Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1894 — Family Life of Sioux Indians. [ARTICLE]

Family Life of Sioux Indians.

A writer in Outing gives an amusing account of “Sketcning Among the Sioux.” He says that the kindness and patience of these people in their d( mestic relations are very noticeable. Tho women have certain duties to perform, as among other races; but the men do not disdain to help them on occasions any more than does a white man of good disposition. We never saw, during our whole residence in the Sioux village, a single family quarrel, and the children were rarely if ever punished. One example to illustrate this characteristic pleased and amused us not a little. One day, Flying-bv's wife came to our tent and asked us t > lend her a small hand-mirror which we possessed. We gave it to her, and then watched her to see what she would do with it. About a mile and a half or two miles away pi horse-race was in progress, watched by three or four hundred mounted Indians. The squaw took the mirror, stood in front of tho tent, and reflected a beam of sunlight from the glass along the f round in line with tho group of Inians. It was only two or three minutes before a solitary horseman ffeft the band and came tearing over the prairie toward, us. It was t lying-by, who sprang off his horse at our door and looked inj quiringly around. His wife had gone back to her cooking, and was apparently quite heedless eff his cqming. To his question whether Borne one had pot sent for him, we could only reply tnat we had seen his wife playing neliostat with our mirror, whereupon he went over and spoke tp her. In a moment he returned, and with a grin told us that, knowing he had money, his wife had called him Jiome for fear he might be tempted to 'gamble it away. He chuckled over her Erudonce, afld told us that he might ave made a lot of money if he had stayed; and not a cross word was spoken. Happiness has no history.—Balzac