_Of the Judicatures and Tributes of the_ Laplanders.
After the manner of their Government, and the discipline they live
under, we descend to those affairs that are managed by it; which
belong either to the Courts of Judicature, or to the Tribute. I can
scarce find any mention of the former. Their own Kings, when they were
a free Nation, exercised this autority, and kept the jurisdiction
in their own hands; but when the _Birkarli_ ruled them, it depended
altogether on their plesure. _Zeigler_ makes no mention of any Judges
among them, but saies that if any dispute happened that was dubious,
it was referred to the Courts in _Swedland_; I suppose he means the
more weighty controversies, which the _Birkarli_ could not, or did not
dare to decide. But these were very rare with them, for great crimes,
as theft, rapine, murder, adultery, or such like are seldom committed
and scarce known by the _Laplanders_. They neither borrow nor lend
mony, being content with what they possess of their own, which are
commonly the occasions of quarrels in other Nations, and maintain
so many Lawyers. The chief sin they are guilty of is their magical
superstition, which since their embracing Christianity, is forbidden
by the Laws, and is not so frequent as formerly. After that _Gustavus_
the first had deposed the _Birkarli_, and given them Governors of their
own, they lived under better discipline, and greater diligence was used
in seeing Justice done, but _Charles_ the ninth was the first that
took care to have them instructed in the Swedish Laws, and that they
should regulate themselves accordingly. This charge was given by the
same King in his instructions to _Laurentius Laurentii_, Governor of
_Lapland_, dated from _Stockholm_ on the 10^{th} of Oct. 1610, wherein
he commanded him to govern those of _Uma_, _Pitha_, and _Luhla_,
according to the Swedish Laws, and to protect them from all injuries.
There are at present in _Lapland_ three Governors, and as many Courts
of Judicature: the first is called _Anundsiœense_, or _Angermansian_,
the other _Uhmensian_, _Pithensian_ and _Luhlensian_, the other is the
_Tornensian_, and _Kiemensian_. Over these are particular Governors,
who in the Kings name pass Sentence, but in the presence of a Judge
and a Priest; where it is observable that they added Priests to the
Governors, to restrain them from doing injustice by the autority of
their presence. Now as to the time when these Courts were called, it is
a doubt, but I believe it was at the Fair times, when they met about
all public business; this was commonly twice in a year, _viz._ in
Winter and Summer, according to an order of _Charles_ the ninth’s. It
is now in _January_ and _February_. They were held in the same places
where they kept their Markets and Fairs, which were determined in each
particular County, as will appear by and by.
Now we come to the Tribute they paid, which at first was only skins
of beasts, paid not by the _Laplanders_, but the _Birkarli_, yet only
as an acknowledgement of their subjection to the Crown of _Sweden_.
_Buræus_ calls it _naogra timber graoskin_, _graoskin_ signifies gray
Squirrils skins, of which color the Squirrils were constantly in the
Winter; _timber_ denotes the number of the skins, which were fourty,
tied together in a bundle. It is uncertain how many of these bundles
the _Birkarli_ gave, but in the Contract with _Gustavus_ the first,
those of _Luhla_ and _Pitha_ were engaged to pay 8, which makes in
all 360 skins, besides two Martins skins. Those also of _Torne_ were
taxed with the same number; and shortly after this number was doubled,
by an agreement made in 1528. But after the _Birkarli_ had lost their
priviledges, for the forementioned reasons, and the King received
the tax by Commissioners for himself, it is very probable some more
alteration were made. In the year 1602 they paid instead of skins
every tenth Rain-deer, and one tenth of all their dried fish; which
is clear from the commands given by _Charles_ to his Deputies _Olaus
Burman_ and _Henry Benegtson_, at _Stockholm_ on the 22^d of _July_
in the same year, to require the tribute in this manner, that so the
_Laplanders_ might know what and how much they were to pay: for it
seems that from _Gustavus_ the first’s time, till then, the Governors
used no constant method in raising it, but sometimes demanded skins,
at other times other sorts of goods that seemed most necessary for
present use; so that by this uncertainty the tribute grew very heavy
upon the Inhabitants, and their Governors took occasion from it to
exact what they pleased under pretence of the public account, for their
own proper uses. Yet this custom continued not long, being thought
perhaps too burthensome to the _Laplanders_, and very prejudiciable to
their herds; wherefore it was ordered in 1606, that every one which
was then 17 years of age, should pay either two Bucks, or three Does
out of their herds of Rain-deers, and eight pound of dried fish; as
also every tenth Fawn out of their stock, and every tenth tun from
their fishery. This tax was also imposed on the _Birkarli_ that had any
trafic with them. This order was kept a long while, and renewed again
by the same King in 1610. The tribute they pay at this time is either
mony, Rain-deers, or skins, either plain or fitted up for use. These
they pay according to the largeness of the Provinces in which they
dwell, the largest of which, they say, are _een heel skatt_, that is,
they pay the full tribute; the lesser _een half skatt_, that is, half
tribute; and so likewise for the rest. He that possesseth a Province of
the whole tribute, pays two _Patacoons_, which they call _Skattadaler_,
and others that have lesser possessions and half tribute, give one
_Patacoon_; those which want mony, pay fish or skins, which are
commonly of Foxes or Squirrils, of these 50, of the others one with a
pair of _Lapland_ shoes, are equal to a _Patacoon_: two pounds also
of dry fish are of the same value; now to every pound of dried fish
they allow five over, because so much is commonly lost in the drying.
They call this pound with its addition _Skattpund_, that is the pound
for tribute. They value their Rain-deers at 3 Dollars a piece, and pay
the tenths of them, not each family, but every hundred. I have set the
prices down here, because if any one had rather keep his Cattel, he can
be forced to no more then after this rate. Now concerning the tenths
they pay of skins, every housholder is taxed one white Foxe’s skin, or
a pair of _Lapland_ shoes; if he hath neither of these, half a pound
of dried Jack. This is the Tribute yearly received by the Crown of
_Sweden_ from _Lapland_, of which the greatest part is commonly by the
Kings gracious favor allowed for the maintenance of their Priests, as
was shewn in another place. Now because it is so far both by Sea and
Land, before these commodities can be brought to the Kings Storehouses,
besides the ordinary tax they give a pair of _Lapland_ shoes, which
they call _Haxapalka_, that is the price for carriage. This is all they
pay to the King of _Sweden_, but besides they are tributary to the
Crown of _Danmark_, and the great Duke of _Moscovy_, not as Subjects
to these Princes, but upon the account of their receiving several
advantages from their Dominions in their hunting and fishing. Those
that are thus, are all the allotments of _Torna_ beyond the mountains,
who by reason of the liberty they have to bring down their Cattel
from the mountains into the vallies in the Summer time, near the Sea
shore, and taking the opportunity from thence of fishing, are taxed
by the _Danes_, but not at above half the rate that they pay to the
_Swedes_. These allotments are called _Koutokeine_, _Aujouara_, _Teno_,
and _Utziocki_. The _Laplanders_ also of the allotment of _Enare_ in
_Kiemi_, are in the same condition, who for fishing and hunting pay
both to the _Danes_ and _Moscovites_ as well as to the _Swedes_: to the
first one half, to the other a third part of what the _Swedes_ receive.
The tribute was in former time gathered when the Governor pleased, but
afterwards only in the Winter, against which time it was all brought
into Storehouses, each County having its proper place for that purpose.
But when the place for their Markets and Fairs was determined, the
Governor came thither and received it, which course they still take
in this business. That this was also the time for receiving it, will
appear from the account I shall give of their Fairs in the next Chapter.