1866.] Social Customs &c. of the Karens. 17 



the water, or destroyed by fire." After this public declaration, the 

 girl is considered at liberty to receive proposals from others ; which, 

 without it, she is not. 



Marriage. 



If there are no obstacles to an immediate union, after an interval of 

 two or three days, the relatives of the bride conduct her to the house 

 of the bridegroom's parents, with a procession of her friends blowing 

 trumpets. When the bride ascends the ladder into the house, water 

 is poured on her abundantly from the verandah, till her clothes are 

 wet through. She then eats with the bridegroom's relatives, and, at- 

 tended by her female friends, she goes into the chamber. The young 

 man's friends make presents to all the party, giving the most valuable 

 to the relatives of the bride. 



When the time for the company to separate approaches, two of the 

 Elders take a cup of spirits, which is called " the covenant drink," 

 and one speaks for the bride, and the other for the bridegroom. 



One says ; " Now the woman is thy wife, thy daughter-in-law, 

 thine own daughter, thy own wife who will live with thee. Should 

 she be drowned, should she die by a fall, should she be bitten by 

 a poisonous snake, we can Bay nothing. But should she be killed 

 in a foray, should she be carried into captivity, should she be put 

 in bonds, thou must purchase her freedom, or obtain the price of her 

 blood." 



The other Elder then says : " What thou say est is true. She is not 

 the child of another, she is my child, my wife, my daughter-in-law. 

 Should she die by accident, I can do nothing. I will lay her out, put 

 food in her mouth, drink by her side, make a funeral feast, and bury 

 her. But should she be carried into slavery in a foray, I will carry 

 a kyee-zee for her redemption, and thou must demand a fine. I will 

 carry spirits to drink, thou must spread out food to eat. We together 

 will purchase the woman. But if we cannot obtain her if she has 

 been killed or is lost, we will demand her price. If I ask her price in 

 kyee-zees, thou must demand it in slaves. We together will make it 

 a reason for making reprisals ; and if I am the father of the foray, thou 

 shalt be the mother of it. If I am the head of the foray, thou shalt 

 call the army ; and if I call the army, thou shalt be the head of the 



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