Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-10-06
THE LApLANDERS.
THEY ARE A PECULIAR AND IN.
TERESrING PEOPLE.
A Great Proportion OF the Race Are
Pasans-Bear Hunting Their Pur.
suit-Retndeer Their stand
by-Lapp LovemnkinS.

anu IN tneir habitss interest
Ing In that we Americans always fini
interest in everything strange with
which we come IN contact or about
which We hear 1t was in the streets
of Hammerfest that l first came upon
one OF these people, writes A. NJ.
Dewey in the Washington Star. Turn-
ing round tue corner of one Of the ill.
built houses, I suddenly ran over a
diminutive littleqersonase in q white
woolen tunic. bordered with red and
yellow stripes, green trousers. fastened
round the ankles, and reindeer boots
curving up at the toes like Turkish
slippers. On her head-for notwith-
standing the trousers it turned out to
be woman-was perched colored
cap, fitting closely around the face
and running up ut the back into an
overarching peak of red cloth. Into
this peak was cranmel, l afterwari
learned, piece Of hollow wood weigh.
ing about a quarter of pound, into
which is tittel the wearers back hair;
SO that perhaps, after all, there does
exist a more convenient coifure than
Paris bonnet. Hardly had taken
off my hat and bowed a thousand
apologies for my unintentional rude
ness to the fair wearer OF the green
trousers before couple of Lapp
gentlemen hove in sight. They were
dressed pretty much like their COM
| panion. except that an ordinary red
night-cap replaced the queer helmet
worn by the lady. The tunics. too,
may have been trifle shorter. None
of the three were handsome. High
| cheek bones, short noses, oblique
! Mongol eyes, no eyelashes and enor-
nous mouths, made up cast of
| features which their burnt-sienna
complexion and hair did not much
enhance. Their expression Of counte-
nance was not unintelligent. and there
was merry, halftimid. half-cunning
twinkle in their eyes which reminded
me of faces l had met during my
travels in some OF the more neglected
districts of Europe. Some ethnolo-
gists, indeed, are inclined to reckon
the Laplanders as branch of the
Celtic family.
Even at this late day great pro-
portion Of this race are pagans, and
even the most intelligent among them
remain slaves to the grossest supersti-
tion. When couple is to be married,
if priest happens to be IN the way
they will send for him, perhaps out oil
complaisance, but otherwise the young
tady's papa merely strikes q flint aud
steel together, and the ceremony i.
not the less irrevocably completed.
/ When they die hatchet and fin.
and steel are inval iably buried with
the deceased, in case he should finc
himself chilly on his long journey
When they go bear nunting-the mos
important business Ia their lives-it i.
. sorcerer, with no other defe nse tina,
his incantations, who marches at tn,
head of the procession. In the In
ternal arrangement OF their huts i
not room to themselves, but doc
to themselves, that is assigned othei
, | womankind; for voc betide = hunte
II woman has ever crossed tn
threshold over which he sallies 10 tn
chase and for three days after tn
slaughter OF his prey he must liv'
apart from the female portion OF hi
family Ill order TO appease the ev
deity whose familiar he is supposed I
have destroyed 1: wouli be useles
to at.enp. to recount the innumsrs II
occasions Oh which the ancient rites c
iunula are still in:e.pola.ei anon
the Christian obsrgvances they pro
Tess to have adopted
Their manner @. life - styaag
enough Here AMI there, ~ We s,youe
outside tas toxo, blue wreashs c
ao1e curing from some little gree
nook a1oag :.s rocks would be.ra
thsir temporary places @. sboaa-
tbs .amner tine tasv lire a caava
10 tents during wiu;1r, sbsa ID. 500
?. lies ieep On the sx-s.aa. the fore
0. Lkpps build h1ts III ne branches
= t.ees sai 50 live .ike osris- Their ten
i pr huis are usually Aexagoaal in fort
with ire % the center, the smoke tfo