THE WESTERN DENES. 12^ 



married. If not, then the recipient of his favors was bound to return 

 an equivalent in kind. 



Naturally enough, after having won his wife at such a cost, the 

 yoang husband was not ready to reject her without sufficient pro- 

 vocation, and it ma^ easily be conjectured that the prospect of having 

 to recommence anew a pi-otracted courtship, must have tended not a 

 little to render the matrimonial tie, if not sacred, at least more dur- 

 able among the Carriers than it was among the Sekanais. However, 

 it must be said that in case the wooing party was well connected, the 

 proceduie previous to acceptance was somewhat curtailed, and fi'e- 

 quently almost entirely dispensed with. 



Polygamy flourished to a great extent among all of the tribes. The 

 moi'e exalted the man's rank, the more numerous would be his wives. 

 The father of the present chief of this place (Fort St. James, Stuart's 

 Lake) had as many as six wives at one time. Nevertheless, there 

 was alwiy.s one, not necessai-ily the first in priority of co-habitation, 

 who was regarded as superioi- to the others whom she then called her 

 younger sisters, receiving in return the title of elder sister from them. 

 Even polyandry was in honour conjointly with polygamy among the 

 Sekanais ; but remained unknown to the Carriei'S. 



A i)eculiai"ity perhaps worthy of notice is that an Indian woman 

 will never say " my husband " when referring to her mate ; but will 

 invariably say "he" or "this child's father." Even men are quite as 

 prudish and will seldom be caught saying " my wife " in speaking of 

 their partner. Likewise both men and women feel a gi'eat reluctance 

 to tell their names and will generally I'ather use a round about de- 

 scription than the ap[)ropriate vocative. 



VI. 



I need hardly say that among the Denes the status of woman after 

 marriage was seldom preferable to her previous condition. For I take 

 it to be granted that^among most of the non-Christian peoples of the 

 day, as well as the various nations of antiquity, woman, under one 

 foim or another, is, and has ever been, very little short of her lord 

 and master's slave. While still a girl, she had of course, to render 

 her motlier such menial assistance as lay in her power ; but then she 



