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Finnish Americans

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Object Details

sova.cfch.sff.1980_ref37
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5469b7299-66e3-4bf1-ae4f-53362acba8bb
Introduction
By including a Finnish American component in the 1980 Festival, the Folklife Program reaffirmed its commitment to plans specially developed for the 1976 Bicentennial Festival. That program, called "Old Ways in the New World," was intended to dispel much of the "melting pot" notion of American culture by showing that many traditions brought from the Old World have tenaciously survived and developed in their new setting. When immigrant groups arrived in the U.S., the "Old Ways" of cooking, singing, dancing, building, and playing they brought with them were often their only means of maintaining cultural identity. Eventually, by retaining these practices, the descendants of many of these ethnic groups developed a pride in their heritage. Often they chose a particular day, such as a patron saint's feast day, to celebrate their ethnicity. Such an annual occasion became a real "homecoming," when distant family or community members returned to their roots, eating traditional foods with foreign names and joining in Old World dances to the accompaniment of music and instruments from outside the mainstream of American popular culture. While ethnic festivals in the United States are numerous, scholarly focus typically centered mostly on urban celebrations sponsored by larger immigrant groups such as Italians or Irish. By contrast, Laskiainen is a rural winter festival quietly sustained by one of the smallest immigrant groups, the Finns. As with Mardi Gras and other well known Shrovetide celebrations, Laskiainen was a day of feasting and other festivities in anticipation of the 40-day Lenten fast. Having been transplanted from Finland to northern Minnesota, the event has continued for more than 50 years, making it one of this country's oldest ethnic festivals. Because it was impossible to transport the entire event with all its participants, the Smithsonian selected a cross section of foods, crafts, and entertainment to be demonstrated at the 1980 Festival, stressing wherever possible the wintertime aspects of the event: Christmas tree ornaments, the colorful Finnish woolen wear, the birchbark winter slippers used in lumber camps, and the sauna from which one emerges to plunge into the snow. Another essential aspect of Laskiainen that the Festival tried to retain was its family character. Among this year's participants were two brothers and a sister playing Finnish music, several husband-and-wife teams, and a young man weaving fishnets while his grandmother knitted caps and socks nearby.
Participants
George Erick Ahlgren, 1931-, log hewer, Duluth, Minnesota Joyce E. Davis, 1945-, -- kantele -- player, Minneapolis, Minnesota Jeanne A. Doty, 1953-, musician, Eveleth, Minnesota Alex Hietala, 1911-1984, musician, Embarass, Minnesota Geraldine Kangas, 1936-, cook, Aurora, Minnesota John Kangas, 1931-, whip sled builder & operator, Aurora, Minnesota Karen H. Kiviluoma, 1924-, cook, Makinen, Minnesota Pentti Korpi, 1934-1993, log hewer, Duluth, Minnesota Laimi Koskiniemi, 1904-1983, knitter and cook, Gilbert, Minnesota Wilbert W. Koskiniemi, 1961-, fishnet maker, Makinen, Minnesota Eva Lammi, 1914-2005, -- lastu -- maker, Virginia, Minnesota Martin Mattson, 1930-, head log hewer, Esko, Minnesota Robert J. Mattson, 1924-2003, whip sled builder & operator, Aurora, Minnesota Marvin Salo, 1927-2003, woodsman, Embarrass, Minnesota Gregg W. Santa, 1959-, musician, Hibbing, Minnesota Wesley A. Santa, 1956-, musician, Hibbing, Minnesota Larry H. Saukko, 1948-, musician, Tower, Minnesota Lilya White, 1913-2004, spinner and cook, Aurora, Minnesota
Collection Creator
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
See more items in
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife
Archival Repository
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
Identifier
CFCH.SFF.1980, Series 5
Type
Archival materials
Collection Citation
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Restrictions
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
CFCH.SFF.1980_ref37
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5469b7299-66e3-4bf1-ae4f-53362acba8bb
CFCH.SFF.1980
CFCHFOLKLIFE
Record ID
ebl-1503510198656-1503510198703-7

  • Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife


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