The migration of Finns to North America has occurred in several large waves and as the result of thousands of individual decisions. Immigrants were naturally expected to adjust to American culture and ways of living; on the other hand, one's Finnish background was bound to have an influence – at least at the beginning – on the way in which the immigrant looked at life. One's place on the continuum Finnish --> Finnish-American --> American may be influenced by the amount of time spent in America, one's environment, one's attitudes, etc. For some, it may have seemed easier simply to forget one's roots entirely and blend into American culture; for others Finnishness may have served as a personal resource.
We hope you will think about these issues and answer the questions below. You may answer any or all of them. Researchers are especially interested in learning about how knowledge of Finnish culture was transmitted from one generation to the next in the American context, who maintained a consciousness of Finnish heritage and how. What was talked about and to whom? Are there large differences among your friends and associates with respect to attitudes toward their Finnish heritage?
Your answers may be written in either Finnish or English. The faculty in Finnish Studies at the University of Washington will evaluate all responses and the three best essays will receive an award of books from the Finnish Literature Society. All responses will also be conserved at the Folklore Archives of the Finnish Literature Society in Helsinki and will be available for research use. If you would prefer that your response be archived anonymously, please state that preference at the beginning of your essay.
Please submit your answers to Dr. Thomas DuBois, Department of Scandinavian Studies, University of Washington, Box 353420, Seattle, WA 98195-3420, by July 1, 1999.
1.Were you born in the United States or did you move here from Finland? If you moved here, how long have you lived in the United States? What about other family members?
2. Do you have many relatives who are/were immigrants to the United States from Finland?
3. Are your closest friends Finnish-American, American, or a mix of both?
4. Do you think of yourself as Finnish-American or American, and how does this identity express itself in your life?
5. How do you partake of Finnish culture? To what extent, if any, do you use or maintain Finnish language in your life? Do you belong to any Finnish organizations; do you receive or read any Finnish papers or literature, etc.?
6. Within your family how was your Finnish heritage transmitted [from one generation to the next? Who told you or taught you about Finnish culture? Were there other ready means by which you learned about Finnish culture? What information was readily available?
7. Who in your family maintains/maintained your Finnish or Finnish-American heritage?
8. How did/does Finnishness play a role in your family's ways of raising children?
9. How do/did women in your family pass on Finnish culture? How do/did men?
10. What differences and/or similarities do you notice between the ways in which different generations in your family (e.g., parents, grandparents, adults, and children) relate to their Finnish heritage?
11. Do you have other cultural backgrounds besides Finnish-American in your family? Do these different backgrounds sometimes compete? For example, have you had any conflicts about the proper way to celebrate Christmas Eve or Christmas? Do you tell stories in your family about
conflicts in the past, e.g., between grandparents of different backgrounds? Write the stories.
12. What stories do people in your family tell about the Old Country? Who told these and in what situations?
13. What stories do people in your family tell about leaving Finland and the reasons behind it?
14. What are the most prominent expressions of Finnish or Finnish-American culture in your circle of acquaintance?
15. What do you see as the future of Finnishness among Finnish Americans?
