Lapp Reindeer poem

Kulnasatj, my little reindeer,
Time it is for us to go,
Go we to the northern forests
Hastening over the spreading marshes
Journeying to the fair one’s home.
Hold me no longer, Kajgavare,
Fare you well now, Kalvejaure

Shine warm, O sun, on Squirrel Water!
Could I but climb up yonder fir-tree
And know that I could see the Squirrel Water
Where she is dwelling in the heather dale,
Then would I fell each of the trees,
The trees which now have grown too high;
And all those branches would I lop
Which now bear bright green leaves…
A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long, thoughts.
If I should listen to them all,
Then I would tread an evil path,
One choice along I must now make
To find the way of truth.

~ ~ ~

Yoik (lyric poem)

I sing again from Ultevis,
I sing of Ultevis’ high crags,
And the call of the reindeer hinds
And the tinkle of the leader’s bell
Are heard together with my song
Let them call, the hinds on Ultevis.
Let them rub their new horn’s velvet
On the willow trees on Ultevis, on Ultevis

Lapp life and customs; a survey by Ornulv Vorren and Ernst Manker

~ ~ ~

Samiland

You land discovered, be your name Samiland,
You land discovered, be you Sami land.
Let us run after Samiland’s reindeer,
Acquire them as food for us.
Let us make our arrows right,
Keep them by our side,
Ready for our bows.
Let us prepare to travel
Let us make enough sod lean-tos,
Uproot trees root and all.
Let us place them “round the lean-to
As dwelling room for us.
Grass shall not be enough:
Let us acquire fire as well.
Let us gather the fruits of the trees,
They are good enough in our need.
We will do any kind of work,
If we can eat the food

Without cooking at all.
With many a kettle and pot
Samiland’s inhabitants cooked
When they made a hole in a stone
When they made holes in stones,
In the middle of their dwelling room.

Cooked for themselves
The poor people with its inventions
Must cook in the ashes
Make food in their own way.
For the benefit of their bodies
They did not eat only clean foods.
Although the food has been clean.
Yet they must
In the Samiland they found,
Use for food what for food was meant:
There was no kettle:
What was used as kettle? Stones excavated into pots.
Were made
By ancient people in Sami land.
Those who came later laughed.
When they found the dwellings.

We who came later know for sure
That people have been here before us;
People for whom Nature’s law was their law
The cattle’s food their food.
Finally they learned
To use the cattle as their food.
The song is not sung
Only about Samiland
Or about the lifestyle of this ancient folk,
Those who wandered across Samiland in the beginning
Thought of putting hay in their shoes.
Finally the time changed
And the time of the noaide drum arrived.

Fragments of Lappish Mythology by Lars Laestadius

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