The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-01-29
HOW THE LAPPs LIVE.
Something About the People Who Live
Way up by the North Pole.

are usually divided into fisher, mountain
and forest Laps; the latter two are
the true representatives OF the race.
In Norway they are classed as sea
Lapps, river Lapps and mountain
Laps; the first two settled, the last,
wandering or nomadic. Their habits
are most conservative, and can hardly
have altered since the far distant time
when they first tanned the reindeer.
Reindeer form the chief wealth of the
Lapps, and Thomson's lines may still
be taken as an accurate description of
the uses to which their skins and horns
are put, although one would think
spoons more likely than cups to be
carved out of the latter; but then where
would great deal of poetry be if the
poet could not draw on his poetic
license at pleasure; perhaps, however,
Thomson alluded to the milk
1.-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 learned 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 as 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-
clares he understands him. The rein
deer is much like stag, only smaller;
all the people, animals, and trees in
Lapland are very diminutive, the men
are mostly under fivefeet 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 in proportion. In sum
mer the reindeer feed upon grass, and
give excellent milk; in the winter they
feed upon moss, which they scratch up
under great depths of snow with mar
vellouS 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 ptarmi-
gan, cartridges, and caper-cailzie. are
met with. The flesh is very nutritious,
and after a 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 kettles of cop
per 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 cone, with an opening
in the center to allow the smoke to
escape, and a few mats are spread on
the floor. Each side of the fireplace is
divided into three chambers, separated
by mats or skins, the innermost for
husband and wife, the next for the
children, and the outer for servants;
when they are too poor for servants,
they oftenfind room for some reindeer.
The winter dwellings are much more
substantial, and are rooted with beams.
on which are hung the dried cakes and
reindeer flesh. while, outside, the huts
are covered with bushes and earth; the
door is very low and small, and can
only be entered by creeping on the
hands and knees. Sometimes these
WlntpT Hn
hold dozen families, separated by cur
tains OF skins. The windows are made
from the intestines of seals, prepared
and seWed together. The furniture 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
snow-shoes, 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 rein
deer pelts and a filthy peaked blue cap.
In winter all the dress is made of rein
deer-skins, except the cap, which is
made of blue cloth, and shaped like
sugar-loaf. The dress of men and wo-
men is much alike; they wear their
hair long and straight, falling down
the sides of the head and the back, and
and as boards and whiskers are never
seen, there is some difficulty in distin-
gushing the sexes: you can tell them
by their boots: the men wear long, the
women short ones. The costume is in
the Bloomer style, and consists of
short skin coat, with the hair outside.
fastened round the waist with a belt
and buckle, and a pair of tight-fttinc
breeches of tanned reindeer Gather.
The breeches 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 breaches and fastened at the top
by long piece of list, which keeps out
the snow and makes them nearly water
proof.
Even in the depth of winter the Lapps
have their necks 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 mittens, and often
ornamented with great taste. In sum-
mer the same leather breeches are
Int bo =, j.