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CHANGING LAPPS:A STUDY IN teenthcentury as a product of culture CULTURERELATIONS IN contact. NORTHERNMOST The chapter on “Culture contact dur- By GUTORMGJESSING. London: Lon- ing historic times”is refreshing, especi- don School of Economics and Political ally the remarks on the changing attitude I Science,Dept. of Anthropology, and towards the Lapps. The great Norwegian Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 19f4. nationalrenaissance was not accom- . (Monographs on Social Anthropology panied by liberalideas concerning the No. 13). 94 x 73 inches; 67 pages. 12s. preservation of Lappish culture, but or 14.21 D. Kr. rather by repressivemeasures (such as Publications in English on the Lapps the suppression of Lappish in school B are so few and of suchuneven quality tuition) aimed at Norwegianization. that any serious addition is a significant The kernel of the book lies in thethree event for students of the arctic peoples. chaptersdescribing three different Lap- In thisvolume Gutorm Gjessing, Pro- pishcommunities in Norway:the Sea fessor of Ethnography, University of Lapps of Laksefjord, the settledRiver ,presents much material that has Lapps ofKarasjok, and the previouslybeen available only to those nomads of . It is unfortunate acquainted withthe Scandinavianlan- that the authorhas had to lean so heavily guages. For the most part the book con- on other people’saccounts, thechapter sists ofhis own accountsre-worked; on Laksefjord being based almostentirely four of the sevenchapters are revised on Falkenberg’sfieldwork in 1938,l and lectures delivered to audiencesoutside that on Kautokeino upon Smith’s work.2 Norway. Although adefinitive ethno- Neither ofthese men was interested in graphic description of the Norwegian social structure, and it is hardly satisfac- Lappsis greatly needed to complement toryto make theirwork the basis of the work of Mankerl and Itkonen,z this theoretical generalization. There are does notpretend to be it andmust, ampledata elsewhere with which Gjes- therefore, be judged by other standards. sing could test his hypotheses. The third Gjessing’s principal concern is that of study, that of , is based on the “culture contact”, and he begins by dis- author’s own fieldwork of two months’ cussing the role of the Lapps in Scandi- duration-again scarcely a satisfactory navian prehistory. His experienceas an basis for a study of “culture relations”. archaeologistmakes him cautious about Certainlyhis observation that there are accepting the people of the Komsaand elements of acaste structure in present neolithic “Arctic” slate cultures as either day Karasjoksuggests a cursory and ethnically or raciallyLappish. But it is naiveexamination of the situation, or a nonetheless certain that the earliest Nor- very particular use of the term “caste”. dic colonists found a Lappish population Histribute to Britishand American in when they arrived inthe scholars working in Lapland is appreci- eighth century. Gjessing’s description of ated, but althoughsuch persons may the process of settlement is excellent, and have greaterobjectivity when studying he has some stimulating observations on the process of culture contact, the ex- the expansion of reindeernomadism, amination of historicalmaterial in 8 which hebelieves developed in the six- IFalkenberg, J. 1938. “Bosetningenved IManker, Emst. 1947. ‘De svenska fjallap- indrelaksefiord i Finnmarkoptegnelser fra pama’.Svenska Turistforeningens Forlag 1938” in ‘Bidrag til Finnernes bygdehistorie hanbocker om det svenska fjallet, 4. Stock- og etnografi‘.Oslo: vol. 2, pp. 51-159. holm: 548 pp. *Smith,P. L. deF. 1938. ‘Kautokeino og ZItkonen, T. I. 1948. ‘Suomenlappalaiset Kautokeino-Lappene . . .’. Oslo:xiv + 602 vuoteen 1945’. Porvoo: 2 vols. PP. 2 50 REVIEWS 251 archives is surely better undertaken by isdiscussed at length because there is a a native of the country. constant tendency throughout the book The book contains many stimulating to give thework of earlier writersa ideas, and since the reader is warned on nuancenever intended, but whichcon- thethird page thatthe work doesnot veniently fits into Gjessing’sargument. claim to be “exhaustive”, one should not, The description ofLaestadianism, the perhaps, cavil at the absence of adequate Christian revivalistmovement, which, substantiation of the author’s theories by accompaniedby ecstatic forms, still has reference to ethnographic data, when widespread support among the northern these theories have been formulated be- groups of Lapps,is unfortunately most fore. The misquotation of scholars one-sided.Professor Gjessing repeats writing earlier, however, is to be severe- remarkspublished elsewhere thatin ly condemned. Thus, Gjessing citing one Lzstadiandogma the existence of God of hisown articles writes on page 26 becomes of minorimportance and that “in Samish [Lappish] social structure also the system of ideas was created by Lapps there are traits which are moreclosely andFinns. The reviewer, from several related to the social forms of the Chuk- yearscontact with members of this chee, Koryaks and Eskimo than to those group,believes these assertions to be of the Mongolianand Turkish peoples entirely false. Laestadianism was princip- (Gjessing, 1947)”. What he actually ally created by Swedish-born Lars Levi wrote in 1947 was“Solem suggests that Laestadius;his printedsermons arethe the sii’diil issocially based directly on only literature other than the Bible used the hunting unit: consequently it is of by the preachers ofchis sect, and they considerable interest to point outthat contain continued mention of the func- the social unit ofvillage organization tion of God in Ixstadian doctrine. among the Chukchee,and among both Giessing’sobservation that communion Siberian andAmerican Eskimos, isap- assumes a central position in the religi- parently the crew of large hunting