The

Maine Finn

Finnish-American Heritage Society of Maine P.O. Box 294 • West Paris, Maine 04289 www.mainefinns.org

Officers President ................................Dale Piirainen .................................207-674-5539 ............................... 25 Stearns Hill Road, West Paris, ME 04289 Vice President ......................... Carol Labossiere .........................207-739-9097 ..................................... 72 Old County Road, Oxford, ME 04270 Treasurer ............................... Barbara Payne .............................. 207-743-5677 ...................................... 12 Hillside Ave., South Paris, ME 04281 Secretary ............................... Karen Bennett ............................... 207-674-3748 ................................... 295 Koskela Rd., Bryant Pond, ME 04219 Membership Secretary ..........Cynthia Immonen .........................207-743-2384 ............................43 Mountain View Dr., South Paris, ME 04281 Directors Tim Bennett .................................................................................. 207-674-3748 .................................. 295 Koskela Road, Bryant Pond ME 04219 Tamara Cohen ............................................................................... 207-743-5367 ................................................ 24 Village Lane, Oxford, ME 04270 Barbara Honkala............................................................................ 207-824-2711 ......................................... 1262 Intervale Road, Bethel, ME 04217 Richard Suomela .......................................................................... 207-743-0953 .............................................. 6 Suomela Lane, Norway, ME 04268 Martha L. Wilson ......................................................................... 207-925-2972 .......................................................966 Main St., Lovell, ME 04051

Issue #111

July, August, September 2010

Meetings & Activities

and to Karen Bennett, who had stocked the tori with many new and interesting items, making early Christmas shopping convenient.

June 20: Barbara Payne presented a program on Turn of the Century Immigration into Maine, based on a 1908 report. This included the various immigrant groups, the area to which they migrated, and the type of work they did. This ranged from the textile mills of Lewiston & Saco to the farms in West Paris. 33 people were in attendance.

Kalenteri Directors will meet at 1pm, prior to the 2pm Membership Meetings. Sept 19: Barbara Payne will present a program, with video, of her latest visit to Finland. Oct 16: Public Buffet Supper 5pm at the Center. These suppers are very popular with the community. In May we ended up turning people away as we ran low on food. We are calling on all of our cooks and welcome additional workers. If you are able to help please contact one of the officers listed above. Oct 17: TBA Nov 21: TBA Dec 19: Come and celebrate with us this last meeting of the season, as we will be closed during the winter months of January, February & March.

July –August: Open House was again enjoyed by many people from out of state, throughout the community, and by our own members. Our thanks to all who hosted these worthwhile events. Aug 15: 53 people attended the Summer Social held at the Center. The library & museum drew a great deal of interest and videos played throughout the day, including a video on the restoration of the Center. Thanks to Richard Suomela who had the signs out early and closed the building at the end of the day, Larry & Carol LaBossiere who handled the registration, door prize (won by Oiva Nurmi) and the 50/50 raffle (won by Barbara Honkala), to Tamara Cohen and Barbara & Mannie Payne who served the luncheon and kept the coffee flowing,

Programs are subject to change. Check the press or our own web site for any changes. 1

In Memoriam

Donations

Charles “Sonny” Wheeler, age 91, died on June 29th. “Sonny” lived most of his life in the Augusta area, moving to Paris when he married Hazel Waltanen Wheeler who survives him. Waito R. Koskela, died on July 18th at the age of 88. He was born in Woodstock and was a brother to the late Taisto Koskela, one of the founders of our Society. He is survived by sons Waito, Shirley & Kenneth; daughters Dianna Jackson, Martha Lavoie, Deborah Purcell, Katrina Thibeault & Beth Verrill and several grandchildren. A sister, Mirja Rainey, also survives him. Robert J. Maki, 73, the only son of the late John & Lempi (Kinnunen) Maki died on August 1st. He was born, raised and educated in the Norway/Paris area and served in the Air Force. Following his marriage to Seija they made their home in the Portland area where he worked as an accountant. He was predeceased his wife, and five sisters. His son, Jamie, survives him.

☻ Walter Kyllonen donated a picture of the 1956 Confirmation Class at the Lutheran Church in South Paris. Some of the faces may be seen at the Finn/Am meetings although, after all these years, probably unrecognizable! ☻Bruce Watts of New Jersey and Oxford donated a wide variety of written material, circa 58/60. These had belonged to his father, Gardener Watts, who was a Fulbright Scholar in Finland. ☻Stuart Warner donated 2 copies of The Egyptian and a copy of The Romans, written by Mika Waltari, who was one of the best-known Finnish authors in the 40’s & 50’s. His works have been translated into several languages. ☻Eva Heikkinen donated pictures of the Emil Heikkinen family. We could use some help identifying them. ☻Rebecca Cummings donated a book titled “Neebish Island Memories 1921-1927 to our library.

