_Of the Womens Emploiments._
Having run thro the mens emploiments, the womens are next to be
considered. Two trades are most peculiar to them, as doing the work
of Taylors and Shoomakers, for they make and mend all the Clothes,
Shoes, Boots and Gloves; and they have a third the making all those
things that join the Rain-deer to the sledg, as collars, traces, &c.
in order to which they learn subservient arts, as making thred, which
is commonly of Rain-deers nerves, because they have no flax: of this
sort I have some by me. _Olaus Magnus_ saith _ad indumentorum usum_,
for the making of shirts, which made _Lomenius_ believe the women wove
this thred into cloth, who I perceive in his short description of
_Lapland_, hath very closely followed his words more then his sense. In
the making of their thred, which is of about 3 ells long, the extent
of the Rain-deers nerves, they first cleanse the nerves, then having
cut off all the hard parts, they dry, and hatchell them, and lastly
mollify them with fishes fat. Besides this they spin wool for swadling
clothes, and Hares fur, with which they knit caps, as in other parts
of _Europe_ they do stockins with four knitting needles, which art the
_Germans_ call _stricken_. These Caps are as soft as Swans down, and
extremly warm. In the same manner they make Gloves, which are very
beneficiall to them in the cold. The work of their fillets is very
curious, for they put in them many figures, as you may see at the end
of the foregoing Chapter, at the figure I. The fourth trade is their
covering thred with tin, which first they draw into wire by pulling it
thro little holes in horn with their teeth, which holes they fill half
up with bone, that the tin may be flat on one side, and fitter to be
put on thred. The picture of a woman drawing wire you have in the next
page. Then they put it upon the nerves by the help of a spindle, which
doth so twist them together that they seem all tin, and when they have
done, they wind it about their head or foot, least it should entangle
and be spoiled. And this is their way of making thred of tin, as in
other Countries of gold and silver, the chiefest use of which is in
adorning their clothes after the way of Embroidery, which is the womens
fifth art. _Ziegler_ adds to this _faciunt vestes intextas auro &
argento_, that they interweave in their clothes gold and silver, which
I cannot believe, because they do not do so now, and whatever is spoke
of the mettal, they weave neither linnen nor woollen, but buy it from
the _Bothnian_ or _Norway_ Merchants: so then they do not weave this
thred into their garment, but embroider them with it. Thus they adorn
all their vestments, as gowns called _Muddar_, boots, gloves and shoes,
and she that doth it neatest, is preferred before other women, and had
in greater estimation. They do not immediately put this upon the fur of
skins, but lists of blew, green, or red woollen cloth. Their gowns are
embroidered about the neck, sleeves, breast, and sides; gloves about
the tops, shoes; instep and toes; boots, about the knees; in which
work they commonly picture; Stars, Flowers, Birds, Beasts, especially
Rain-deers: and to make their clothes more glorious, they set them with
spangles, fillets, points, and knots of this thred, and wear upon their
head shreds of diverse colored cloth, the pictures of all which you
have in the former Chapter, Boots F, Gloves G, Shoes H. The Rain-deers
harness they embroider in the same manner.
Lastly they have nothing that appears in sight, but it is hereby made
very commendable and ingenious. I have by me men and womens scrips,
pin-cases, sheaths for knives, very curiously wrought. Of all which,
that I might not seem to give too a large commendation of them, I have
put the Pictures in the foregoing page.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]