Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/226

214 Journal of American Folk-Lore. sion. But in fact it is an indemnity given by the bridegroom to her relations for the daily work or other services which the bride will henceforth no longer render to her family. Some circumstances accompanying this transfer among Indians go far to corroborate this explanation.

The commodities most frequently surrendered by the Atfálati for obtaining a female in marriage were slaves (awákasht), haiqua-beads (adshīpin), money, and horses. After the transfer, the bride's relations turned over to the groom, in reciprocation, some presents in kind, as guns or blankets, but only to one fourth or one third of the values they had received themselves. By a solemn pageant and ceremony, the bride now started with a retinue of her people for the bridegroom's lodge, to be formally surrendered to him. They dressed her in newly made garments or wrapped her up in blankets, painted her face red, adorned her head and neck with a profusion of beads (aká-udshan), and placed her on a horse to be conveyed to. the groom's dwelling. When arrived in sight of that dwelling, a robust male relative of hers took her upon his shoulders ("packed her"), and so brought her close to the house, stopping at a distance of about fifty yards. Meanwhile the "suite" sang and danced festively for one hour or longer, strewed her road full of beads, trinkets, and similar articles, and scattered costly strings of beads on her path.

But the happy bridegroom had to surrender some of his wardrobe when the party had arrived at his lodge. After blankets had been spread on the ground, his new-made female relations stripped him of his dress, shirts, and breeches, went also for his relatives and stripped them of their coats, hats, blankets, shirts, breeches, and guns, the women of their long dresses and shawls. This disorderly scene also involved the dividing of the purchase-money or values paid by the bridegroom to his wife's relatives, who through politeness returned him at least a part of the plunder in guns, powder, shirts, coats, and other articles of wardrobe.

Among the Oregonian tribes, the lot of slaves and bondsmen was not so hard as with other tribes farther north. No doubt the origin of slavery must be sought in capture through war; nevertheless, among the Atfálati, slaves were allowed to marry fellow-slaves, even free persons when horses were paid to their owner for the permission. This payment also insured them, later on, the right of personal liberty. Slaves of the same proprietor were allowed to marry, but slaves belonging to different owners could marry only when the owner bought the other slaves. After that, they were not sold away from each other. Their children remained in slavery, but could not be sold by the owner to other parties, or at least were not sold generally.

Albert S. Gatschet.