The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-01-14
Morning Star and Catholic sssengsr
' s-rI oS1ESS - snSDAY, JANUARY u 81
JuVERILE COLUMN.
LAPLANp AND THE LAPS.

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parts of Norway, Sweden. and Russia, and
borders on the Arctic sea. 1t is said that the
Lapp5 once had what ia now Norway and
Sweden, but that they have been gradually
pushed north by more powerful natiops,
until they now have only narrow TERRI
ritory, with the Arctic Ocean on one side
and high mountains with perpetual snow
on the other. TGere are only about 1000
of them altogether, and these are scattered
in tribes, which have but little to do with
each other, and according to Mr.. X,
they speak such different languages that
those from one part of the country can not
understand those from another part, though
they all call tbemselves one nation. AS a
rule they are very small, the men being
rarely over five and often under four feet
high, and the women much smaller; they
have dark ekins, very black and straight
hair, very little beard, which they pull out
when young, and dark deeply set eyes
They dress In wooden cloth in summer, and
in furs In winter, ard are fond of gay colors.
They use when travelling on the snow q
kind of skates called skiders," which are
made of light wood, one of them as long as
the person who wears it, ar d the other foot
shorfer;the feet are fastened to the middle of
these by thongs, and with them he can skim
over the snow so fast that he can overtake
the swlftest animal. Perhaps if asked what
you know about the Laplauders, almost
every one of you would answer-"R Rein
deer aud you would no right, fer this
is the most peculiar thing about them, and
they are the only people in the word "! o
regularly use any KIND of deer as g domss-
tic animal. don'G intend to give you f8ll
history of the Laps, or to tell yuu al that
Mr.. Il. writes about them, but only about
the people, their houses, and their reindeer.
The men show much skid ia carving arti-
cles from reindeer's horns, and the women
In weaving ribbons and other finery OF
bright c0lors to wear Some of the Lapps
are wandering tribes, living always in tents
and moving from place TO place; others
build huts of stone and moss which they
live in in winter, aud take to their tents
only in summer, when they go from the
mountains down to the sea, while others
still, called the Fisher LRpps, live near the
water all the year in the most miserable
huts, surrounded by heaps of decaying fab;
these are regarded as the lowest of all and
they are so dirty as to be very unpleasant
people. The tents are made like those of
some of our Western Indians lot of poles
placed together to form a cone, and this is
covered in summer with coarse cloth, and
IN winter with skins /; a hearth or fire place
OF stones is made in the middle of the tent,
and the smoke goes out at hole in the top.
The floor is covered with ekins, and in this
place, not more than ak feet across, the
whole family sleep at night, and hu6dle
around the fire by day. All their furniture
consists of q chest Tor the best clothes, a
few bowls, pote, and kettles Living in
this way, it is no wonder that they are not
clean, that tho smoke causes most of them
TO nave sore eyes, and that there ara great
many blind people among them. Even the
Wealthlest among them live in manner
tna6 tne poorest among US would think
most miserable. Their wealth consists al
most entirely of reindeer. Though the |
most useful, the reindeer is probably the !
least graceful of all the deer family, Il |
10 remarkable for the great size OF it's |
spreading boots, which allow it to travel |
over the snow. The horns are very large. |
ana broad at the top, and weigh from 20 to |
rs lbs. Unlike other deer, The females, as
well as the males, have horns. 1t feeds IN |
winter entirely upon what ia called rein
deer moss, which is q whit'sh kind of Echcn,
not rare in our Northern States, and very
abundant in Lapland. The deer gives its
owner no trouble about feeding or stabiing:
it digs it's own food from under the enoS,
ana all the housing it gets is pen at night
to Keep OF wolves; In summer it feeds upon
the leaves of trees and upon green herbs
Sometimes the deer are wild, but they can
be made very tame and become fond of
tnelr master. The females furnish a very
rlch milk, though but little of it, and is used
as food and to make butter and cheese. The
deer is used for riding ard to draw the
sledge, and as pack animal hut IL ia not
much used for riding, as it is very weak in
The back bone, and the saddle is placed on
the launches. The Lapps, who wander
rom place to place, rarely stay in
,ne spot more than q fortnight by that
lime the pasture is used up, and in half an
lour the tent is taken down, and that, With
al the household goods, is packed on the
packs of the deer, and the family start to
ind new home. But it is in the sledge or I
pulka," as they call it, that the deer
ravels best; this is like a boat with I
'ound bottom, and it carries but one, and |
he is packed in with furs very snugly. The {
deer has q collar around its neck, from r
which the traces run down between it's legs, 7
aud are made fast to the siedge; reins are at /
tached to the horns, aud small bells are fas 6
tened to the collar, as the deer is fond of '
thelr sound. The deer will draw the sledGe i
sixty or seventy miles day. Perhaps you c
th!nk it would be grand thing to go off in T
this ETY. but 1t is really hard work, and /
not without danger. The driver has all be v
can attend to he has to balance the sledge t
with bis hody-for woe to him if he should Y
upset He carries stick to steer by and t
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