awaye ; but if they 

 keepe them longer then the tyme appointed, they must ever keepe them, how 

 deformed, diseased, or unaccompaniable soever they may prove. ( Strachey, 1849, 

 pp. 109-110.) 



He gives as "the reason whie each chief patron of a familie, es- 

 pecially weroances, are desirous, and indeed strive for manie wives, 

 is, because they would have manie children, who maie, if chaunce be, 

 fight for them when they are old, as also then feed and mayntein 

 them" (p. 114), but from observed conditions in Virginia he doubts 

 the success of polygyny in furthering this object. 



