similar to those just described. The morning after a wedding, a man,
who represents the father of the bride, delivers the husband a whip,
which is very freely used whenever his wife offends him. They have
sacred groves, where the ceremonials of pagan worship are performed.
Women are not allowed to approach these places, and men must bathe
before they enter. The mead, cakes, and beer, offered to their gods
must be prepared by virgins. At the return of vegetation in the spring,
a great sacrifice is offered to their deities, accompanied by a feast;
this is the only occasion, on which the women and children are allowed
to eat with their husbands and fathers.
Among the Morduans, when the stipulated price has been paid, the father
of the bridegroom leads away the bride, who, closely veiled, departs
from the parental roof with many tears. On reaching the bridegroom’s
dwelling, her future spouse, pulling his cap over his eyes, sits down
with her to table. His father takes a cake three feet long, prepared
for the occasion, and putting one end of it under the bride’s veil,
says, “Behold the light. Mayst thou be happy in bread and children!”
After this ceremony, the young man is, for the first time, permitted
to see the woman whom his father has chosen for him. The day is spent
in dancing, singing, feasting, and drinking; at the close of which the
bride is placed on a mat and carried to the bridegroom, to whom she is
consigned with these words: “There, wolf, take thy lamb.”
The Wotyake fathers go to the house of their sons-in-law, soon after
the wedding, with a portion of the dowry they had promised; they take
the bride back to the parental home, where she remains for a few
months, sometimes a year. During this time, she lays aside the matron
dress she had assumed, and works partly for her parents, partly for
herself. When her husband comes to claim her again, she shows the same
reluctance to accompany him, that she did at first. These women are
very modest, virtuous, and industrious.
The Ostiaks generally make a great many visits to a girl’s father,
before her price is settled; and each time a strong effort is made to
abate the sum, so as to get as cheap a bargain as possible. The price
varies from ten to one hundred reindeer; but the bride usually brings
some dowry to her husband. As soon as the young man has paid half the
price they have agreed upon, he comes to the hut and takes up his
abode there. If he likes the girl, who without further ceremony is
considered his wife, he is bound to give her mother a reindeer; but if
he has cause for dissatisfaction, she is obliged to give him one. The
husband cannot take his wife to his own hut, or beat her without her
father’s permission, until the whole of her price is paid. On payment
of the second installment, a wedding feast is given, and the company
divert themselves with singing, dancing, and stories of love or war.
The men and women dance together, in couples, with a variety of amorous
gestures.
The Tungusians are the prettiest women in Siberia, and the men are
the best archers. Some of them tattoo lines, curves, and figures on
various parts of the face. It is done by drawing threads, blackened
with soot, under the skin. The threads are soon withdrawn, but when
the violent inflammation subsides, dark blue marks appear, which are
never afterward erased. This painful operation is performed on children
from six to ten years old. A wife is bought for a few reindeer, but
not even the simple and universal ceremony of a feast takes place in
commemoration of the event.
The Samoyedes have such squat figures, large heads, small eyes, flat
noses, and wide mouths, that some old travellers described them as
human beings with dogs’ heads. The women are said to be somewhat less
ugly than the men. A Samoyede has as many wives as he can furnish
reindeer to pay for; but no ceremonies of any kind consecrate their
marriages.
The Tchuktchi are among the wildest of the Siberians. They consider it
wrong and disgraceful to rob or murder one of their own tribe; but such
actions are regarded as honorable, and even glorious, when committed
upon the members of any other tribe. This is a good commentary on
Christian and enlightened nations, who consider it a great sin to
make slaves of their own people, but regard the self-same action as
perfectly justifiable toward persons of different complexion. If savage
nations could write _our_ history, how ridiculous they might make us
appear by stating simple facts, without the varnish of sophistry with
which we are accustomed to conceal them!
