The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-26
LIFE AMONG THE Laps.
THE HABITS OF A DIMINUTLvE
NORTHERN RACE.
FIocIIs OF Reindeer their ChieY Vyealt1,
How the Laps DrcsS-Living by
| Fishing and Hunting.

usually divided into fisher, mountain and
forest Lapps; the latter two are the true
representatives of the race In Norway
they arc classed as sea Lapps, river Lapps
and mountain Laps; the first two set
tied, the last, wandering or nomadic.
Their habits are most conservative, and
can hardly have altered since the far dis
tant time when they first tanned the rein
deer. Reindeer form the chief wealth
of the Lapps, and Thomsons lines may
still be taken as an accurate description
of the uses to which their skins and
horns are put, although ono would think
spoons more likely than cups to he
would a great deal of poetry be if the
poet could not draw on his poetic license
at pleasure; perhaps, however, Thomson
alluded to the milk:
''The reindeer form their riches: these their
tents,
Their robes, their BEDS and all their homely
wealth
Supply; their wholesome food and cheerful
cups"
The mountain Lapps have learn ed to
drink coffee and wear stout Norwegian
cloth, but they set as much store by the
reindeer as ever A poor family will
have fifty and upward in a flock, the
middle classes three hundred to seven
hundred, and the richest one thousand
or more. The reindeer is us much be-
loved by the Lapp as his pig by the
Irishman, and the reindeer often sleep
in his hut in much the same fashion.
The lapp will whisper to his reindeer
when Harvesting him to his sleigh, and
will tell him where he is to 90, and de-
cares he understands him. The rein
deer is much like a stag, only smaller;
all the people, animals and trees in
Lapland arc very diminutivc, the men
are mostly under five feet high, and the
women under four feet nine inches, so
great are the rigors OF the climate in this
as in all countries under the Arctic circle,
and the cows, sheep and goats are all
small il proportion. In summer the
reindeer feed upon grass, and give ex-
cellent milk; in winter they feed upon
moss, which they scratch up under great
depths of snow with marvellous instinct.
When winter draws near, great numbers
are killed, and the flesh is dried and
smoked to provide food when the
ground is covered with snow, and but
few birds, like ptarmigan, partridges,
and caper- caillic, are met with. The
flesh is very nutritious, and after course
OF grass feeding it is surprising how
soon the reindeer become fat and plump.
The skin makes their dresses and boots.
the sinews their thread and fishing lines,
and the horns their spoons and domestic
utensils The utensils are not all of
horn; the Lapps have always some
kettle of copper and iron, and sometimes
also bowls of wood and tin, or even of
silver among the rich ones.
The wandering Lapps usually live in
rude huts, formed of trees or poles in the
shape of a cone, with an opening in the
centre to allow the smoke to escape, and
a few mats are spread on the floor Each
side OF the fire place is divided into
three chambers, separated by mats or
skins, the inncrmost for husband and wife
the next for the children, and the outer
for servants, when they are too poor for
servants, they often find room for some
reindeer. The winter dwellings are
much more substantial, and arc rooted
with beams, on which are hunr the
dried cakes and reindeerfcsh, while out.
side, the huts are covered with bushes
and earth; the door is very low and
small, and can only be entered by creep
ing on the hands and knees. Sometimes
these winter hu.s are made large enough
to hold a dozen families, separated by
curtains of skin. The windows are
made from the intcstines of seals. pre-
pared and sewed together The fur
niture is very primitive; such as it is, it
Is made by the men, who also do the
cooking and make the boats, sleighs,
skiddor or snowshoes, and the bows
and arrows.
The Lapp as he appears in his own
country Is very different from many of
the pictures so familiar to us. His usual
dress consists of dirty old reindeer pe!ts
and filthy peaked blue cap. In
winter all the dress is made of reindeer
skins, except the cap, which is made of
blue cloth, and shaped like sugar loaf.
The dress of men and women is similar
they wear their hair long and straight,
falling down the sides of the head and
the back, and as boards and whiskers
are never seen there is some difficulty in
distinguishing the sexes; you can
tell them by their boots; the
The costume is in the bloomer style. and
consists of e short skin coat, with the
hair outside, fastened round the waist
with belt and buckle, and pair of
tight fitting breeches Of tanned reindeer
leather. The brecches are fastened round
the ankle, and the boots are also of
tanned reindeer leather, peaked and
turned up at the toes, and are drawn
over the legs of the brooches and fastened
at the top by long piece Of list, which
keeps out the snow and makes them
nearly waterproof.
Even in the depth Of winter the Lapps
have their nccks always bare. They
wear no linen or stockings, and stuff the
boots, which are very roomy, with soft
hay made from cypress grass. Their
gloves are like mittcns, and often orna-
mented with great taste. In summer the
same leather brooches are worn, but the
coat is made of coarse blue cloth. The
women carry tobacco pouch, pipe,
scissors and spoon TO drink spirits