CHAP. IV.Of the Division ofLapland.
Those who have writ ofLapland, mention different divisions of it.Saxoin his 5thBook, and elswhere, speaks of twoLaplands, and after himJohannes Magnustells us,that both theLaplandsare joined together Southward. I suppose in that division they had respect to their situation, and meant the Eastern and the WesternLapland: for soDamianus Goes, who seems to borrow fromJoh. Magnus, expresses it.Lapland, saith he,is divided into the Eastern and the Western, separated from each other by the Bothnic Sea. From whence we may gather that that part of the Country which lies on one side of theBothnia, was called the EasternLapland, and that which lies on the other, the Western.
Besides this division ofLapland, there is another taken from the places most frequented by the Inhabitants. For one part thereof, lying along the Coasts of the Ocean, is from thence calledSiœfindmarken, that isthe maritime Lapland; the other lying higher on the Continent,Fiœldmarken, that is,inland Lapland: tho by some they are called simplyFindmarkenandLappmarken. This last divisionPet. Claud.gives us in his 27thChapter.All the Sea Coasts, saith he,Northward and Eastward as far asFindmarkiareaches, are possest by theSiæfinni,or maritime Finlanders, but the mountainous and champaign Country, by the Lapfinni, from thence named Lapmarkia or Wildfindlandia, that is wild or savage Findland. Where he calls one part of the CountryLapmarckia, theotherFindmarckia, the one lying along the shore, and bordering on the Sea, the other mountainous, woody, and savage, upon theTerra firma. And this too may be worth our notice, thatWildfinlandwith him is that which others callLappmarkia: I suppose, because the Natives live by hunting, as those of the other do by fishing. For he presently adds,There are many thousands in that place that feed on nothing but the flesh of wild Beasts. And indeed some there are with whom those only pass for the trueLaplanders: asSamuel Rheen, who in his 2dChapter of his forementioned Book, tells us,that besides the Scrickfinni(so he calls them that withPet. Claud.areSiœfinnes)there are other trueLaplanders,that live on nothing but rain deer. And so from the Natives feeding on wild Beasts,Laplandproperly so called, is also stiledWildfindland, in opposition toFindmarkia, whose Inhabitants live both on Fish and Cattel. And yet there may be given another reason for the imposition of this name, from the many woods of that Country.Olaus Magnusin more places then one calls the natives, men that dwell in woods, orSavages: as in the title of his 3dChapt. of his 4thBook, which is,Concerning the fierceness of theSavages,or those that dwell in woods, in which Chapter he describes theLaplanders. And in the following Chapter he says,that the wildLaplandersare clothed with rich skins of several Beasts. The BaronHerbersteniusalso in his History ofMoscovy, calls themSavage Laplanders, who tho they dwell, says he,on the Sea Coast in little Cottages, and lead a brutish kind of life, are yet more civilized then the Savages of Lapland: whence ’tis plain, that by theFindlandersliving near the Sea, he means those that others callSiœfinnes, and by theSavage Laplandersthose that possess the inland Country, who he thinks were so called from their wildness and barbarity. And by and by he adds,that by converse with Strangers, who come thither to trade, they begin to lay aside their Savage nature, and become a little more civilized. Afterwards he calls themDiki Loppi, which name theMoscovitesgive them at this time, as hath been shewed elswhere.
