The midwife’s office, throughout Lapland, is generally performed
by the hufband.
The paftor, or parfon of the place, is for the moft part godfather
to all the children of his pariffi ; befides which, he does
the duties of pariffi fchoolmafter and churchwarden.
When occafion requires the whole family to leave the tent, if
there happen to be a child too young to follow the reft, it is put
into a cheft, and tied with a cord, that it may do itfelf no mif-
chief by fire, or otherwife: or, if the child be above three years
old, it is fattened with a ftrap by the foot, to a ftake driven into
the ground in iome convenient part of the hut or tent.
When the Laplanders meet, they embrace each other, crying
out buurift ! which is as much as to fay, God fave you !
T h e women ffiave the heads of their children quite clofe; and
contrary to the praftice of the ladies in all other countries, to
ufe the miffionary’s expreffiori, hlippe de lyjke med en kniv : which
words, though very much approaching the Engliffi language, will
be perhaps unintelligible, unlefs I tranflate them ; for doing which
I hope I ffiall be pardoned by the reader. The meaning of the
miffionary’s expreffion is, that the good women of Lapland cut
their childrens lice with a knife and kill them.
As a remedy for pains in the limbs, they put a couple of ligatures
about the part, and to the fpace betwixt them apply a burning
firebrand, which they affirm never fails of giving relief.
No horfes are employed in Weft Finmark', the labour everywhere
elfe performed by thofe ufeful animals, being there done by
men.
men. In this refpecft the mountain Laplanders are better accommodated,
as they ufe their rein-deer for that purpofe. Since agriculture
is not attended to, except on fome few fpots near the river
Alten, the Laplanders confume by fire all the dung colleded from
their cows, ffieep, and goats.
Thofe who by traffic have acquired wealth, have a cuftom of
burying their money in the earth ; and this they do fb fecretly
and effeftually, that their heirs or fucceffors rarely find it. T h a t
they ffiould preferve it thus whilft they live, is not furprizing, be-
caufe they have; no iron chefts, or other fecurity againft thieves ;
but that they ffiould conceal it from their pofterity is a matter, our
miffionary confefles, he is not able to account for. He heard o f a
rich man, who, on having the queftion put to him on his deathbed,
why he had fo carefully concealed his money from his family
? replied, that he ffiould have occafion for it in the country
whither he was going.
In fome parts of Finmark the Laplanders make ufe of the hot
bath, fprinkling their heads at the fame time with the hot water,
through the medium of a bunch of rods.