Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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Fishing Or Sea.] And There, Sometime (As Their Manner Is)
Conceiue, And Practise Their Sorceries, And Ominous Coniecturings About The
Good Or Bad Speede Of Their Iourneies, Fishings, Huntings And Such Like.
[Sidenote: The Samoits habit and behauiour.] They are clad in Seale skins,
with the hairie side outwards downe as low as the knees, with their
breeches and netherstockes of the same, both men and women.
They are all
blacke haired, naturally beardlesse. And therefore the men are hardly
discerned from the women by their lookes: saue that the women weare a locke
of haire downe along both their eares. [Sidenote: The people of Meta
Incognota such.] They liue in a manner a wilde and sauage life, rouing
still from one place of the countrey to another, without any property of
house or land more to one then to another. Their leader or directer in
euery companie, is their Papa or Priest.
[Sidenote: The Lappes.] On the North side of Russia next to Corelia, lieth
the countrey of Lappia, which reacheth in length from the farthest point
Northward, (towards the Northcape) to the farthest part Southeast (which,
the Russe calleth Sweetnesse or Holy nose, the English men Capegrace) about
345. verst or miles. From Sweetnesse to Candelox by the way of Versega
(which measureth the breadth of that countrey) is 90. miles or thereabouts.
The whole countrey in a maner is either lakes, or mountaines, which
towardes the Sea side are called Tondro, because they are all of harde and
craggy rocke, but the inland partes are well furnished with woods that
growe on the hilles sides, the lakes lying betweene. Their diet is very
bare and simple. Bread they haue none, but feede onely vpon fish and foule.
They are subiect to the Emperor of Russia, and the two kings of Sweden and
Denmarke: which all exact tribute and custome of them (as was saide before)
but the Emperor of Russia beareth the greatest hand ouer them, and exacteth
of them farre more then the rest. The opinion is that they were first
termed Lappes of their briefe and short speech. The Russe diuideth the
whole nation of the Lappes into two series. The one they call Nowremanskoy
Lapary, that is, the Norwegian Lappes because they be of the Danish
religion. For the Danes and Noruegians they account for one people. The
other that haue no religion at all but liue as bruite and heathenish
people, without God in the worlde, they cal Dikoy Lapary, or the wilde
Lappes.
The whole nation is vtterly vnlearned, hauing not so much as the vse of any
Alphabet, or letter among them. For practise of witchcraft and sorcerie
they passe all nations in the worlde. Though for enchanting of ships that
saile along their coast, (as I haue heard it reported) and their giuing of
winds good to their friends, and contrary to other, whom they meane to hurt
by tying of certaine knots vpon a rope (somewhat like to the tale of Aeolus
his windbag) is a very fable, deuised (as may seeme) by themselues, to
terrifie sailers for comming neere their coast.
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