Chapter 479 Visiting the Tribe
The Bear Claw Tribe has more than three thousand people and covers a large area.
The center of the tribe is a large square square, with the church to the east, the Presbyterian House to the west, the tavern to the north, and the hotel to the south.
The hotel is a long wooden house with box beds inside, toilets at both ends, and a stable at the back.
Larson took Frederick to a yard behind the tavern. In the yard were two wooden houses, one large and one small, connected by porches, and a well.
"This is a place for distinguished guests in the tribe." Larsen led Frederick in. "Every autumn, tax officials from the Sami Federation come to collect taxes, and the circuit court comes here. Tax officials and judges come here. Live here."
Frederick looked around at the layout of the room. The door was facing the fireplace. There was a long table and chairs in front of the fireplace. This hall felt like a high-rise hall for handling cases.
There are also decorative paintings hanging on both sides of the fireplace. They are landscape paintings pasted with colorful feathers, which are quite unique.
On the right is the kitchen and dining room. There are some copper tableware and cooking utensils in several cupboards, and the stove is deserted.
On the left is the bedroom. In addition to wooden cabinets, tables and chairs, there is a large box bed and a small fireplace.
There is a small door in the bedroom that leads to the cabin.
Larsen said to Frederick: "There is a steam room. If you are interested, you can try it."
Frederick felt that the weather was still hot and it was not the time to take a sauna.
Larsen took Frederick on a tour inside and outside the tribe.
Outside the tribe is a stone wall five or six meters high. Outside the stone wall, there are thorn bushes more than ten meters wide.
Larson said to Frederick: "The thorns of this thorn bush are poisonous, and wild animals will not break in, but the fruit is quite delicious."
Now is the time when the thorn bushes are bearing fruit, many of them are six or seven years old. The children were picking fruits with a basket, and Frederick picked a fruit the size of a fingernail. It tasted extremely sour and a little sweet.
The two walked into the tribe. They were all wooden houses, with a layer of clay on the inside and outside of the walls to prevent fire. Only a few families had stone fireplaces, and most people used fire pits.
There is no idle person in the village. Many women and young men are chopping firewood in front of the house and behind the house. The amount of firewood determines whether the family can survive the winter.
The eaves of many people are hung with dried fish and meat, as well as bunches of vegetables and mushrooms, which are their winter food.
From time to time a girl passed by with a basket filled with blueberries, currants, raspberries and elderberries, ready to be made into jam.
The girls looked at Frederick curiously. It was not strange for outsiders to come from the tribe. There were occasionally people wearing blacksmith uniforms from the south, but it was really rare to see people wearing brand-new blacksmith uniforms.
Frederick was also looking at them. These girls were wearing headscarves, shirts, vests and skirts. Everyone was armed with weapons, including daggers and daggers, as well as bows and arrows. Some even carried Come back with a rabbit or pheasant.
The workshop area is in a corner of the town. There is a blacksmith shop and there are several leather tanning workshops.
The two walked and chatted, leaving the city and walking to the farmland below. There was a circle of berries and thorn bushes planted outside to prevent wild beasts from coming in.
Larson said to Frederick: "The development of our tribe in recent years has something to do with you."
"Oh?" Frederick was a little curious, "What is the relationship?"
< br>Larsen said: "The women here usually grow some crops, and the men go into the mountains to hunt or go fishing, and sometimes they go out to work as mercenaries."
"That year, the men from several small tribes nearby The men went to the south and died under Hanma City. The remaining people in the tribe could not survive, so they had no choice but to merge with our tribe." Frederick asked: "Isn't this kind of tribe merger common?" br>
Larsen said: "Men who hunt sometimes encounter powerful monsters, and sometimes they encounter avalanches. There is a tribe of men who are camping at night and encounter mudslides. Some go to sea and never come back. They are all gone."
"The remaining people in the tribe cannot survive and can only go to other tribes."
Frederick asked him again: "How many people are there in the largest tribe?"
Larson replied: "Not necessarily. Let's see how many people can be supported around us. There will be more on the seaside and fewer in the mountains. When the population increases, they will be divided into other places."
Frederick nodded, The carrying capacity of a place is limited, and if there are too many people to support, the family has to be divided.
A one-armed young man with a thin figure and a trendy shoulder bag hung on his shoulder came from a distance. He greeted Larson politely after seeing him.
Larsen chatted for a while. After the young man left, he said to Frederick: "Ten years ago, a wolf broke in. Asen, this kid, was weeding in the field and his left hand was bitten off."
“Now he goes to the forest to pick up some beautiful feathers and sticks them on the wooden board for painting, and he can also eat.”
Frederick thought of the two pairs of feather paintings on the wall of his residence. , thinking about it, said: "Let him send some paintings to Peterson and the others to the south to have a look. Find someone to make a beautiful frame and cover it with a transparent hard plastic board. The content is of the fjords, snow-capped mountains and forests here. , maybe it can be sold for a good price.”
The feathers of some birds here are indeed beautiful, colorful and shiny, which is very attractive to rich people who like novelty. The exotic themes of northern nature are also very eye-catching.
Larson learned from the letter sent by his sister that Frederick was very good at making money, and immediately wrote it down.
There was a sound of cursing in the distance. A sheep ran out of the pasture and ran into someone else's field. The peasant woman who cultivated the land scolded the child herding the sheep bloody.
Larson went over immediately. Mediating such small disputes was his daily job.
Frederick learned that a three-bed system is generally used here. In the first year, rye is planted, and in the second year, barley is planted. Compared with wheat, they are more cold-resistant. In the third year, pasture is planted and placed in the ground. Chickens, cattle and sheep, and some fields take turns growing beans and vegetables.
Larsen said to Frederick: "We plan to plant another season of Elizabeth potatoes in front of the pasture. I wonder if you have any advice?"
Frederick looked at the pine forest in the distance and said: "The ash of coniferous trees such as pine trees provides less nutrients to underground rhizomes than broadleaf trees. I suggest putting more."
The two walked to the edge of the pasture. Cattle and sheep are mainly used to produce milk, and meat is eaten only when they are old.
The same goes for chickens. They mainly eat eggs. They are only eaten when they no longer lay eggs.
Larsen went over and asked an aunt: "Are there any chickens that can't lay eggs recently? There are distinguished guests from the tribe."
The aunt quickly came over with an old hen with snow-white feathers and said : "This chicken sprained its feet today. You can take it and eat it."
Larsen took the old hen with a smile and said to the aunt: "Thank you, this chicken will be recorded in the account."
He took the old hen and said to Frederick: "I will borrow it tonight." You can have some chicken soup now."
Frederick looked at the old hen carefully and had some ideas in his mind.
(End of this chapter)