Shoshone Love by Guest Angela K Couch

by Alfredo Rodriguez

In the story I just finished, a historical romance, I spent a lot of time pouring over Shoshone traditions for everything from preparing food to burying their dead, including how they were joined as man and wife. Because, let’s be honest, romance and weddings often go hand in hand…unless the heroine really didn’t want to marry that guy—but that’s a conversation for another day.

The Shoshone have some beautiful traditions for their weddings that I would like to share now so you don’t have to wait for my manuscript to become a book.

The ceremony is performed by the spiritual leader of the tribe. He gives them advice and rules to live by, which usually includes being chaste and true to each other. Then he might take a hair from each of their heads and tie the strands together as a symbol of their union. A family member sometimes hides this so the couple has to remain together, not being able to separate (divorce) until the hairs are unbound.

The bride and groom also said vows, often offered as poems of devotion and love. The following is one such traditional Shoshone poem:

“Fair is the white star of twilight, and the sky clearer
At the day’s end; but she is fairer, and she is dearer,
She, my heart’s friend.

Fair is the white star of twilight, and the moon roving
To the sky’s end; but she is fairer, better worth loving,
She, my heart’s friend.”

So the only thing left is to live happily ever after…right?

Angela K Couch lives in Alberta, Canada with her “hero” and three munchkins. Fascinated by history and in love with creating fiction, she's been lost in writing most of her life. As a passionate believer in Christ, she can't help her faith from permeating the stories she tells. Often her martial arts training, love of horses, and appreciation for good romance sneak in there as well. She has been a finalist and semi-finalist in several short story contests and was a semifinalist in the 2015 Genesis Contest. Visit her at www.angelakcouch.com, follow on Twitter or Facebook, and find on Amazon and Goodreads!