"But, in truth," continued Sharon, "most Pikuni men take only one wife. Chiefs, however, who are duty bound to entertain guests and many other people from various different tribes, require a great deal of work from their women…too much work usually. Most women, who then are married to a chief, appreciate her man marrying another woman, if only to have another to share in the tremendous work imposed upon them. But, sometimes other men take a second or third wife because our men are prone to go to war, and so we lose many of our men in battles.
"Someone, you see," said Sharon, "must take care of the widows. Also, the brother of a man is oftentimes responsible to marry his deceased brother's wife and to provide for her, unless the woman marries another."
"Really?"
"Yes," said Sharon. "There are no servants and no slaves here. This is the reason for the custom. And so, sometimes it is the wife of a man who will ask her husband to marry another, often her own sister, so as to get help with the workload."
"But," asked Czanna, "if there are no servants or slaves, and if our husbands can only marry once, who is there to help us with the work expected of us?"
Sharon grinned. "All the people know of our religious beliefs and honor them. So, do not fear. There are many who will help. After all, all of our men have sisters, aunties, mothers, grandmothers and nieces. And, there are some widows who do not ever wish to marry again. All these might offer to help, and if they do, our husbands ensure they have good lodges to live in and meat enough so they do not go hungry. And, we women tend to help each other even if not related by blood. It is, after all, a time for us to get together and gossip or talk about many different matters…many of which are our men or the boys who go courting."
Sharon laughed, and Czanna giggled, saying, "It sounds like fun."
"It is," admitted Sharon. "But, don't tell our husbands. They think we are so overworked, they often volunteer to help us, also."
Czanna chuckled and said, "I will remember this."
"Yes, I know this may all seem confusing, but after a while, I think you will be very happy here," Sharon said. "Most usually the Pikuni men love their wives deeply and devote themselves to pleasing them, and so life here can be very pleasant, indeed."
Czanna gazed at her almost-mother-in-law and grinned. "I am very happy to hear it," she said.
In response, Sharon laughed. "But, returning to our most intimate family, I should probably first tell you about the man who is already known to you, First Rider. Although his mother is one of Chief Chases-the-enemy's wives, she is not Pikuni. She is Crow, and her son's father was also Crow."
"Really? They are Crow?"
"Indeed, they are. And, even though the Crow, as a tribe, are traditional enemies, they are still welcomed here. It was Chief Chases-the enemy, Eagle Heart and Gray Falcon who welcomed my husband, his sister and his sister's son into the family. It is a long and exciting story of what took place to bring them here, but this tale is for another time."
"Ah, I understand. But, what about Chief Chases-the-enemy's first wife?" asked Czanna. "Did she not object to her husband taking another wife?"
"Indeed, it is not so," answered Sharon. "You see, Little Dove, who is my husband's sister, was in a bad way when she came here, her own husband having been killed. And then, having almost lost her son, as well as then being required to come and live in what is considered by the Crow people to be a hostile tribe… Well, as you can imagine, it was not easy. My husband, her brother, accompanied her here to ensure she would be well taken care of.
"But, his concern was for naught. All was well, you see," continued Sharon. "Morning Sun Woman, the chief's first wife, is one of the sweetest and the kindest of all the people in our band of the tribe, and she welcomed Little Dove and her son into their family with an open heart. It is said she has cared for Little Dove as though she were her own sister."
"Goodness! It seems incredible," said Czanna. "And so, if I understand this correctly, First Rider is by blood Crow, but by tradition is now Pikuni?"
"Yes, this is true. But, let me tell you a little more so it does not seem to be too unusual. Little Dove is my husband's only living Crow relative. It is he who told me about his sister's first coming to the Pikuni tribe. Apparently, she was afraid to meet her new husband's first wife. This is because both she and the chief became united together for many months following the trail of her son's abductor."
"Abductor?"
"Yes. As a babe, First Rider had been stolen by an enemy tribe. And, it is this story I wish to tell you at some length once we have, ourselves, become more acquainted. But, as it happened, the chief's first wife had no knowledge of why her husband was missing, and so she was in mourning, fearing her husband had been killed. This is why Little Dove—my husband's sister—expected the chief's first wife, Morning Sun Woman, to hate her on sight. But, it was simply not to be."
"I am glad," replied Czanna. "However, I can understand why Little Dove might have thought this."
"Yes, to be sure. But, those fears were quickly put to rest. Truly, Morning Sun Woman was so happy to see her husband again, alive and well, she barely took notice of Little Dove. And then, upon learning of her husband's and Little Dove's plight in rescuing the baby—the young man you know as First Rider—Morning Sun Woman took pity on Little Dove and welcomed her into the family with a full and loving heart. She and her husband's kindness helped Little Dove through many trials in the beginning."
"This is very good," said Czanna. "Yet, it still seems incredible to me. But, my, what a story this is. First Rider was abducted as a baby. I did not know this, but then I have seldom had cause to speak to him. Might I please ask who abducted him?"
"Of course you can, although we seldom speak of it."
"Really? Why is this?"
"I fear it is because his captor was from an unusual tribe."
"Oh?" asked Czanna.
"Indeed it is true," said Sharon. "His captor was a female from the tribe of Big People."
"Big People? I have never heard them."
