I 2 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XVIH. 



The following are statements by the Arapaho on the 

 subject of marriage. 



When a young man wants to marry, he sends a female 

 relative to the tent of his desired father-in-law with several 

 horses (from one to ten), which may be his own or his friends'. 

 She ties the horses in front of the tent, enters, and proposes 

 the marriage. The father has nothing to say, and refers the 

 matter to his son. The son decides upon the proposal, unless 

 he wishes to refer it to an uncle or other relative. The woman 

 goes back and reports her success. If the proposal of mar- 

 riage has been refused, she takes the horses back. If the 

 suitor has been accepted, he waits until called, which is done 

 as soon as the girl's mother and relatives have put up a new 

 tent which is given her, and have got property together. This 

 may be the skme day or the same night that the proposal was 

 made. The girl's brothers and father's brothers' sons all give 

 horses and other presents. They bring the things inside the 

 new tent, the horses in front of it. Then the girl's relatives 

 notify the young man's father to come ; sometimes they send 

 the bride herself. Then the young man's relatives come over 

 with him to the new tent, and enter it. His entering this 

 tent signifies that he and the girl are married. He sits down 

 at the head of the bed, which is on the left as one enters the 

 tent (the entrance to Arapaho tents is always at the east; the 

 owner's bed, along the southern side, with the head toward 

 the west). The girl sits next to him at the foot of the bed, 

 the other people all around the tent. The girl's father, or, 

 if he is still young, an old man, stands before the door and 

 cries out the names of those invited, calling to them to come 

 and feast. Then they eat and smoke. Sometimes an old 

 person that wants to, prays. Any one of the girl's male rela- 

 tives makes a speech to her. He says to her that she is a 

 woman now, and tells her to be true to her husband. The 

 visitors leave whenever they please. The friends of the young 

 man each take away as many horses as they gave (to the 

 girl's relatives). Sometimes he gives his friends other pres- 

 ents besides. Now he is married. He pitches his tent by his 

 father-in-law's. The young wife at first does not know how 



