The Laplanders discover considerable ingenuity in ma king the various utensils which they possess. Their sled ges and canoes are so artificially put together, that not a drop of water is abw to penetrate their sides. From the wood of the birch tree, they form vessels of various capaci ties, from an ordinary drinking cup, to casks for holding the milk of the rein-deer. From the horns of the rein deer they manufacture spoons in a very neat manner, which they stain with figures tolerably well designed. With no other instrument than a knife, they also carve their bowls and spoons with wonderful expertness. The steel of these knives they manufacture for themselves, and ornament in a style of some elegance. They tan their leather with the first inner bark of the birch, which they cut into small pieces, and boil for half an hour ; and, having previously freed the hides from the hair, by plunging them in warm water, burying them under ground, and scraping them with a roundish knife, they immerse them in the liquor, a little cooled ; and, for two days, the liquor is warmed, and the skins replaced. By means of fir bark, they give the leather a red stain ; and dye their wool of that colour with the blood-root, or tormentil. They ce ment broken earthen-ware, by tying the fragments together with a thread, and boiling the whole in fresh milk. The women prepare the skins of foxes, fawns, otters, and other animals for sale, by stripping off the membranous parts, and curing them with fish oil. The women make tinsel wire of different thickness, by drawing it through a ma chine formed of a rein-deer's skull ; and with this wire they embroider coats, gloves, harness, &e. in a very fanciful style. The Laplanders manufacture thread from the tendons of the rein-deer. These they bold before the fire, and beat with wooden hammers, to render them more pliant and di visible. They lay hold of them with their teeth, and split them into filaments, moistening them occasionally with rein-deer marrow. These filaments are drawn through holes of different sizes in a wooden or metal instrument, to render them as smooth as possible. They arc then twist ed into threads, by rubbing them with the hand upon the thigh or knee, and moistening them from time to time with saliva.
During winter, the Laplanders carry on some traffic with the Swedes, bartering skins, furs, dried fish, and veni son, gloves and short boots, for coarse flannel, cloth, hemp, copper, iron, and various utensils, but particularly for to bacco, brandy, meal, and salt ; besides exchanging fish for meal, from the Russians on the northern coast. Some idea of the amount of this commerce may be furnished from the following abstract of the exports from Westro bothnia to Stockholm, which principally come down from Lapland : Rix-dollars. sk.
Fish, consisting of salmon, pike, tusk, cod, sea oil, and blubber, - 52,015 16 Provision of various sorts, buds, cheese, butter, salt beef, tallow, rein-deer's flesh, and tongues, 66,199 0 Hides and furs, chiefly hare, squirrel, calf, goat, and rein-deer skins, with Lapland gloves, shoes, and boots, 24,370 0 Iron, deals, rein-deer, horn, glue, feathers, sponge, and touch-wood, 78,142 0 The principal weapons of the Laplanders in more re mote times, were bows and arrows ; but now, they chiefly employ fire-arms, and are in general excellent marksmen: They still amuse themselves with throwing a javelin at a mark, as one of their sports. They are expert wrestlers and !capers. One usual mode of the former exercise, con sists in fastening their hands in each other's belts, and striv ing ttho shall lift and throw his opponent; and of the latter, in leaping over a stick held by two persons in a horizontal position. Another diversion, is to strike a stuffed leathern ball into the air, and to catch it before it reaches the ground; and, at other times, two of them, or two equal parties, lay hold of a rape by means of a stick at each end, and strive to disengage it from each other's grasp, till the struggle is decided by the breaking of the rope, or the giving way of the weaker party. A more sedentary game, in their long winter imprisonment, is that of the lox and geese, played with pegs, upon a board. The Laplanders are said, by
some tra‘ellers, to have a sort of trumpet called lur, and pipes made of the bark of mountain ash : but Acerbi af firms, that they have no idea of harmony whatever, and that all artificial music appears to be banished from their su,i tary districts. Ile affirms, that neither by the power of money or of brandy, could he ever prevail with any of the natives to produce any thing like a song, except a mono tonous vociferation, in a kind of fainting or fading voice, prolonged and repeated till the breath is exhausted. Ile found as little poetry as music in the song, of which the words and notes, equally unyaricd, were as follows a good journey, my good gentlemen—gentlemen—gentle men—gentlemen—a good journey—journey—journey—my good gentlemen—gentlemen—a good journey—Journey journey—journey." The Laplanders rarely intermarry with the Norwegians or other neighbouring nations. Their matrimonial negoci atinns are conducted with extraordinary formality and de corum. When a young man has selected his object, he communicates his wishes to his own family, who repair in a body to the dwelling of the young woman's parents, car rying a slight present, such as a ring or ornamented girdle to the fair one, and a quantity of brandy to entertain the friends. When arrived at the hut, the suitor is left with out, till he shall be invited to enter; and as soon as the rest of the party have entered, their spokesman fills out a bumper of brandy, which he offers to the girl's father, and the acceptance of which indicates his approbation of the match to be proposed. After the liquor has gone round the company, leave is obtained for the young man to pre sent himself, while his advocate in a set speech opens the treaty. The lover, upon being introduced, takes his seat near the door, at some distance from the rest ; and it is only when the parents of the girl have signified their full con sent, that he offers her the present which he has brought, and promises wedding clothes to her father and mother. Sometimes a sum of money is given, both to the bride and to her parents ; and not unfrequently considerable bargain ing is employed to raise the amount. All that the bride receives on this occasion becomes her own private proper ty ; and among the better class, a wife, counting all ex penses, commonly costs the husband about a hundred cop per dollars. Should the parents depart from their pro mised consent, it is an established law, that they must re pay all the expenses and presents, even to the brandy which has been drunk at the first visit. After the patties have been in this manner betrothed, the young man is allowed to visit the bride, whose favour he generally endeavours to conciliate, by presenting tobacco, brandy, or whatever he thinks will be most acceptable. On the marriage clay, the bride appears in her best dress, hut her head, commonly closely covered, is on this occasion only adorned with a bandeau or fillet, while her hair flows loose upon her shoulders. The banns are usually published only once. The marriage ceremony, which is very short, is sometimes performed before, and sometimes after the entertainment. The wedding feast is celebrated in a frugal and sober man lier, without music, dancing, or any other festivity. Such of the guests as are able, make a present to the bride of money rein-deer, or other useful article, to begin the stock, or furnish the dwelling of the young couple. In some parts of Lapland, it is the custom that the friends and rela tions of time parties meet together, a lew days after the marriage, and partake of a homely entertainment, consist ing usually of a mess of broth, a little roast mutton, and metheglin. Tne bt idcgroom usually remains with the pa rents of the bride for the space of one year ; and, at his departure, receives what portion they are able to give with their daughter, to establiso the young people in the world. It is usual, at the birth of a child, to assign a female rein deer, with all her future off,pring, as a provision for the boy or girl, who is thus, when grown up, not unfrequently the owner of a considerable herd.