The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-05-25
Queer Little Rovers of the Arctic
Are Bred-in-the- In
ternationaIiStS.

Washington.-A Lapp Ambassador
trom the Swedish north country who
recently visited the king Of Sweden
10 complain that Swedish frontiers
men threaten the existence OF his peo-
pie by interfering with pasturage for
their reindeer, reintroduces these row.
,rs of the Arctic to a world that had
almost forgotten them. A bulletin
from the Washington headquarters
pf the National Geographic so
.iety tells something of what 1t
terms "these queer little folk who live
under the rays of the midnight sun
and the darkness Of the winter mid
1ay."
"The Lapps are bred-in-the-bone in
ternationalists," says the bulletin.
Like the Papago Indians of Arizona
and Mexico and the forest dwellers
along the Brazilian-Peruvian line.
they have lofty disregard for po-
litical boundaries; they not only
cross as they see fit, but take great
herds Of reindeer with them, pasturing
them today In Sweden and tomorrow
In Norway with scant ceremony.
Nomadism Must Be Served.
"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 Off
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--a
physical condition ascribed to the age
long wanderinsy Of their ancestors in
the frozen cbaerless region of the
north. IL 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 habitnble
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 II their life
has centered for ages. 1t carries then
upon It's back and draws their loads
gives them milk and cheese ant
skins, and furnishes materials FOL
implements and utensils from 1t.
bones. The typical life of a Lapp
lander has ever been that of a nomadi,
herder, living IN tents and following
his herds to new locations when sea
sonal changes and pasturage necessl
ties dictated.
"The Lapps have been decreasln,
In numbers in late years. and Lapp
land Is now far from being lant
peopled predominantly by Lapps, ant
still less by I.app nomads. In Swed
tsh Lappland. for example. only abou
7 per cent OF the inhabitants ar,
Lapps. 1t is the pushing in of NOR,
settled people that has made life 81
hard for the rowing aborlgines. Ant
there has been a desertion of nomad
Ism by some Lapps. Where ones
Iapp' and reindeer .herdsman' wer,