The history of Lapland wherein are shewed the original, manners, habits, marriages, conjurations, &c. of that people / written by John Scheffer ...

CHAP. XVII. Of the Garments of the Laplanders.

AMONG the Laplanders the men and women wear different kinds of Garments, which they alter according to the Weather, and place: for they wear one sort of clothes in the Winter, and another sort in the Sum∣mer, one kind at home, and another abroad. Let us first consider the Gar∣ments of the men: These in the Summer have trouses, or brougs, reaching down to their feet, close to their body, upon which they wear a gown, or rather a coat with sleeves, which comes down to the middle leg, which they tie fast with a girdle. And in this respect it was that Zieglerus in his time wrote, that they used close Garments fitted to their body, least they should hinder their work. He calls them close because of their trouses, and fitted to their body because of their being girded. These they wear next their bare skin, without such linnen shirts as the Europeans use, they having no flax in their Country. These Garments are of course home-spun woollen cloth called Waldmar, of a white or gray color, such as the wool is of be∣fore it is dyed. The wool they have from Swedland, and buy it of the Merchants called Birkarli, but the richer sort wear a finer cloth, and not of the same color, but sometimes green or blew, and sometimes red, only black they abominate. Tho sometimes in dirty works, and at home they wear the meanest clothes, yet abroad, and especially upon Festivals and Holydaies, they love to go very neat. Their girdles are made of leather, which the richer sort adorn with filver studs, and poorer with tin. These studs stick out like buttons in a semicircular figure. At this girdle they hang a knife and sheath, and a kind of square bag, tho something longer then broad, also a leathern purse, and then a case with needles and thred in it. Their knives they have from Norway, the sheath is of the skin of the Rain-deers, sewed together with tin wire, and in other parts with the same adornments, at the end of which they use to hang rings: the bag is also made of the skin of the Raindeers, with the hair on it, on the out∣side of which they also place another skin, equall to the bag, and make it fast by three knots, and this skin they cover again with red cloth, or of some other color, adorned also with wire. In this bag they keep a stone to strike fire, not of flint, but christall, as I will shew hereafter. Also a steel, with some brimestone to light a fire where ever they come: as also Tobacco and other odd things. The leathern purse is also made of the same skin in an oval figure like a pear, in which they keep their mony, and other more choice things, and at this also they hang rings. Their needle case is of a peculiar sort, they have a single cloth with four sides, but the upper part is much narrower then the lower, so that it is like an oblong triangle cut off at the vertical angle, and to make it stronger they bind about the edges with leather, and so stick their needles into it, this they put into a bag of the same shape, adorned with red, or some other colored cloth, and

wire, drawn together by a leathern string, by which they hang it to their girdle. Besides these, they have Alchymy chains, with a great company of rings of the same, these they hang about all their body, the bag they hang before, nigh their navel, all the rest they fling behind them. And these are the Garments and ornaments of the body: their head they cover with a cap, over which the richer sort wear a case of Fox, Beaver, or Badgers skin, they are very like our night-caps, it is made of red or other colored cloth, or of the Hares fur, first twisted into a thred, and then knit almost like our stockins; or lastly of the skin of the bird called Loom, with the feathers on it: sometimes they so order it, that keeping also the head and wings of the bird, they make not an unbecoming cover for the head. Olaus Magnus in his 4. Book, Cap. 3. saies they make their caps of the skins of Geese, Ducks, Cocks, which, as well as other birds, are there in great abundance. But he doth doth not here mean common Cocks, but the Ʋro∣galli, or Heath-Cocks; however he gives us the picture in his 17 Book, Cap. 26. They have ordinary gloves, but shoes of a peculiar make, they are made of the skin of the Rain-deer with the hair on, out of one piece, only where they tread they sew both ends together, so that the haires of one part may lie forward, and the other backward, least if they lay all one way they should be too slippery: but neither is there any more leather on the bot∣tom then on other parts, as it is in our shoes, only there is a hole at the top in which they put in their feet: the toe bends upwards, and ends as it were in a point. Upon the seame they place some narrow pieces of red, or other colored cloth: these shoes they wear on their bare feet, and bind them twice or thrice about the bottom with a thong, and least they should be too loose, they fill them up with a sort of long Hay, which they boil and keep for that purpose.

But now let us come to the garments they do not so ordinarily wear, but only on some occasions, which both for the men and women are made alike, and all of leather, to secure them from the gnats. But in the Winter time the men have breeches to defend them from the weather, and coats which they call Mudd. These Mudd are not all alike, but some better, some worse; the best are of the skins of young wild Rain-deers, just when they have cast their first coat, in the place of which comes a black one, which is about the Feast of S^t James, and these are very soft and delicate. Their feet they defend with boots of the same skins, and their hands with gloves or mittens of the same, and their heads with a cap, which reaches down and covers part of their shoulders also, leaving only a space for them to see through. All these Garments they wear next their skin without any lin∣nen underneath, and tie them round with a girdle, only their boots and gloves they stuff with hay, and sometimes in the Winter with wool. And this is that which Johannes Tornaus saies of their cloathing, that their gar∣ment is made of the Rain-deer, the skin of the beast supplying them with coats, breeches, gloves, sandals, shoes, &c. the hair being alwaies on the outside, so that they seem to be all hairy. And hence we may understand Zieglerus, when he saies their Winter garments were made of the skins of Bears and Sea-Calves, which they tied in a knot at the top of their heads, leaving nothing to be seen but their eyes, so that they seemed to be in a sack, only that it was made according to the shape of their members; and hence,

saies he, I beleive they came to be supposed all hairy like beasts, some reporting this out of ignorance, and some delighting to tell of strange wonders they saw abroad. And truly it is not without reason that he gathers the fable of hairy men to be raised from their hairy Garments, which sort of monsters whether there be in other Countries I cannot tell, but I find the Cyclops's with one eye in their forehead by Adamus Bremensis to be placed here upon the same account, because they had only a hole in their cap through which they looked, all the rest of their body seeming hairy, and therefore this hole they feigned to be an eye. But whereas he saies the skins were of Bears and Sea-Calves, he is a little mistaken, for these skins were not so common among the Laplanders, and are by them designed quite for another use. However these Garments they used after their fashion to adorn with pieces of red, or other colored cloth, and embroider them with wire, in flowers, stars, &c. as I will hereafter declare more at large.

