1902.] Kroeber, The Arapaho. 1 3 



to cook, and goes to her mother's tent for food. The young 

 man, however, does not enter this tent, because he and his 

 mother-in-law may not look at or speak to each other. 



Sometimes a young man and a girl run off without the 

 knowledge of their parents. They remain some time in the 

 tent of the young man's father or of some friend. Then his 

 friends contribute horses and other property. The girl 

 mounts a horse and leads the rest. Accompanied by her 

 sister-in-law or mother-in-law, she brings the horses and other 

 gifts to the tent of her parents. Then her parents are not 

 angry any longer, and send her back with horses and presents 

 of property, sometimes with a tent. They also give her food, 

 with which a feast is held in the young man's tent. Then 

 his friends take the horses and goods which he has received. 

 Sometimes a young man, after taking a girl away, abandons 

 her on the prairie. 



Relatives know nothing about the courtship of a young 

 man and a girl. This is kept secret by them until she is for- 

 mally asked for by his relatives. 



When a man wishes to run off with another's wife, the two 

 make plans. They go off together a long distance. At first 

 the husband, perhaps, does not know what has happened. 

 When he becomes aware of it, he is angry. He may follow 

 his wife; but he is not allowed to enter the tent where she 

 and her lover are, because he might do them injury. If he 

 finds them and speaks to them, they do not answer him, in 

 order not to enrage him more, because they may not make 

 any resistance to him. The lover tries to find the (ceremo- 

 nial) grandfather of the husband. He gives him a pipe and 

 two or three horses. The old man takes the pipe, the horses, 

 and the wife to the husband. When the man sees his grand- 

 father, he must do no violence nor may he become angry. 

 The grandfather hands him the pipe. If he takes it, his wife 

 is safe from harm. Sometimes he keeps her, sometimes he 

 sends her back to her lover to keep. Often the husband cuts 

 off the tip of her nose, slashes her cheek, or cuts her hair. 

 Both men and women are jealous. A man will hit his wife 

 for looking at a young man too much. 



