Show SQUAW TELLS TALE ic OF PRIMITIVE LOVE remarkable story by smithsonian man washington va ab in to childhood ill hood love ind tt death in a ithe society are ap pic aured in an intensely brillan hun nn document maw I 1 ansti list just issued by the gutlon it I 1 is s the life story 0 of a southern herself tile r cheyenne woman told by narrative was secured by dr anin michelson smithsonian ethnologist common elements kleinen el einen there are many in the life of this child ol of a nomadic nonia ilic prairie people and little girls everywhere the autobiography bears witness 6 at first she says we girls played what we e called tiny P play lay our mo mothers ti w women c n like men made rag dolls boys girls and babies we use used for forked ked sticks for ponies and placed the tiny people on the fork of the sticks pretending to move camp sometimes a baby would be born or a marriage would take place in fact anything e knew about older people we did not allow any boys to play with us 0 we had rag dolls to represent boys As I 1 grew a little older we clayt want we called large play this play PIRY consisted of test leal people namely bos boas and girls the boys would go olle hunting and bring meat and other food we girls would pitch our tepees and make ready everything as lf it it were real camp life some of tbt boys would go on the warpath karpath and always come home victorious they would relate their war experience telling how successful they were nere we girls would sing war songs to CC ac knowledge the bravery of our heroes repulsed all suitors As she grew older various young braves tried to force their attentions upon her but being an exceptionally proper maiden according to the teachings of her people she repulsed all her suitors one evening she came home from a visit to a girl chum to find that a man whom she barely knew by sight had been negotiating with her father for her hand band she was told that her parents were growing old and must make some provision tor for the future of their children so after she had consented her ber relatives escorted her to a point near the camp of her intended husband there she te i elates lates my future husbands women folks met me carried me to in a blanket the rest of the way and let me down to the entrance ot of his tepee I 1 walked in and sat beside bilm lie ile was a stranger ile he had biad never come to see me after some little time the women brought in many shawls dresses rings bracelets leggings and moccasins then they had bad me change clothes they braided my hair and painted my face with red dots on my cheeks her wedding attire this was her wedding attire they were married and in the years thit followed had eight children then she continues my husbands healir became brolien broken we sum summoned nned many indian doctors and gave away much personal wearing apparel and some clothing one day he be pledged a sacrifice offering a sacred ritual which Is regarded as a prayer to the spirits for foil health and strength but he be passed away before we could carry out the pledge pi edge 1 I surely loved my husband rih IIII death made me very lonely aal was a terrible event in my life sly hair was cut oil off just below my ears this was done by an old woman before cutting off my braids she first raised both her hands toward the sky touched the earth with the palms of her hands bands and made a downward motion repeated four times thus ray my braids were cut off in accordance with the belief that the spirits woud be pleased and extend blessings and soman sympathy to the bereaved the old od woman was given a blanket and a dress drem ills his death marked the pass passing ilig of our tepee it if people do not come collie and carry away something the whole tepee is destroyed by fire |