But I come to the habit of the women, which also was of one sort in the Summer, and of another in the Winter. In the Summer they wear coats which cover their breasts, arms, and all their body, about the middle they are gathered, and so hang down, these they call Volpi. These gowns they also wear next their skin, for the use of smocks is no more known among women then the use of shirts among men: and they horribly imposed upon Lomenius Comes, that made him beleive otherwise. Lomenius saies thus, they have smocks, not made of linnen, but of the entrails of beasts, which they first spin into a thread, and afterwards wear them: but all this is quite false. The entrals indeed they do spin into thred, but of that they make neither cloth nor smocks, but use it to few their skins; but women of the common sort wear course cloth, and the better sort finer, as it is with the men, which for the most part is English cloth, richly wrought. They have also a girdle, but different from that of the men, for it is much larger, and sometimes three fingers broad, and then also it is adorned not with studs, but plates of a fingers length, or more, which are engraved with divers shapes of Birds, Flowers, &c. and these they fasten upon a leathern fillet so nigh one another, that the girdle is almost covered with them. These plates are most commonly made of tin, from whence Sam. Rheen calls them tin girdles, but those for the better sort are made of silver. Upon these girdles they hang many Alchymy chains, upon one of which they hang a knife and sheath, upon another a pouch or purse, upon another a needle case, and upon all a great company of Alchymy rings, according to the fashion of the men: These things they do not hang by their sides, as women among us use, but before them. The weight of the trinkets they carry about them, doth commonly weigh twenty pound, a pretty heavy burden, and such as a man would wonder they should be able to bear: but they are very much delighted with it, especially with the number of the rings, the gin∣gling of which is very gratefull to their ear, and as they think no small com∣mendation to their beauty. Wexionius makes the chains and rings to be tin, which I beleive is hardly true, commonly I am sure they were made of Al∣chymy, and if they had bin of tin they had neither bin durable, nor would they have made a noise. They have also another ornament for their breast, which they call Kracha, it is made of red, or some other colored cloth. And first it goes about their neck, and then on both sides comes down upon

their breast, and a little below their breast ends in a narrow point. This cloth, especially before, and sometimes about the neck, they adorn with studs, engraved with divers forms, as also with bracelets, which the richer have of silver and gold, the poorer of tin and Alchymy. After this manner, in short as he uses, Johannes Tornaeus describes them, the women do so deck themselves with gold and silver that their breasts shine like sheilds, but those that cannot reach silver, use copper and Alchymy. Now these studs they use to have not only about their neck, but upon their gowns where they draw them together, and lace them; and not only in single but double and triple rows. They cover their heads with a low kind of kercheif, plain at top, round, and of red color, some of the richer sort on extraordinary times add also a strip of linnen for ornament, as at their Fairs, Weddings, and Feasts. Upon their legs they wear stockins, which reach no lower then their ankles, but that only in the Summer. Their shoes are like the mens, and so also bound to their feet with thongs. The womens habit in the Win∣ter is almost the same with the mens, for they have the Muddas made of the skins of Rain-deers, and at that time wear breeches too, by reason of the deep Snows, storms, and badness of the waies: nay and cover their head with the same caps men do, which sort of caps they wear also sometimes in the Summer to defend them from the gnats: these caps they tie about their heads, and the lower part, which would otherwise fall about their shoulders, they make to stand out like the brims of our hats. And these are the garments as well of Virgins as married women, for both use the same attire, neither is there any sign in their habit whereby to distinguish them. Besides these garments wherewith they clothe themselves in the day, they have also other which they use a nights, such as are called night-cloathes, for they have no feather beds: and without all doubt Olaus Magnus is mis∣taken who in his 4 Book saies they had. Their night garments were of 2 sorts, such as they lay upon, or such as they did cover themselves with, which also differ according to the Summer and Winter Seasons. Those they lie upon are Rain-deers skins, 2 or 3 of which they fling upon some birch leaves, which they use instead of matts, without beds, upon the ground, that they may lie softer, so that they lie upon the skins without sheets, of the use of which they are quite ignorant. They cover themselves in the Summer with blankets, which they call raaner or ryer, and with these blan∣kets they cover not only their whole body, but also their heads too, to avoid the gnats, with which they are extremly infested in the night time. But that they may breath with more freedom, and not be inconve∣nienced with the weight of these blankets, they sometimes hang them up over their head with ropes fastned to the top of their Hut. These are their Summer coverlets: but in the Winter they first throw about them the skins of Sheep or Rain-deer, and on them the blankets now mentioned. And there is one thing more worth our notice, that they lie under these both Winter and Summer stark naked, and make no use of linnen. And so much for the Garments of the Laplanders. I shall add the Figures of both Sexes habited after their manner. The woman hath a child in her arms, in a Laplandish Cradle.

[illustration] depiction of a Lapland family (man, woman, child and baby) dressed in clothes made from reindeer skins; the baby is held in the mother's arms in a traditional, sledge-shaped Lapland cradle