Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - II. The Swedish People - 4. The Lapps of Sweden. By F. Svenonius
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
186
II. THE SWEDISH PEOPLE.
Finnland was also closed by an imperial decree of the year 1889. Finally the
Dissolution of the Union in 1905 was a fresh blow to the Swedish Lapps.
It is true that one of the Conventions of Karlstad (26th Oct. 1905)
determined that the above-named codicil to the frontier treaty of 1751 should still
be in force, that neither Sweden nor Norway separately should have power to
annul it, and that the enactment of the year 1883 should hold good till 1918;
but the fatal restriction was made that the Lapps should not be permitted to
move over with their reindeer into Norway before the 15th June. Previously
they had been permitted to move over into Norway as early as the 1st May.
However, it soon became evident that this severe restriction would entail the
utter ruin of the Torne Lapps. New negotiations were entered into with
Norway, and after renewed, extensive investigations, the Swedish Government
resolved in 1909, with the permission of the Karlstad Convention, to refer this
important question to arbitration; the Arbitration Court caused a number of other
extensive investigations to be made by special international commissions. Finally,
by the Convention of the 8th April 1913, direct negotiations have been resumed
between the two kingdoms. However, while these negotiations are in progress,
and in case they are broken off by either of the parties, the Torne Lapps have
the right to follow the law of 1883 with regard to the time of migration into
Norway. According to this convention, three delegates for each kingdom, after
deliberation among themselves — and, if necessary, further local investigations
— shall submit to their respective governments proposals for regulations "to
hold good for some considerable time in the future".
Much has been done by the Swedish authorities for the civilization of the
Lapps. The Vasa kings, Charles IX in particular, adopted powerful measures,
such as the division of parishes, and the erection of churches and schools. The
development has proceeded without intermission; it has been promoted
particularly by the Ecclesiastical Board of the Lapp country, instituted in 1739.
Especially after the middle of the 19th century, the State, together with the
Swedish Missionary Society and other religious societies, has instituted a fairly
large number of schools, both permanent and movable, for the Lapp children.
A fair number of books are printed in the Lapp language, for example the
New Testament in 1755, and 1903, and the whole Bible in 1811. The religious
movement which has most deeply and permanently affected Lappland is
Lae-stadianism, from the middle of the last century, so-called after its founder
Lars Levi Laestadius.
The Lapps paid taxes to the crown in kind (skins, dried fish etc.) till the
year 1695, after which time "the Lapp rent" has been a money tax for which
the whole Lapp village used to be, and still is, responsible. They are exempt
from all military service; in recent times, however, the question of conscription
in the form of a regular scout service has often been ventilated. The rates paid
by them are in certain parishes rather high, in others low; in some parishes they
.are entirely exempt.
Key, to the Numbers in the Pictures on page 185.
1. Sör-Kajtom Lapps, Lule Lappmark.
2. Talma Lapps, mother and son, Torne Lappmark.
3. Tuorpon Lapps, parents and son, Lule Lappmark.
4. Jokkmokks Lapps, one of them a settler, Lule Lappmark.
5. Sirkas Lapps, to the left an old woman, 90 years of age, Lule Lappmark.
6. Immigrant Kautokcino Lapps, mother and daughter, the latter in a cradle, Torne
Lappmark.
7 and 9. Åsele Lapps, boys and girls from Gafsele Lapp school.
-8. Herd of reindeer on the mountain plateau north of Aktsek, Lule Lappmark.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
