PLATE II.
A FEMALE INHABITANT OF LAPLAND.
1 HE women of this country are rather short, but in general well-made.
Their disposition is mild and obliging, but not too free ; yet they
possess an extreme degree of irritability : a spark of fire falling near
her, an unexpected noise, or the sudden appearance of a strange object,
will often make a woman faint, or else rouse her almost to a state of
frenzy. Their employment consists in making lines for fishing, in
drying fish, in milking their rein-deer, in making cheese, and in
tanning skins. They prepare the étendons of , the deer for lines ; and
.they also fonn a sort of wire, or thread, of tin, by drawing it through
small holes, made in the horns from the rein-deer ; tliey afterwards
flatten it, and use it in ornamenting and embroidering different parts of
their dress. They also employ silver, and a kind of mock or false gold,
as well as wool, which they die of different colours for the same purpose.
The dress of the femdes is nearly similar, to that of the men, but the
flaps of their coats are larger and longer ; and their girdles, to which
they hang their knives, &.c. arc embroidered with tin thread. The
collar of their coats is much higher than that of the men's : they also
wear handkerchiefs and small aprons, made of painted linen. They put
large silver rings in their ears; and suspend several rows of silver chain
. from one ring to the other. Their bonnets are generally folded like
tm-bans, and ornamented either s\ ith tin, or borders of different coloured
.clotii.
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