But to return to the Tchuktchi; expertness in theft is considered
so honorable, that a girl who has not given some such proofs of her
abilities, stands a poor chance for a husband. These people, as well as
the Koraiks, have as many wives as they can buy. Those who are rich in
flocks often have one to tend each of their numerous herds. The poor
serve their intended father-in-law for a stipulated time, or carry off
some girl by force.
The men of Kamtschatka are an uncouth looking race; but when the women
are clean, they are said not to be altogether disagreeable. They have
black hair and eyes, a ruddy complexion, and small hands and feet. The
Kamtschadales take as many wives as they can, and abandon them whenever
they think proper.
The Siberians spend their time in hunting, fishing, smoking, drinking,
and bartering away their furs to Russian traders, by the light of a
brand, in a country covered with eternal snows. All the numerous and
toilsome domestic occupations fall upon the women. They build the
huts, tend the cattle, pack the sledges, harness the reindeer, weave
mats, baskets, and cloth, dye worsted for embroidery, tan hides, make
garments, cook the food, tend the children, and in some tribes catch
all the fish. Their husbands are savagely jealous; yet they would
consider it beneath their masculine dignity to reward the most virtuous
and industrious wife with a kind word, or even a kind look. Women
are not allowed to eat with men; and particular dainties, such as
reindeer’s head, they are never suffered to taste. Among many tribes
they seem to be regarded as impure, unholy beings. They must not
approach that portion of the hut which contains any sacred object; in
loading or unloading the sledges, they are not suffered to step across
the foot-marks of men or reindeer, but must go round the sledge; and
it is deemed necessary to purify by fumigation the places where they
have sat. When likely to become mothers their situation is peculiarly
deplorable; for they are then obliged to live on stale, half putrid
provisions, not being allowed to touch fresh food.
When boys commit any fault, mothers are often beaten for it in their
stead. Under these cruel circumstances, the love of offspring,
naturally so strong in the female heart, is entirely destroyed.
Wives deprecate becoming mothers, and use all the means within their
knowledge to destroy innocent beings, who, if they drew the breath of
existence, would only add to their cares and sufferings. They nurse
their infants for a very long time. When busy, they hang them up in a
sort of basket, while the older children tumble about on hay spread on
the ground. Their cabins are parted into small divisions not unlike
cow stalls, and each mother has her separate establishment. It is not
unusual to see Samoyede women mothers at eleven years old, although
they inhabit an intensely cold climate, on the very borders of the
Frozen ocean.
Throughout Siberia it is a common thing for a man who is too poor
to buy a wife, and too lazy to work for one, to seize and carry
off by main force the first woman he meets; indeed this is not a
rare occurrence among any tribes where wives are purchased. If the
depredator be overtaken, he is likely to receive a sound drubbing;
but if he secures the prize within his hut, he can make much cheaper
arrangements with the parents, than he could under other circumstances.
The Siberian women are remarkably stupid and listless. In general they
seem to be alive to no other emotion than fear of the cudgel. Yet,
even in the rudest tribes, there are individuals who care enough about
personal attractions to paint their faces red and white, or tattoo the
face, neck, and arms in whimsical patterns. The Tchuktchi women, who
wear merely trowsers and robes of dog-skin, or reindeer’s skin, with
the hair outside, leave one half of the breast uncovered, tattoo the
arms, and almost always contrive to have some kind of ear-rings and
necklaces.
The Kamtschadale women used to wear feather caps in winter, and wooden
hats in summer; but Russian caps are now in general use; and commerce
has made them so luxurious that a few of the rich paint their faces,
wear garments of costly fur, with silk stockings and morocco shoes.
Most of the Siberian women wear bark shoes, and wrap up their ankles
in rags, until they resemble stumps. Tribes in the vicinity of trading
stations are comparatively well supplied with the necessaries and
conveniences of life, and the women are less stupid and indifferent.
Their dress is sometimes not altogether devoid of taste, and even
elegance. Their garments are neatly made, all the borders and seams
being embroidered with colored worsted. Their birch bark caps are
adorned with coral, beads, shells, coins, or small plates of metal.
