The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-06-29
BOUNDARIES Mean
LITTLE TO Laps
Queer Little Rovers of the Arctic
Are red-in-the-B0ne In
ternationaIiStS.


recently visited the king of Swede
to complain that Swedish frontiers
men threaten the existence Of his pee
pie by interfering with pasturage 70
their reindeer, reintroduces these ROY
ers Of the Arctic to a world that ha
almost forgotten them. A bulleti
from the Washington headquarter
of the National Geographic so
ciety tells something Of what 1
terms these queer little folk who liv
under the rays Of the midnight sun
and the darkness Of the winter mid
day."
"The Lapps are bred-in-the-bone In
ternationalists," says the bulletin
Like the Papago Indians Of Arizon,
and Mexico and the forest dwellerl
along the Brazilian-Peruvian line
they have lofty disregard for DO
litical boundaries; they not onl,
cross as they see fit, but take grea,
herds Of reindeer with them, pasturini
them today In Sweden and tomorrow
In Norway with scant ceremony.
tNOUVa0tOSU suSsDAt 00 t0OIYO0s
The Lappland Of the maps spreads
into four distinct countries: Norway,
Sweden, Finland and Russia. Once
the Lapps paid no attention whatever
to any Of the boundary lines in their
region. But Russian and Finnish
boundaries were eventually closed on
cially against Norway and Sweden
and while some struggling still takes
place, the larger movements were
stopped. Norway and Sweden, how
ever, take official cognizance Of the
needs Of their nomadic joint-citizens,
and have treaty agreement whereby
Lapps may cross from Sweden in
summer and move to Norway's north
west coast, and In the winter may
cross from Norway to inland Sweden.
ASIDE from the real dwarf peo-
pies, such as the pygmies Of central
Africa, the Lapps are the smallest
people in the eastern hemisphere.
Their average height Is In the neigh
borhood of four feet, seven Inches
physical condition ascribed to the age
j IL
the frozen cherries region Of the
north. 1t has even been suggested
that the Lapps were the first inhabit-
ants Of the frozen zone after the great
glacial sheet Of the Ice Age receded
and made northern Europe habitable
Many centuries ago they are supposed
to have lived throughout the Scan
dinavian peninsula, but with the ar
rival Of other peoples they were
forced farther north.
"The reindeer is the typical animal
of Lappland. and about it their life
has centered for ages. 1t carries them
upon Its back and draws their loads,
gives them milk and cheese and
meat for food, clothes them with its
skins, and furnishes materials fol
implements and utensils from its
bones. The typical life Of a Lapp-
lander has ever been that Of nomadic
herder, living in tents and following
his herds to new locations when sea-
,onal changes and pasturage necessi- |
les dictated.
1.-THE Laps have been decreasing |
n numbers In late years, and Lapp- |
and is now far from being q land |
,eopled predominantly by Lapps, and
till less by Lapp nomads. In Swed-
sh Lappland, for example, only about
per cent of the inhabitants are
apps. 1t Is the pushing In of more
ettled people that has made life so
ard for the rowing aborigines. And
here has been. desertion of nomad-
SIN by some Lapps. Where once
there are now numerous
ettled, agricultural Laps; and 9TH
rs who fish for living. Some have
urned miner in the rich iron fields
+ Swedish Lappland.
Establish American Industry.
"Christianity was taken to the
apps only in the last few centuries,
nd there are observers who still
uestion whether their somewhat con-
used religious ideas are more strong
marked by Christian or pagan prac-
ces. The Russian Lapps especially
eem to insist on thoroughgoing prag-
latism in their religion. It II told Of
,ese along the Arctic coast that they .
AXE offerings at the shrine Of Boris
lob when starting on . nshing e.
edition, and that II they are. unsuc-
.ssful they straightway retrieve their
feringsl These same Russian Laps,
D to q few decades ago, preferred to
cal their brides from an enemy or q
ranger rather than to obtain them by
,rchase or persuasion. . |;
'-The United States 10 largely In
,bted to Laps for an important and
pidly growing Industry. The 1rst
Forts to Introduce reindeer Into
laska were not very successful be-
use Of q lack Of expert knowledge |:
breeding, and herd management.
.veral score Lapps were induced to
to Alaska to take charge Of the Is
terprise in 1893, and their, skill gave Is
lndeer raising there 4 great boost. /:
,e natives learned from the Laps,
d now hundreds OF thousands Of
lndeer In Alaska are turning other s
90 useleSa mosa info food and E