Dragging the Pole
Oneida Sound Recording
Description: An old marriage custom told by Mrs. Thomas Baird to Andrew Beechtree and read by Maria Hinton and Amos Christjohn
Written text: Internlinear Translation (PDF)
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English Translation
He Drags the Pole
This is the kind of custom they used to have with the old ways on how to confirm a marriage. They call this "He drags the pole". The man who is looking for a wife will drag a pole. When a woman steps on it, the two of them will go to the river and place the pole across it. Then he will lead her across. If the two cross over, then they become a couple. If they fall, then he will still be dragging the pole.
More Texts
This traditional Oneida story is one of several. For more, see our listing of Oneida Sample Texts.
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