Suspended behind these gay head-dresses are loose floating bands, or
festoons of beads; and sometimes from each shoulder hangs a long strip
of yellow leather or cloth, adorned with little brass images of horses,
reindeer, and fish. Some hang from their girdles a collection of
tassels, thimbles, buttons, and other trinkets, which make an incessant
jingling when they walk. Indeed one of the smarter sort of Siberian
women, in what she considers full dress, carries decorations that would
be quite too heavy to caparison a horse.
The Siberians have various uncouth pantomimic dances. Those in which
the women are allowed to join, are generally of an amorous character,
and not remarkably decorous. Cleanliness either in their persons, food,
or garments, is a rare virtue among these tribes; some are filthy
beyond description.
The shamans of Siberia are priests, physicians, and sorcerers. Children
of extremely irritable nerves are usually chosen for this profession,
the duties of which are fatiguing and often frightful. The poor
creatures are made to drink intoxicating liquors, and early have their
imaginations filled with an idea of the awful supernatural power they
are destined to receive from evil spirits. These preparations induce
paroxysms of frenzy, during which their words and actions are supposed
to be inspired. Women, from their liability to nervous disorders, are
often chosen for this purpose. The parents of such debilitated girls
make money by the superstitions of people who come to consult them, and
to purchase little images as a protection against malignant spirits.
These unfortunate beings often lead an existence full of terror,
laboring under great bodily weakness, and fully believing themselves
under the influence of the evil one; some of them, however, are artful,
and enjoy the power which they know to be a mere mockery. They wear the
horns of animals, stuffed serpents, eagles’ claws, and all manner of
fantastic things, to give them an awful appearance.
When the Siberians remove to a new place of residence, the women
sometimes walk on snow-shoes, and sometimes ride the reindeer. The
Kamtschadale women travel in sledges, but are obliged to have some man
with them, to guide the unruly dogs.
[Illustration: A Mohammedan woman riding.]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A light boat.
[2] An instrument with eight strings.
[3] Light wagons.
[4] The Hindoo word for harem.
[5] Certain sacred books.
[6] A widow who voluntarily immolates herself.
[Illustration: Girl of Timor.]
ASIATIC ISLANDS.
The prevailing customs in Ceylon are similar to those of India. They
are divided into distinct castes, from the nobleman to the weaver of
mats; the children follow the same business as their fathers; and it
is not allowable for one tribe to marry into another. The people in
general labor hard, and subsist on a little rice and salt. One of their
principal ceremonies of marriage, consists in tying the garments of the
bride and bridegroom together, in token that they are bound together
for life. This is solemnized in the presence of friends and relations,
with such festivities as the wealth of the parties admit.
In many of the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, the condition of
women is far better than it is on the continent of Asia. They are
not shut up within the walls of a harem, but are allowed to eat with
the men, and associate with them on terms of equality. Foreigners
are freely introduced to them, and they sometimes attend the parties
given by English and Dutch residents, where they uniformly behave with
modesty and propriety.
Before the introduction of Mohammedanism into Java, women often held
the highest offices of government; and when the chief of a district
dies, it is even now not uncommon for the widow to retain the authority
that belonged to her deceased husband. Polygamy is permitted by
religion and law, but the common people seldom have more than one
wife. The sovereign of Java does not by custom have more than four,
nor the chiefs more than two; but they generally have a greater or
less number of mistresses. It is extremely easy to obtain divorces
and form new connections; but during the continuance of the relation,
the matrimonial vow is said in general to be faithfully observed. If
a woman is dissatisfied with her husband, she can obtain divorce by
paying a certain sum of money established by custom. The lower class
pay about twenty dollars, and the higher pay fifty. The husband can
refuse to consent, but he seldom does so, because it is considered
dishonorable to live with a reluctant companion. It is not uncommon
to see a woman who has divorced three or four husbands before she is
thirty years old. Some individuals change their mates ten or twelve
times. A man may at any time obtain separation by making suitable
provision for his wife’s support; and this is no difficult matter in a
country where food is very abundant, and shelter almost unnecessary.