boats, ouslife ofLaestadians is in direct con- as stressed by MissM. A. Czaplicka al- tradiction to the reviewer’s observations ready in 1914. In other words, both the and those of Per Boreman, author of the sii’dii organization, probablyoccurring best study of the movement.l Although in North Scandinavian and North Rus- Gjessing is right in emphasizing the sian hunters’ cultures already early in socially cohesive character of the move- the StoneAge, and the Chukcheeand ment, hisview thatit constitutes some Eskimotypes may represent a more sort of a “covert” revival of the old pre- primaeval stratum in arctic society than Christian shamanism is highly equivocal. the common Siberian type. In that case It iswhen he discusses sociological the Eskimo umialik wouldcorrespond concepts that the author ismost open tothe Lapp sii’dii-ked, the chief or to criticism, for emphatic reiteration is leader of a village. The Lapp sii’dii has no substitute for scientific analysis. We in any case, however, been more closely have no real evidence that the sii’dii has knit than the Eskimovillage: for in- remainedunchanged in its social func- stance the Eskimos donot haveany tioning. Any attempt to correlate the organization corresponding to the Lapp incompletelyunderstood titles given in sii’dii council (Skolt Lapp norraz) .”z early taxlists with present socialposi- There is no mention of the Koryaks, tions is largely guesswork. Thus Gjes- the Mongolians or the Turkish peoples, sing’s attempt to equate the finnelensmann nor are his remarks couched in the same and chochstarus of the old records with definite terms. This particular reference ~ thecontemporary leader of the sii’dii 1The sii’da” is the unit of social organiza- and hisassistant entails ignoring the tion of the reindeer nomads. possibility that the earlier positions were 2Gjessing, G. 1947. “Norwegian contribu- tions to Lapp ethnography”. J. Roy. Anthro. IBoreman,Per. 1953. ‘Laestadianismen’. Inst. (London). Vol. 77, pp. 50-1. Stockholm. 252 REVIEWS officiallyimposed institutions similar to friend Idlouk. He brought no access of the Swedish authorities ‘byordningsman whitewealth or equipment to Idlouk’s (Lappish, jdrjistis-olmus). Nor have we camp, only hisrifle, sleeping bag and anyadequate evidence thatthe sii’di camera. He was determined to under- wasexogamic. The assertation of one stand the Eskimo’sproblems fromthe informant cannot replaceexamination inside,as a working member of their of taxlists and their correlation with camp,in orderto fit himself for con- church registers. sidering the posthe has now accepted Inspite ofall these defects this is an with the Canadian government (North- important book. It provides information ern ServiceOfficer, Department of for the non-Scandinavian reader, and Northern Affairs, at FrobisherBay, gives an interesting stimulus to the whole Baffin Island). field of Lappish research. Gjessing’s views Inthis showed the intenselyidealistic on historical matters are always interest- spirit which flames from this young ing and often new,such ashis com- Canadian.Such a spirit often entangles ments on the effects of the development a writer in a mesh of fancy andphilo- of reindeer husbandry, or the decline of sophising. But one looks in vain for such the Pomor trade. He points out what is inWilkinson’s prose-as simple, beauti- generallyignored: thatour knowledge ful, andeminently believable ashis is defective since not only did the Lapps photographs. He has the power to con- try to misleadmissionaries, butthe vey the feeling of his hunter’s life, times authors of suchaccounts aswe possess unpleasantlyharsh as well as times gay were Lutheran missionaries who utilised andexciting. There areplenty who Old Norse religious concepts to describe know the Eskimo well and cannot write something entirely alien to them. More- descriptively: thereare some unfortun- over, what they published was a mixture ately who can pour forth words based of information from different parts of on misconception,ignorance, or plain Lapland. Professor Gjessing is to be con- lies.But most readers will agree that gratulated in introducing fresh ideas to here is living, truthful writing, that con- replace the arid study of theseseven- jures up this territory where the sun teenth century texts. lives above the horizon for three months Another great virtue of the bookis in summer, and below for as long a time that it is a sympathetic account lacking in winter. One can enjoy withhim the the ethnocentricity and romanticism that sights,scents, and sounds of returning has marred nearlyall previous writings spring, andmarvel with him atthe onpeople. this IANWHITAKER triumphant auktok seal hunt as perform- ed by his foster father one day. LAND OF THE LONG DAY Through the pageshis main theme By DOUGWILKINSON. Toronto: Clarke and interest leaps out. How do the Eski- Irwin, 1955. 94 x 64 inches; vii + 261 mo and white man differ, and how can pages;illustrations; maps on end the already-presentintermingling of papers. $5.00. their cultures bea blessing and not a This bookis the account of the disaster? He describes the lingering author’syear-long stay at anEskimo patience of the Eskimo,his apparent camp sitein northern BaffinIsland. It lack of gratitude, Idlouk’s own reaction tells in factual but stirring words of his to the presentdays and distaste for re- deliberately-sought life as an inoongwah, turning to the ways of his ancestors. He “one living in the likeness of an Eskimo”. is careful to point outthat physically He had already an extensive knowledge he had no trouble living in the likeness of the north andits people as a maker of the Eskimo-mentally he could not do of successful short films, (one of which so. On his last pages he writes thought- has the same title as this book). In 1953 fully about the future of the Eskimo in he went up as the adopted son ofhis the Canadian north. He is not sure, but