Besides hunting, which is the cheifest, they have many other emploiments relating to their lives and fortunes, of which Cookery is the first: for what ever food they get by fishing, fowling, or hunting, the men dress and not the women. They therefore are quite ignorant of this Art, (which the men are not very expert at) and never use it but upon necessity, and in the absence of men.

The second is the boat-makers, which they make of Pine or Deale boards, not fasten’d with nails but sew’d together with twigs, as among the ancients with thongs, Olaus Magnus and Johannes TornÆus sayes with roots of trees, but most commonly with Rain-deers nerves. When they launch these boats they caulk them with moss to keep out the water, and use sometimes two, sometimes four oares, so fasten’d to pegs in the sides, that one man may row with two.

The third trade is the Carpenters, to make sledges, which are not all of the same shape, those they travel in, call’d Pulca being made in the fashion of half a boat, having the prou about a span broad turned up, with a hole in it to run a cord thro to fasten it to a Rain-deer, and the poupe of one flat board: the body is built of many, which are fasten’d with wooden pegs to four or five ribs; they never go upon wheeles, but are convex and round, that they may roul any way, and more easily be drawn over the Snow. This description agrees with that sledg which I have, and the Testimony of Herberstenius, Olaus Magnus, and Johannes TornÆus. The fore part of them is cover’d with Sea-Calfs skin for about an ell, stretch’d upon hoops, least the Snow should come in, under which they put moss to keep their feet warm. These are about three ells long, but those that carry baggage, called ackkio, ajefive, are not cover’d any where. The people defend their goods from the weather, according to Wexionius, with raw flax: but that is not probable, because no flax grows there, and the use of flaxen garments is unknown, and therefore I believe they do it with skins or bark. In Olaus Magnus lib. 17. cap. 25. there is a cart painted upon wheeles, the Author describes it in these words, qui domestici sunt Rangiferi curulibus plaustris aptantur, but what these curulia plaustra signifie he does not explain. And since the Painter has drawn other things according to his own capacity, and understanding, I do not know whether he has not follow’d his own opinion more then Olaus’s narration, but ’tis certain there are no wheele carts, for what they carry in Summer is put in dorsers upon Rain-deers. These Tradesmen make their sliding shoes, which because I have describ’d in the former Chapter, I need not now speak of.

The fourth is making boxes and chests to lay up weapons and other things in, which are all of an oval shape, of which sort Lodovicus Otto Bathoniensis gave me one. They are made of thin birch plancks, which are so contrived and bent into an Oval, that the pegs or twigs, with which they are fasten’d, are not perceiv’d. The lids are of one board, and for ornament often inlaid with Rain-deers bones in diverse figures, which for better illustration you shall see describ’d at the end of this Chapter in the cut markt with the letter C.

The fift Trade is making Baskets, in which Art no Nation can compare with them. The matter they make them off is roots of Trees, which they work not as other people do, for they make them of what bigness they please, and if occasion require, will be so accurate in their work as to interweave the roots so neat and close together, that they shall hold water like a solid vessel. Their shapes are diverse, some round with a cover and handle to carry them by, and others squares or oblongs. Not only the Laplanders and Swedes use these, but they are also for their curiosity and strength sent into farther Countries: the figure B. at the end will give a view of a round one.

Beside these the men make all manner of houshold-stuff of wood or bone; and particularly spoons, one of which I have with all its Rings and Ornaments, as you may see at figure A. I have two weaving instruments, a shuttle about two inches long or more, with an hole at one end D. and a kind of comb or small Loom in w^ch they weave particular wreaths and ornaments E.

They make also very neat Tobacco boxes carved with knifes in bone, with many Rings and other pretty appendages about them, all which being considered will prove this Nation not to be so dull and stupid as by some it is supposed.

They have also one Art more worth taken notice of, as ingraving flowers and several Beasts in bone, into which they cast several plates of Tin, and with these figures the men and women adorn their girdles and other things: the same way they make their molds for casting bullets. They make instruments for all emploiments, as Cookery, &c. those for hunting are usually made of bone, and others are commonly adorned with it. Zeigler mentions tubs, which are rather cups, or vessels cut out of a stump of a Tree, as traies are: and Wexionius mentions other vessels made of bark, but I forbear to speak of any more, only I shall add that they learn their art not from masters but their fathers according to their capacity.