THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
H. E. WADSWORTH, Superintendent
VOLUME 17 MARCH, W5 NUMBER 6
PRIMITIVE "AND MODERN
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
IJY LEO J. FRACIITEXBKRG, Bureau of American Ethnology
HE various forms of human marriage and their proba
ble origin have long ago drawn the attention of
scholars and laymen alike. An investigation of
this interesting subject is of special import to us, as it
gives us an idea how our wedding ceremonies and
customs originated.
Far back in the earliest period of human history
we find our savage ancestor exerting all his energies upon the acquisi--tion
of a mate, who would be to him a helpful companion and the
mother of his children. He acquired this mate in the only way that
was open to him by means of capture. Primitive man stole or carried
off his future wife not because he was ferocious, as many are inclined
to believe, but because of the difficulty he encountered in procuring a
wife in a friendly manner. It must be borne in mind that in those re
mote days abundance of children was an important factor in a man's
wealth. Their bringing up cost nothing, or very little, and the help
they offered to the household, when grown up, was of immense value.
Hence, a family was always unwilling to part with one of its mem
bers, without receiving compensation for the loss thus sustained. An
other important cause that forced our savage ancestors to capture their
wives, was the low degree of sociability that existed and still exists in
primitive communities. As in those days the fashion of living together
in large numbers was not practiced, and social intercourse and func
tions were unheard of, each family constituted a distinct, independent
unit, that looked upon every stranger as its natural enemy.
Hence, an outsider trying to become a member of such a social body,
was treated like a foe, even if his intentions were the best.
It was, therefore, very natural that abduction should have been the
primary form of human marriage. And this savage form is still prac
ticed by a number of races, scattered all over Asia, Australia, and Africa.