There is also a 3dDivision ofLapland, that respects the several Princes to whom the Country is in subjection. And thisAndr. Buræusintends, when he tells us,The greatest part ofLapland, viz.the Southern and inland Country, belongs all to the Kingdom of Sweden: The maritime tract, that lies on the Ocean, and is called Findmark (whose Inhabitants theSiœfinni,or maritime Findlanders, are so named from their living by fishing) to Norway: The rest of them that dwell from theCastle of Warhuusto the mouth of thewhite Sea,are subject to the Russians, which part the Swedes call Trennes, the Natives Pyhinienni, and the Russians Tarchana voloch. Of their subjection to these severall Princes, we shall speak when we come to treat of their Government; and also of those parts that belong toNorwayorDenmark, andRussia. At present we shall only mention the division of that part which is under theSwedes, and is named byBuræus, the Southern and inlandLapland, and byPetr. Claud.Lappmarkiaproperly so called. This is divided into six lesser parts calledmarker, orlands, thoBuræuschuses to render them Territories or Provinces. Each of these have their distinct names, and are calledAongermandlandslapmark,Umalappmark,Pithalappmark,Lulalapmark,Tornalapmark,Kiemilapmark. SoSamuel Rheenin his first Chapter,That part ofLaplandwhich belongs to Sweden is divided into the Kiemensian, Tornensian, Lulensian, Pithensian, Umensian, and Angermanlandensian Lapmark.Buræusmentions but five of theseProvinces, viz.Umalappmark,Pithalappmark,Lulalapmark,Tornelapmark, andKimilapmark, comprehendingAngermandlandslapmarkunderUmalapmark, not that they are one and the same Province, but because they are both governed by one Lieutenant. Each of these Provinces take their name from Rivers that run thro the midst of them, asWexioniusin his description ofSwedlandassures us. As for their situation,Angermanlandslapmarkborders uponAndermanniaandJemtia, to this joinsUmalapmark, next to that isPithalapmark, and thenLulelapmark, all of them lying Westward, reaching on one side to that ridg of Hills that dividesSwedlandfromNorway, and on the other side to the WesternBothnia. Northward of them liesTornelapmark, and extends it self from the fartheh corner of theBay of Bothniaall along the North Sea, called by SeamenCape Noort. Next to this liesKimilapmark, winding from the North toward the East, and bounded on one side by the EasternBothnia, on another side by that part ofLaplandthat belongs toRussia, and on a third side byCajaniaandCarelia.
Moreover these Provinces we are speaking of, are subdivided into lesser parts, called by theSwedesByar, asSamuel Rheentells us, and are equivalent to ourShires, and thePagiof the Ancients. So inCæsarwe meet withPagus Tigurinus, andPagi Suevorum, which were not Villages or Country Towns, but large parts of a Country, such as theGreekscalledνόμοι, used in ancient times in the division of Ægypt. Hence theGlossaryrenders the ancientToparchiæ,Pagus,τοπαρχία, χώρα, νόμος. There are several of thesePagiorShiresin each Province, exceptAngermanlandslapmark, which makes but onePagus, vulgarly calledAosahla.Umalapmarkhath four,Uma,LaisorRaanby,Granby, andVapsteen.Pithalapmarkseven,Graotreskby,Arfwejerfsby,Lochteby,Arrieplogsby,Wisierfby,Norrvesterby,Westerby.Lulalapmarkfive,Jochmoch,Sochjoch,Torpinjaur,Zerkislocht, andRautomjaur.Tornelapmarkeight,Tingawaara,Siggewaara,Sondewara,Ronolaby,Pellejerf,Kiedkajerf,Mansialka,Saodankyla,Kithilaby. So that all the Territories or Provinces are divided into 33Byars. In each of these there are severalClansor Families, which theSwedescallrakar, each of which have a certain allotment of ground assign’d them for the maintenance of themselves and their Cattel; not in the nature of a Country Farm with us, but of a very great length and bredth, so as to include Rivers, Lakes, Woods, and the like, which all belong to oneClanor family. In everyBiarthere are as many allotments as there are families that can live of themselves, and are not forced by poverty to serve others. In theByarcalledAosahlathere are about 30 of theseClans, or families, in others more or less according as they are in bigness, which all have their several names, tho ’tis not worth while to repeat them. And thus much shall suffice of the third division ofLapland, not lately made (except that underCharles IXsomeClanshad certain allotments assign’d them) but derived from very ancient time; as appears from hence that neither theLaplandershave known, nor theSwedesgiven them any other, since the Country hath bin under their subjection. Nor are the words modern, or taken from any thing that may give any cause to suspect them of novelty: which I the rather observe, that from hence the native simplicity, agreable to the antiquity of the Nation, may appear.