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REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND. 165
*
and whatever this rein-deer, which they call pannikcis, produces in milk, cheefe, or any
thing elfe, belongs to the infant, if a daughter, and forms her portion when fhe is mar-
ried. There are fome alfo who make a prefent to their children of a deer when they
perceive the firft tooth ; and all the deer which are produced from this one are diftin-
guifhed by a particular mark. ‘They change the name which the child has received in
baptifm when they are unhappy ; and on the firft day of their marriage they lie together
in the fame hut, and carefs their wives in the prefence of every one.
Refpecting marriage, he told us that the Laplanders married thetr daughters late,
though they had feveral offers, when it was known in the country that they had a num-
ber of deer which had been produced from thofe which their father had given them when
they were baptifed, and when they had their firft teeth ; for here this is all that they
carry with them: and the fon-in-law, far from receiving any thing from his father-in-
law, is obliged to purchafe the daughter by prefents. They generally begin, like the
birds, to make love in April.
When the lover has feen fome daughter whom he wifhes to marry, he muft take
care to be furnifhed: with a quantity of {pirituous liquor when he vifits the father or the
neareft relation to make his requeit : this is the only way of making love in this coun-
try; anda marriage is never concluded until feveral bottles of {pirits have been drank,
and a confiderable quantity of tobacco {moked. ‘The more amorous a lover is, the
greater quantity of {pirits does he carry; and it is impoflible to take a more effectual
method of difplaying the ftrength of his paflion. ‘They give a particular name to the
fpirituous liquor which the lover carries to the agreement, and call it the happy arrival
of wine, or foubbouvin, the lover’s wine. It is a cuftom among the Laplanders to affi-
ance their children long before they are married; they do fo with the intention of
making the lover continue his prefents; and if he wifhes to fucceed in his enterprife,
he muft not fail to continue {prinkling his love with fuch a delightful beverage. At
length, after having a year or two performed all the neceflary ceremonies, the marriage
is fometimes concluded.
Formerly the Laplanders had a mode of marriage quite peculiar, whilft they conti-
nued buried in the darknefs of paganifm, which is {till obferved by fome of them. ‘They
did not carry the parties before the prielt, but the parents married them at home, with-
out any ‘bther ceremony than that of ftriking fome fparks of fire by means of a flint :
they believed that there were no figure more myfterious and better fitted than this to
reprefent the nature of marriage; for as the ftone contains within itfelf the {parks of
fire, which do not appear except when it approaches iron, fo, fay they, there remains a
principle of life unfeen in both fexes which only can be perceived when they are
united.
I believe, Sir, that you will not think this very bad reafoning in Laplanders; and
there are many men acute enough who would feel confiderable difficulty in giving fo
appofite a comparifon. But I know not whether you will confider the following rea-
foning to be equally excellent.
I have already mentioned that when a daughter is known in the country to have a
number of rein-deer, fhe does not want fuitors; but I did not tell you, Sir, that this
property isall that they expect in a wife, without giving themfelves any trouble whether
fhe is handfome or not; whether fhe has wit, or is deftitute of it; or even whether fhe
be a maid, or whether another has previoufly received any marks of her love. But
what you will admire ftill more, and what at firft furprifed me, is, that thefe people, far
from making a montter of this virginity, believe thofe girls who have loft it ought to be
the more anxioufly fought after; and that poor as they are, which often happens, they
frequently
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