Durante la pausa del Ringraziamento ho fatto un viaggio nell’Alto Michigan con il mio amico (ha rivendicato le sue radici finlandesi da entrambi i lati della sua famiglia). Mentre viaggiavo da Iron Mountain a Houghton e Calumet, ho notato una cosa speciale qui.
Mi piace molto l’Alto Michigan, non solo per la sua natura o il paesaggio, ma piuttosto per la cultura finlandese che è ancora viva qui. Come ho appreso, i discendenti finlandesi negli Stati Uniti hanno preservato la loro cultura meglio di altri discendenti europei, nonostante il duro lavoro nel settore minerario e altro. Ho visitato molte case lì e stanno imparando quello che viene chiamato “Sisu”, c’è persino il Finnish American Heritage Center a Hancock, MI.
Questi discendenti finlandesi potrebbero non parlare finlandese, ma hanno preservato la loro cultura qui così bene che per me l’Alto Michigan è un’altra Finlandia. Sono così finlandesi che alcune case qui issano addirittura la bandiera finlandese sulle loro case e in alcuni posti c’è la lingua finlandese a bordo, sui libri o persino nelle chiese. (Non solo solo nelle piccole città ma piuttosto nei luoghi rurali)
Quindi la mia domanda qui è: cosa pensano i finlandesi (della Finlandia) dei loro discendenti in altri paesi? Sono orgogliosi del contributo finlandese al di fuori della Finlandia?… ecc
Immagine: ho preso questo libro dalla casa dei nonni materni di un mio amico vicino a Calumet, MI, dove praticano ancora la cultura finlandese.
Se siete interessati, vi consiglio di visitare l’Upper Michigan.
https://i.redd.it/t0c6pongg84g1.jpeg
di Vietnam-1234
19 commenti
Hell yeah!
Embrace what you love!
Finnish descendants are bonded with genetics and I think most of this sub is against an ethnicity-based definition of a Finn.
But yet the same global progressive English-speaking people defend the rights of the Sami people and their rights for their living areas, that is based on ethnicity.
Sometimes it is a bit contradictory.
I would imagine that people on r/Finland are interested in the Finnish language, for example. Yet, the use of Finnish is forbidden in this sub. So this sub is a hub for English-speaking discussion on Finland, but I find it a bit problematic. Like, Finland is just another market area for English-speaking IT workers to choose from..
I would rather highlight Finland and its distinctivity (3000 years of Finnish-speaking cultural heritage) compared to global English-speaking bulk.
I would say most Finns don’t really give a shit if someone claims Finnish ancestry. And why should they? Upper Michigan is not “another Finland”. It’s Upper Michigan.
Finns do often get weirdly excited when something related to the country is reported on the news, say. Descendants of Finns living in America are not exciting. Why would we be proud of some Finns moving to the US generations ago? It has nothing to do with us.
Also, sisu is not pronounced see-soo, so I don’t know what kind of “Finnish culture” they’re practicing. That framed poster is extremely cringeworthy.
Got (distant) family up there, and I happen to know ~20 american Finns quite well.
It’s a thing. Not quite Finnish, but I love the enthusiasm.
Torille perkele!
Pretty much how Europeans often view Italian/Irish/whatevernationality-Americans. Often cringe and Americanised culturally, not representing the original culture much. Even worse if they can’t speak a word of the original language but claim to totally be 100% Italian or 1/8 Viking or whatnot.
But tbh Finnish-Americans aren’t that much talked about in general, I doubt most Finns really remember they exist nor consider them Finnish.
If there are some different Finnish or “Finnish” cultural activities going on in the US, just enjoy it. More power to you.
As long as there isn’t a sauna with a carpeting or something, Finns doesn’t really care.
It’s not See•Soo it’s sísù
Language is a very important part of Finnish culture, and if a Finn hears you pronounce “Sisu” as “see-soo” they most definitely will not see you as Finnish lmao
I think it’s endearing. If they’re proud to have Finnish heritage, good for them. They might not be “Finns”, but I personally always welcome finding out more about one’s heritage
We don’t think about you.
Finnish Americans’ version of Finnish culture is very different from the one in Finland. They have actually preserved lots of traditions that have been long forgotten here. Basically they came from the Finnish culture in the 1800s and after that got isolated from us.
If you are hollywood level movie star or othervise celebrity, local tabloids might mention it. But other than that I don’t know if anyone cares.
For context: a lot of people left to work in Sweden, US and other places in the 20th century. Having finnish blood in you is almost given 😄
I think it’s pronounced si-Su.
“Pronounced “see-soo”” dawg 🥀
‘Murica great yet?
I’m not Finnish but generally I object to the idea that anyone born and raised in the US can really claim any kind of genuine cultural ties to another country, unless one or both of their were born and raised in that country. Particularly so when they act like certain personality traits are inherited by virtue of where their ancestors were from.
You see it all the time with Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Greek Americans and so on. “I’m Italian we love cooking” blah blah blah.
It’s a peculiar type of unprocessed national self-loathing you get from a country of egomaniacs who grew up in an ahistorical cultural desert. To me the whole thing is a source of derision and mockery.
In short: you’re not Finnish or a Finn, and you never will be.
Europeans as a whole dont consider a nationality/ethnicity to be “active” or valid unless you speak the language to a decent degree and you are immersed in and understand the culture. You should also live or have lived there for an extended time OR have parents who are from there.
This disqualifies pretty much every American who claims some European nationality trough past relatives. Americans who make such claims are considered very silly and are often laughed about.
Immigrants who have lived a long time in and integrated into European countries are considered to have a stronger case for their new nationality than such Americans.
Yeah I don’t know why US is so freaking obsessed with “We have preserved your culture better than you have! We are more authentic than the people living in the country” thing.
Cultures develope and change. Being stuck on how one family maybe did things 100 years ago isn’t some ancient correct way that needs chest thumping.
Finland ain’t that big but just how things are done in east and west are very different but both equally Finnish.
But I do think it’s fun that there are these mini-Finlands! There’s some down in Argentina too, my granma lived there as a baby for a while until they moved back to Finland. I found it really interesting to read about their experiences in the jungle. And how freaking brave has it been back in the day to take that journey across Atlantic. Huge investment and risk.
As long as folks there mind their own business, treat each other with the respect they deserve, are happy (but not overly show-off-happy) and have an outdoor sauna for proper löyly I think that’s pretty cool there’s people who are proud of their roots.
Nothing wrong with that. Good for you.
That’s one nice Sisu picture too.