The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-07-15
LIFE IN LAPLAND.
IRREGULARITIES OF A sEMI-cVILlzED
PEOPLE OF THE NORTH.
Sea, River, and Mountain Lapps-Virtues
of the Much-BeIoved Reindeer
The Lapp at Home-Dress
and Equipment.
Harper's weekly.l

usually QlV1QeQ INTO uSnerJ uOuuIdIn' anu
forest Laps; the latter two are the true
representatives of the race. In Norway
thay are cIassed as sea Lapps. river Laps,
and mountain Laps; the first two settled
the last, wandering or nomad1c. Their
habits are most conservative, and can
hardly have altered since the far-distant
time when they first tanned the reindeer.
The mountain Lapps have learned to drink
coffee and wear stout Norwegian cloth,
but they set as much store by tn reindeer
as ever a poor family will have thirty
and upward in a fcck, the middle classes
800 to 100 and the richest 1000 or more.
The reindeer is as much beloved by the
Lapp as is his pig by the Irishman, and
the reindeer often sleeps 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 declares he understands
him.
The reindeer is much like 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 summer the rein
deer feed upon grass, and give excellent
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 GOV
cred with snow, and but few birds,
like ptarmigan, 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 rein
deer becomes fat and plump The skin
makes their dresses and boots the sinews
their thread and fshing-lines, and the
horns their spoons and domestic utensils
have always some kettles 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
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 serv-
ants. When they are too poor for serV-
ants they often find room for some rein
deer. 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 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, 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 reindeer pelts
and filthy peaked blue cap. In the
winter all the dress is made of reindeer
skins, except the cap, which is made of
blue cloth, and shaped like q sugar loaf.
The dress of men and women is much
alike. 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 men
wear long, the women short ones. The
costume is in the bloomer style, and con-
sists of a short skin coat, with the hair
outside, fastened round the waist with
belt and buckle, and a pair of tight-ftting
breeches of tanned reindeer leather. 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
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 Laps.
have their necks always bare. They wear
no linen or stockings, and stuff the boots,
which are roomy, with soft hay made
from cypress grass. Their gloves are like
mittenS, and often ornamented with great
taste In summer the same leather
of coarse blue cloth. The women carry
tobacco-pouch, pipe, scissors, and a spoon
to drink spirits from, hanging from the
waist, which the richer Lapps decorate
with braid
In winter the Lapps use snow-shoes
and they always carry spear with four
edged spike about a foot in length
mounted on an aspen shaft six feet long.
Their. equipment for the winter is COM
visions, a rough case-knife in the belt, and
a little iron pipe for their delectation in
smoking, and sometimes gun like pea
rife The sleighs are like small
boats cut in half, and only
hold one person, and are so
cranky that the driver is obliged to use
short pole to keep the sleigh steady, so
that between driving the reindeer which
are fastened to the sleigh. and keeping his
balance with the short pole, he has
enough to do.
The Russian Lapps are chiefly fishers.
They are quiet, hospitable honest, and
inoffensive, and decidedly favorable
specimens of a semi-civilized race still re-
tanning their patriarchal traditions. The
father is supreme in the family, and can
apportion his property at death, and dis
inherit any of his children should he see
fit If a son wishes to leave the house
and set up for himself, he can take moth
ing with him but his gun and his wife's
dowry. Drunkenness is their great
failing.