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Indian Marriage
Except that marital unions depend everywhere
on economic considerations, there is such diversity in the marriage
customs of the natives of North America that no general description
will apply beyond a single great cultural group.
The Eskimo, except those tribes of Alaska that have been led to
imitate the institutions of neighboring tribes of alien stocks, have
no clan organization. Accordingly the choice of a mate is barred only
by specified degrees of kinship. Interest and convenience govern the
selection. The youth looks for a competent housewife, the girl for a
skilled hunter. Them is no wedding ceremony. The man obtains the
parents consent, presents his wife with garments, and the marriage is
consummated. Frequently there are child betrothals, but, these are not
considered binding. Monogamy is prevalent, as the support of several
wives is possible only for the expert hunter. Divorce is as informal
as marriage; either party may leave the other on the slightest
pretext, and may remarry. The husband may discard a shrewish or
miserly wife, and the wife may abandon her husband if he maltreats
her or fails to provide enough food. In such cases the children
generally remain with the mother. On the north coast marriage between members of the same clan is
strictly forbidden. The negotiations are usually carried on by the
parents. The Kwakiutl purchases with his wife the rank and privileges
of her family, to be surrendered later by her father to the children
with interest, depending on the number of offspring. When the debt is
paid the father has redeemed his daughter, and the marriage is
annulled unless the husband renews his payment. Among the other tribes
of the group an actual sale of the girl is rare. The Tlingit.
Tsimshian, coast Salish, and Bellacoola send gifts to the girl's
parents; but presents of nearly equal or even superior value are
returned. Monogamy predominates. In case of separation Salish parents
divide their children according to special agreement. Anton, the
Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and Heiltsuk the children always belong to
the mother. If a husband expels his wife from caprice he must return
her dowry; if she has been unfaithful he keeps the dowry and may
demand his wedding gifts.
On the lower Pacific coast the clan system disappears. The regulations
of the Indians of California vary considerably. Some tribes have real
purchase of women; others ratify the marriage merely by an exchange of
gifts. Polygamy is rare. Divorce is easily accomplished at the
husband's wish, and where wives are bought the purchase money is
refunded. Among the Hupa the husband can claim only half of his
payment if he keeps the children. Wintun men seldom expel their wives,
but slink away from home, leaving their families behind.
The Pueblos, representing a much higher stage of culture, shoe very
different marriage conditions. The clan organization is developed,
there is no purchase, and the marriage is arranged by the parents or
independently by the young couple. The Zuñi lover, after bringing
acceptable gifts, is adopted as a son by the father of his betrothed,
and married life begins in her home. She is thus mistress of the
situation: the children are hers, and she can order the husband from
the house should the occasion arise.
Of the Plains Indians some had the gentiles system, while others
lacked it completely. They seem to have practiced polygamy more
commonly, the younger sisters of a first wife being potential wives
of the husband. Among the Pawnee and the Siksika the essential
feature of the marriage ceremony was the presentation of gifts to the
girl's parents. In case of elopement the subsequent presentation of
gifts legitimized the marriage and removed the disgrace which would
otherwise attach to the girl and her family (Grinnell). The men had
absolute power over their wives, and separation and divorce were
common. The Hidatsa, Kiowa, and Omaha had no purchase. The women had a
higher social position, and the wishes of the girls were consulted.
Wives could leave cruel husbands. Each consort could remarry and the
children were left in the custody of their mother or their paternal
grandmother. Separation was never accompanied by any ceremony.
East of the Mississippi the clan and gentile systems were most highly
developed. The rules against marriage within the clan or gens were
strictly enforced. Descent of name and property was in the female line
among the Iroquoian, Muskhogean, and southeast Algonquian tribes, but
in the male line among the Algonquians of the north and west. Among some
tribes, such as the Creeks, female descent did not prevent the
subjection of women. As a rule, however, women had clearly defined
rights. Gifts took the place of purchase. Courtship was practically
alike in all the Atlantic tribes of the Algonquian stock; though the
young men sometimes managed the matter themselves, the parents
generally arranged the match. A Delaware mother would bring some game
killed by her son to the girl's relatives and receive an appropriate
gift in return. If the marriage was agreed upon, presents of this kind
were continued for a long time. A Delaware husband could put away his
wife at pleasure, especially if she had no children, and a woman
could leave her husband. The Hurons and the Iroquois had a perfect
matriarchate, which limited freedom of choice. Proposals made to the
girl's mother were submitted by her to the women's council, whose
decision was final among the Hurons. Iroquois unions were arranged by
the mothers without the consent or knowledge of the couple. Polygamy
was permissible for a Huron, but forbidden to the Iroquois. Divorce
was discreditable, but could easily be effected. The children went
with the mother.
Monogamny is thus found to be the prevalent form of marriage
throughout the continent. The economic factor is everywhere potent,
but an actual purchase is not common. The marriage bond is loose, and
may, with few exceptions, be dissolved by the wife as well as by the
husband. The children generally stay with their mother, and always
do in tribes having maternal clans. See Adoption,
Captives, Child
life, Clans and Gens,
Government, Kinship,
Women. Consult Crantz, History of Greenland, 1767; Boas, Central Eskimo,
1888; Nelson, Eskimo about Bering Strait, 1899; Krause,
Tlinkit-Indianer, 1885; Box, Reps. on N. AV. Tribes of Can. to Brit.
A. A. S., 1889-98; Powers, Tribes of California, 1877; J. O. Dorsey,
(1) Omaha Sociology, 1884; (2) Siouan Sociology, 1897; Farrand, Basis
of American history, 1904; Goddard in Univ. Cal. Pub., Am. Archaol.
and Ethnol., t, no. l, 1903; Mooney, Calendar Hist. Kiowa, 1900;
Grinnell, (1) Blackfoot Lodge Tales, 1892, (2) Pawnee Hero Stories,
1889; Cushing, Adventures in Zuni, Century Mag., 1883; Powell, Wyandot
Government, 1881; Morgan, League of the Iroquois, 1851; Heckewelder,
Hist. Manners and Customs Indian Nations, 1876; Voth in Ain. Anthrop.,
ii, no. 2, 1900; Owen, Musquakie Folk-lore, 1904; Dixon in Bull. Am.
Mus. Nat. hist., xvii, pt. 3, 1905; Kroeber in Bull. Am. Mus. Nat.
Hist., xviii, pt. 1, 1902; Holm, Descr. New Sweden, 1834.
Additional Indian History
Resources:
The books presented are for their
historical value only and are not
the opinions of the Webmasters of
the site.
Handbook of American Indians, 1906
Indian Tribal History
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