MARRIAGE CUSTOMS OF ABORIGINES. 105 



him without even a spear or a mat to sleep upon — nothing but the mere 

 shell of the house. Sometimes they would even demolish the house 

 itself. If a woman was unfaithful the husband might kill the adulterer, 

 but the wife would receive no punishment." 



Divorce was frequent and might take place for any cause of discon- 

 tent on the part of either the husband or the wife. The most frequent 

 cause was jealousy. In all cases the children accompanied the mother, 

 and should she remarry they looked upon her new husband as a father. 



Concubinage. — It was customary for the urritaos, or bachelors, to 

 live in a "great house," often in companionship with young women 

 whom they purchased from their parents or hired for a certain time. 

 This did not injure the chances of either for marriage. As in other 

 islands of the Pacific where a similar custom prevailed, it is probable 

 that the girls obtained from their families in this way came from other 

 villages, and not from that in which they were to live. Certainly 

 degrees of relationship were respected in such cases as scrupulously as 

 in marriage. Sexual relations between kindred were considered 

 infamous. After marriage, fidelity was expected and as a rule was 

 observed on the part of both husband and wife. 



In cases of true marriage presents were also made by the groom to 

 the father of the bride. A disregard for the marriage customs of the 

 natives on the part of the early missionaries was one of the causes of 

 complaint of the natives and finally led to bloodshed and war.* In 

 1676, the first regularly appointed governor, Don Francisco Irisari y 

 Vivar, shortly after his arrival in Guam, wishing to punish the village 

 of Talisai for the pride of its inhabitants, who had remained awaj^ 

 from the fiesta of Corpus Cristi, celebrated by the missionaries with 

 processions, dances, and contests of the children in reciting the cate- 

 chism, marched upon it during the night, arid at daybreak fired upon 

 the unsuspecting inhabitants; several of them were killed and others 

 escaped to the woods badly wounded. The house of the urritaos was 

 burned and three babies were carried to the mission and baptized. 

 Shortly afterwards several marriages were solemnized by'the padres 

 between girls educated at the mission schools and Spanish soldiers. 

 In the school at the village of Orote there was a young girl who 

 wished to marry a Spaniard. Padre Sebastian de Monroy, the mis- 

 sionary stationed at that village, performed the ceremony secretly, 

 without the consent or knowledge of the girl's parents. While the 

 party were still in the church the bride's father came in a great rage 

 protesting against the marriage of his daughter with the Spaniard, 

 and attacked both the bridegroom and the priest. The newly wedded 

 couple were sent for safety to Agana, and the padre, to console the 



"Garcia, Vida y Marty rio de Sanvitores, 1683, p. 202. Tdem., p. 534. 



