The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-06-16
HOW The LAPPS LIVE.
temethfng About the People Who Live
Way up by the North Pole.

eAo AOiCot LSAppos inc ldllcF TWO al
the true representatives of the race
LIN Norway they are classed as Sc
Laps. river Laps and mountain
Laps; the first two settled, the last
wandering or nemadic. Their habit
are most conservative, and can hardl,
have altered since the far distant tim
when they first tanned the reindeer
Reindeer form the chief wealth of the
Laps, and Thomson's lines may still
be taken as an accurate description o.
the uses to which their skins and horn.
are put, although one would think
spoons more likely than cups to be
carved out of the latter; but then where
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 learned to
drink coffee and wear stout Norwegian
cloth, but they set as much store bv the
reindeer as ever. A poor family will
iave 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
1rlshman, 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 go. and de-
clares he understands him. The rein
deer is much like a stag, only smaller:
all the people. animals, and trees in
Lapland are very diminutive, 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 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, partridges, and caper-cailzie. are
met with. The flesh is very nutritious.
and after a course of grass feeding il
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 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 often find 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 |
winter huts are made large enough TO |
hold dn1ap 20 ,,,,liac ol
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, skiddcr or |
onow-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 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 a {
sugar-loaf The dress of men and wo- !
men is much alike; they wear their |
Sair long and straight. falling down /
nc SlucS Vi Tue ucdu anu Tue Udch, anu /
md 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 a
short skin coat. with the hair outside. |
fastened round the waist with belt !
and buckle, and pair of tight-ftting
brooches of tanned reind Gather. 1
The brooches 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 breeches 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 !
Al IL