180 REPORT ON THE INTRODUCTION OP 



The Laplander remains in one place only as long as there is plenty of food for his 

 herds. For dwellings these nomads use tents of felting or homespun; some may 

 build so-called Lap-tents of wood, hut in the shape of a tent, i. e., round and 

 pointed with a hole at the top for the escape of the smoke. The fireplace is huilt of 

 stone in ring form, and a fire is kept up by night and day during the severe spells 

 of cold weather. The meals are prepared upon this hearth, and consist generally 

 of reindeer meat and cotfee, besides cheese that has been prepared of reindeer milk. 

 The Laplander's clothes are made of homespun for the summer season and of rein- 

 deer skins for the winter season. These skins resist the severity of the winter, and 

 the herders, whenever they are overtaken by a heavy snowstorm upon the moun- 

 tains, bury themselves in the snow until the storm has subsided and then they con- 

 tinue their route upon their snow skates. 



The Laplanders leave their herds near the coast frequently without any special 

 supervision, if there are good pastures; but on the mountain or highland tracts they 

 are obliged to watch the herds constantly, and do this by turns, on account of 

 the wolves that roam about in those regions and make great ravages among the 

 reindeer. The watchfulness and skill of the herders is on such occasions put to a 

 hard test, and they sometimes are forced for several days in succession to travel 

 on their skates through the mountains in order to gather their separated herds. 

 Thanks to the excellent dogs and the perseverance of the Laplanders, their efforts 

 are as a rule crowned with success. 



It would require a great many more men to hold the herds together if the Lap- 

 lander were not such an expert snow skater; but he can within a few hours cover 

 long distances on his skates, and the wolves can not easily escape him for any length 

 of time when they are hunted down and pursued with guns. A reindeer will drive 

 about 20 kilometers per day over hard frozen snow. 



The reindeer meat is considered a great luxury, and demands a high price in the 

 market of the cities along the coast. This trade, besides the selling of skius and 

 horns, constitutes the principal source of income for the Laplanders; they also occupy 

 themselves with hunting and fishing, etc., but they never cultivate the soil in con- 

 nection with reindeer raising. These nomads lead a very laborious life ou account 

 of their constant travels, nevertheless they are always hearty and active, although 

 they many a time are exposed to both cold and heat (perspiration) when they are 

 out upon the mountains during several days of heavy show-storms. It is anything 

 but comfort to follow the reindeer that seek shelter behind the rocks or in the val- 

 ley, and nothing can keep them back from their flight when their instinct informs 

 them of an approaching storm; they seem to observe it coming several hours in 

 advance. 



It is astonishing that not more children perish at their birth, as no midwives attend 

 the mothers who seldom are sick for more than a few days, when the little citizeu is 

 laid into the "klubben" (a kind of cradle made of wood and covered with skin in 

 such a manner that the child rests upon the reindeer hair) which the Laplander carries 

 upon his (or her) back until the child is old enough to ride in the sleigh (okjan). 



The reindeer do not thrive in the lowlands and valleys during the summer; those 

 who experimented and tried to retain them there have had the unpleasant experi- 

 ence to see them taken sick, and they frequently die if they can not return to the 

 mountain ranges; they always find their way back to the tracts where they found 

 food the preceding summer. 



Each reindeer owner has a mark of his own which is cut into the ear of the rein- 

 deer belonging to him, so that they may be recognized in case they should be mixed 

 up with other herds from which 1,he, r are returned as soon as found out. 

 Very truly, yours, 



J. Haqvin Hkdstrob|. 

 Dr. SiiixDoN Jackson, 



Washington, D. C, 



