REINDEER AND MUSK-OX 



If you divide the Lapps into groups, according to their chief livelihood, 

 of reindeer service, agriculture and fishery, you will find that the nomad Lapps, 

 or "reindeer Lapps," are very much fewer than the others. 



In Norway there are only about 1,260, or one-sixteenth of the whole number 

 living exclusively on the reindeer. 



In Sweden we distinguish between nomad Lapps and forest Lapps; the 

 latter generally live in houses, but at any rate get their livelihood chiefly from 

 reindeer. The reindeer, however, do not migrate as do these belonging to the 

 nomad Lapps. The reindeer of the forest Lapps are a little different from the 

 other, but somewhat larger, and the year around these deer rove about in the 

 neighbouring woods. 



The latest statistics are as follows: Sweden-nomad Lapps, 2,791; forest 

 Lapps, 465; total, 3,256. These Lapps live exclusively by the reindeer service. 

 Finland-reindeer Lapps in 1900, about 300. Russia, unknown. 



One can, however, with certainty estimate the whole number of nomads in 

 Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia to be between 5,000 and 6,000. 



According to statistics collected during 1911 and 1915, the number of 

 reindeer in Norway was 141,755. In this case calves younger than one year 

 are not counted. Nisson has expressed the opinion, however, that this figure is 

 a little too low, and suggests that there are at least 150,000. 



According to statistics made in 1909-11, the number of migrating reindeer, 

 or as they are called "mountain-reindeer," was, in Sweden, 233,177; and forest- 

 reindeer, 41,488; making a total of 274,625. 



In Norway the nomad Lapps live chiefly in the northernmost province, 

 Pinmarken; residing in the summer along the coast of the Atlantic ocean, and 

 in the woods nearer the Swedish border in the winter, especially in the two 

 parishes of Koutokcino and Karaajok. Smaller in number are the reindeer 

 herds in the parishes of Palmak and Sydvaranger. Further south there are 

 reindeer Lapps in several sections of Tromoso, Nordlands and Trondhjemsant, 

 but there the number of reindeer is much smaller. 



In the southern part of the kingdom a number of efforts have been made 

 to utilize the vast high mountains for reindeer service. The first time, as far 

 as known, about 1,780 in the district called "Hardangervidden." These experi- 

 ments did not show any good results, but they were renewed again several 

 times later in a number of places in the Kristians amt, and the Buskorudo amt. 

 The manner in which these experiments were carried out was generally the 

 forming of small companies by farmers and others owning the herd, sometimes 

 consisting of a couple of thousand animals. Most of these small companies have 

 failed, but after a while new companies have been formed and the business 

 started again. During the years 1880 to 1910, there was great prosperity; the 

 chief reason, however, being that young Lapps were engaged to keep the herds 

 owned by small companies, whose shareholders usually were farmers of the 

 district. During this period the number of reindeer continued to grow, and 

 probably went as high as up to 40,000. Since then, there has been a decline, 

 and the number of reindeer in the southern part of Norway outside of the old 

 reindeer district is at present estimated at about 15,500. The reason for this 

 decline in the reindeer service is supposed by K. Nisson to be that there is not 

 sufficient food; the reindeer moss, w^hich is the chief winter food, occurring in a 

 comparatively small amount. Another very important reason, Nisson says, 

 is that there are numerous wild reindeer in the district, and it is impossible to 



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