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REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND: 177
to promife, that, on our return, he fhould take us to his place of refidence, and fhow
us his rein-deer to the number of feventy or eighty, befides all his little property.
We paffed on, and travelled, till we arrived at the hut of a Laplander, which was on
the fide where the lake begins to form the river. I have talked along while, Sir, of the
houfes of the Laplanders, without telling you what they were: I fhould now, there-
fore endeavour to gratify your curiofity.
The Laplanders have no fixed abode, but they go from one place to another, carry
ing with them their whole property. ‘This change of abode takes place, either for the
convenience of fifhing, by which they fubfilt, or for the nourifhment of their rein-deer,
which they feek fomewhere elfe, when it is finifhed in the place where they lived.
They ufually eftablith themfelves in fummer on the borders of the lakes in the place
where the torrents are ; and in winter, they remove to the thickeft places of the wood,
where they expect to find a fufficient quantity of animals in hunting. ‘They have no
difficulty in packing up quickly ; for in a quarter of an hour they have taken down
their whole houfe, and tied all their utenfils upon rein-deer, who are of wonderful ufe
tothem. They employ on this occafion, five or fix, on which they place their whole
baggage, as we do, upon horfes, befides their children, who are unable to travel.
The deer go one after the other ; the fecond is attached by means of a long ftrap, to the
neck of the firft, and the third is tied to that of the fecond, and fo on. ‘The father of
the family marches behind thefe deer, and precedes all the reft of his flock which
follow him as the fheep follow the herdfman. When they arrive at a {pot proper for a
refidence, they unload their animals, and begin to build their houfe. They raife
four pieces of wood, which are the fupporters of their whole building ; thefe planks are
pierced from the bottom to the top, and are joined together by means of another,
upon which are placed a number of other planks, which form the whole building, and
produce a figure fhaped like a bell. All thefe planks are employed to fupport a large
cloth, which they call, waa/dmar, and which forms at the fame time, the walls and the
{trength of the houfe. ‘Thofe who are rich, employ a double covering of cloth, the
better to preferve them from the rain and the wind, whilft the poor employ turf.
The fire is in the middle of the hut, and the fmoke goes out at a hole, which is left for
that purpofe, at the top. ‘This fire is continually burning, during winter, and during
fummer ; on which account, the greater part of the Laplanders lofe their fight, when
they become old. The pot-hanger defcends from the roof above the fire ; fome of them
are made of iron, but the greater part are formed of a branch of the birch tree, at the
end of which a hookis fixed. ‘They have always a pot hanging over the fire, and
particularly in winter, when they melt the fnow ; and when any one withes to drink,
he fills a large fpoon with {now and fprinkles boiling water upon it, till it is com.
pletely melted. ‘The floor of the hut is made of branches of the birch-tree, or the pine,
which they throw down ina heap, when they employ them to make their beds of,
Such, Sir, are the habitations of the Laplanders. ‘There, the old and the young, the
male and the female, the fathers and the children live together: they all fleep promif-
cuoufly and quite naked, upon the ékins of re’n-deer ; which frequently produces very
ferious diforders. ‘The door of the hut is very {trait, and fo low, that it is neceffary to
enter it on the knees ; they generally place it towards the fouth, in order that they may
be lefs expofed to the north-wind.
There is alfo among thefe people another hut, which is fixed, and ‘of a hexagonal
form, with pines which they fix the one above the other, and of which the apertures
are lined with mofs.. Thefe huts belong to the richer individuals, who do not fail to
change their places of refidence like the reft, but who return always after fome time
VOL. I. AA to
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