MOHAWK MARRIAGE

Continued from last week

Now (Bride), I begin with you. You have chosen this man to be your husband. This means that you are prepared to be his wife for the rest of your life. Is this the way you understand?

In all communities there are men/women who gossip and carry rumors, this the Creator forbids. In your marriage, when your husband may be away hunting or working and you are home alone, it may be then that men/women may come to your house and say that your husband is away and he has another woman. This you will not listen to as it is said for the purpose of attacking and destroying your good marriage. You will use a good mind and kind words, whenever a doubt is brought to you by someone. You will talk with your husband so that there will be no room for doubt or conflict between you. Do you understand and accept what I have told you?

Now when your husband has been working hard for you and your children, you will have food prepared for him and the children. Do you accept this responsibil­ity?

Now if you are lucky, the Creator will allow children to be born for you and your husband. Sometimes your children will be playing outside with other children from the community. It is dinner time. You will call your children and all the chil­dren playing with them to eat. If the neighbor children have soiled faces, you will wash their face and feed them as though they were your own children. You must never send them away as our Creator would be most displeased! Do you understand and accept this practice of our people?

Now it may be that in the future a sickness may fall upon your husband. This will change things that you were used to before. You must not get angry with him because he cannot work or do his normal duties. You will look for medicine that will make him well. You will bathe him, comb his hair and fix his pillow, in the event he can’t do it because of sickness. Do you accept this responsibility?

Now you will also act as a team consulting with your husband on all matters and agreeing or using one mind. This marriage is a partnership and no one is of more authority. You will not dominate your husband nor will he do this to you. Do you accept to do this in your marriage?

Now the speaker turns to the groom and asks him all the same questions.

Now the couple stand and they are asked to exchange their baskets as a symbol of their commitments and acceptance of the most sacredness of marriage.

The bride will tell her husband that she will do all that has been said. He too will tell his bride the same. Pledges are thus made between them.

Continued next week