The Javanese have very little of the Asiatic jealousy of women; but
when they believe themselves wronged, they pursue the offender with
the most implacable revenge. The prince of Madura, during times of
political commotion, sought refuge with his family on board a Dutch
ship. The captain, according to the custom of his country, greeted the
princess with a kiss. She screamed, and her husband immediately stabbed
him to the heart.
There are three kinds of marriages in Java. The first, which is most
common, is where the rank of the parties is equal, or the bridegroom
superior to the bride; the second is where the wife’s station is much
above that of the husband; and the third is a sort of half-marriage,
the offspring of which are not allowed to be upon an entire equality
with the other children. In the two first kinds of marriage, the
ceremonies are alike; but in the last there is no ceremony at all. The
first wife is always at the head of the family; on this account, no
father is willing to bestow his daughter upon a man of his own rank for
a second or third wife.
Girls are generally disposed of in marriage at a very early age. An
unmarried woman of twenty-two years old is almost unheard of in Java.
The wedding ceremonies are similar to those in neighboring countries.
The betrothment is arranged by relatives, and consists in the offering
and accepting of gifts.
A price is always paid by the bridegroom, in money, jewels, clothes,
buffaloes, or rice, according to his wealth. This is generally regarded
as a provision for the wife; but among some tribes, the money or
goods is given outright to the girl’s parents. On the wedding day,
the bridegroom, dressed in his richest attire, and mounted on his
best steed, proceeds to the bride’s dwelling, accompanied by his
friends with music. When they approach, she comes out to meet them,
and receives them with a low obeisance. In some districts they have a
frolicsome custom of throwing bundles of betel leaves at each other,
as soon as the bride appears at the door. If she receives a blow on
the forehead it is considered as a sign that she will have to obey
her husband; but if the reverse happens, it is supposed that she will
govern him. The bridegroom conducts his bride to a seat elevated above
the rest of the company, and in token of their intention to live
together, they eat siri (or betel leaves) from the same siri-box.
In some places they eat rice from the same vessel. The nuptials are
celebrated at the mosque, according to the Mohammedan ritual, and the
young couple move through the village in gay procession; the bride in
an open litter, decked with all the jewels she could buy or borrow,
and the bridegroom and his friends on horseback, with as much splendor
of appearance as their means will allow. They are always accompanied
by music, and sometimes a buffoon goes before them making ludicrous
gestures. They return to a feast at the bride’s parents’; and on the
fifth day after the marriage, a new procession is formed to escort them
to the house of the bridegroom’s father, where an entertainment is
prepared, and where they again eat siri from the same siri-box.
In some districts, the spinning wheel, loom, and various cooking
utensils, are carried in the bridal procession. Among some tribes in
the interior, it is customary for the bride to wash the bridegroom’s
feet, in token of subjection; in other places, he treads upon a raw
egg, which she wipes from his foot. In some parts of the island, when
a man marries a second or third wife, he approaches the bride with
a burning brand, on which she pours water from a vase. An English
traveller speaks of a widow, who, growing weary of this ceremony before
the brand was extinguished, threw the remainder of the water full in
her lover’s face. As first marriages are generally arranged by parents,
the second wife is more apt to be the object of real affection.
In Java the labor of women is estimated about as high as that of men;
and as they are generally industrious and frugal, they are quite
independent of the other sex. Children are not deserted or neglected,
as they are in many parts of Asia, because in Java it is very easy to
support them, and to employ them profitably. Among the poor, it is
common for the parents to drop their proper names on the birth of
their first child, especially if it be a son: if the babe, as often
happens, is called by such a name as The Handsome One, they are called
the Father and Mother of The Handsome One.
The birth of a child is celebrated by a feast of yellow rice, to which
the relations are invited; but the name is not conferred with any
religious ceremonies. A yearly festival is held in Java in honor of the
dead. On these occasions, men, women, and children, dressed in their
best clothing, repair to the burial-places and strew the tombs of their
parents with flowers consecrated to that purpose.
All the women in Java, from the princess to the peasant, weave and
make the garments worn by their families. Men are accustomed to
pride themselves on the beauty of the cloth woven by their wives and
daughters. In every part of the island women may be seen spinning and
weaving, on an elevated veranda in front of their bamboo cottages,
protected from the sun by a projection of the roof.
The Javanese are generally mild, respectful, and timid. They are said
to have a pensive look, and their demeanor is somewhat elegant and
insinuating. Women of the lower classes, being very much exposed to the
influence of an intensely hot climate, become extremely ugly in their
old age.
With regard to complexion, they consider a golden yellow as the
standard of perfection. One of their popular poets, describing a
graceful woman, says, “Her neck was yellow as gold, her gait was gentle
and majestic, like that of an elephant.” The Javanese have naturally
very fine teeth, but they used to consider it a disgrace to let them
remain “white, like a dog’s;” and at eight or nine years old, they
were filed and died indelibly black, with a preparation made of burnt
cocoa-nut. This is a painful operation, but was formerly considered so
necessary, that when they wished to say a girl was past her childhood,
they expressed it by saying, “She has had her teeth filed.” Some people
of fantastic taste had them filed so as to resemble a saw. But Sir
Stamford Raffles says the custom of filing the teeth in any way is now
nearly out of fashion in Java.
They spoil their mouths, which are usually handsome, by the use of
betel and tobacco. Both men and women take pride in a beautiful head
of hair, which they perfume with fragrant oils. The women fasten it in
a knot at the back of the head, and when in full dress they interweave
it with an enormous mass of flowers, and wear wreaths suspended from
the ears. The Indian islanders are extremely fond of flowers; it is an
epithet they always apply to express beautiful things.
When the Javanese wish to appear particularly fascinating, they stain
the face, neck, and arms with a yellow cosmetic obtained from perfumed
flowers.
The sovereign keeps a select band of beautiful dancers for the
amusement of the royal household. These females are the only persons
that are allowed to perform the _s’rimpi_,--a slow, modest, and
exceedingly graceful dance, resembling a minuet by four persons. At the
beginning and end of the dance, the performers raise their clasped
hands to their foreheads, and bend reverentially toward the prince.
None but very young girls belong to this band, and they leave it as
soon as they become mothers.
Javanese women of high rank dress in a manner exceedingly tasteful and
magnificent. They wear full flowing robes of delicate silk, of green or
other colors, stamped with golden flowers; their girdles are composed
of plates of gold, clasped with diamonds; while armlets, bracelets, and
tiaras are richly chased and studded with gems.
The public class of dancers, called _rong-gengs_, are similar to their
frail sisters of Hindostan in dress and deportment. But notwithstanding
their profligacy, those who acquire considerable fortune frequently
marry men much superior to themselves in rank. Their songs are very
comic, and they are sometimes accompanied by a buffoon, who excites
laughter by a ludicrous imitation of all their movements. The Javanese
dances have the same characteristics, which distinguish that amusement
in various parts of Asia. They consist principally in graceful
attitudes, and slow movements of the limbs, even to distinct motions of
the hands and fingers. Men often join in these dances, but no females,
except professional dancers, ever perform before strangers.
The women of Java are very fond of a peculiar kind of amusement called
_sintren_. A little boy or girl, richly dressed, is put under a basket,
and music and song burst forth, while all the spectators clap their
hands to keep time. The basket soon begins to move; in a short time
the child rises--dances in a wild but graceful manner--seems to sink
exhausted into slumber--and awakes apparently unconscious of all that
has happened. The charm consists in the idea that the whole soul is
fascinated, and led unawares by the power of music.
The women of this island do not go with the upper part of the person
uncovered, as they do in the southern parts of the peninsula.
The Javanese are exceedingly superstitious. Their fears are easily
excited by dreams and bad omens, and they are great believers in old
women endowed with supernatural powers.
* * * * *