We extend our condolences to family and friends. More extensive information may be found in

This and That ☻The Kyllonen/Peiju/Starbird family filled the hall on Sunday, June 13th as approximately 50 family members gathered to honor Johanna & Mauri Karppinen of Sippola, Finland and Aini & Voitto Karppinen from Lentiira, Finland. Lucille Kyllonen Pianka came from Hartford, CT bringing with her the Kyllonen genealogy compiled by her mother. Our local genealogist, Dale Piirainen, was present and able to connect the dots of family ties. ☻ Barbara Payne was the guest speaker at the West Paris Historical Society on June 21st. Her topic was the Finnish community of West Paris including the first immigrant, the purchase of Dunham Hall, the Co-Op (Ossuuskaupa), and the history or the Heritage Center. ☻A student desk has been added to the museum. This desk was acquired second hand and refinished by Mannie Payne for his granddaughter. It was during the process of refinishing that he discovered, stamped in each draw, “Made in Finland”. Since the grandchildren have now outgrown it, it has been donated to the society. ☻Our website continues to garner a lot of interest. There were 150 visits to the site from April 1 to June 1, of which 73% were new visits.

the genealogical section of our library.

Memorials In Memory of Robert Maki: Kathy & Ron Jillson, David & Robin Fournier, Chris Longley, AARP Chapter #228 (Portland) … $120.00

Kiitos! The sun had taken its toll on the porch blinds and new window treatments were necessary. I wish to thank everyone who assisted me in this project. That includes Tamara Cohen who helped with the shopping, Dale Piirainen who removed the old blinds & hardware, Mannie Payne who washed windows, and Carmen Urbonas who helped hang the new hardware and curtains. Thanks to all, BNP The Maine Finn is published quarterly, in March, June, Sept, & Dec. Articles of interest, to be included in the newsletter, are welcomed and encouraged. They may be sent to the editor. Editor: Barbara Payne 12 Hillside Ave S Paris, ME 04281 #743-5677 Contributing Editors: Members & Friends Printed by: Creative Media 329 Main Street Norway, ME 04268 # 739-2200

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with a damask tablecloth woven by the farmer’s wife, and more pleasing to the eye than many a machine-made product. On it is graceful china and homemade cakes worthy of a confectioner. Yet the farmer’s wife does not presume to sit at table with her husband and his guests. (This is the first country in Europe to allow women to vote and sit in Parliament.) The conversation round the table is liable to be far more intelligent and better informed than in an Anglo-Saxon subtopia. The Finns are properly proud of their record as the biggest bookbuyers in the world. Their zest for life and their intellectual interest and curiosity are boundless. Their friendship, unfailingly steadfast and loyal, is almost embarrassing in its generosity. Absence of moderation combined with a natural warmth of temperament means, inevitably, that the Finns are creatures of intuition and imagination. Their artistic activity, on almost every level, is extraordinarily high. The small country which can boast a Sibelius and an Alvar Aalto has produced many other composers and architects of distinction, many outstanding designers of glass, ceramics and furniture and many poets whose work is withheld from the rest of the world only by the barrier of the little known but melodious Finnish language. But this artistic activity is not confined to the professional. In the most remote parts of Finland their flourish amateur dramatic societies of considerable talent; the Finn, factory worker or intellectual, who neither sings nor plays an instrument is the exception. Painting is a pastime ardently pursued by a large number of people of limited talent, for the Finnish tendency to believe in artistic creation for its own sake encourages the mediocre and the bad as well as the outstanding. Perhaps it is this creative activity, with its practical and imaginative sides, which enables the Finns to live so evidently on two planes. In their everyday life they are robust, practical and energetic; yet their thoughts are rarely far removed from the non-material. A business lunch, with the same people, can equally well turn into an uproarious festivity or a soaring metaphysical discussion. (Excerpted from the Manchester (England) Guardian article by Wendy Hall 11/12/1958) Innostus on tarttavaa, ole levittäjä Enthusiasm is contagious, be a carrier

Practice Your Finnish! It is time for school bells to ring again so it might be a good time to practice our Koulu (school) vocabulary. We will start with the Opettaja (teacher) and the Oppilaita (pupils). Some of the items used by the Oppetaja at school include the Liitutaulu and liituja (blackboard and chalk). A Teline (easel) and Diakuvaheitin (slide projector) may also be helpful. Of course no classroom would be complete without a Karttapallo (globe) and Seinätaulut (wall charts) of some sort. The students are expected to bring their own Kouilulaukku (school bag) complete with a Penaali (pencil case) and Muistikirja (notebook). These will be necessary for Piirustus (drawing) and Kirjoitusta (writing) the Aakkoset (alphabet)*. Muovailusavi (modeling clay) and a Liimapurkki (pot of paste) will be provided. The Oppilaita may also carry an Eväslaatikko (lunch box). * Note: If you are writing the Aakkoset in Finnish you must remember that while A is the first letter of the Aakkoset the ä and ö are at the end.

“Sisu” & Sophistication “The Finns,” wrote a English cleric who returned from a brief visit to Finland, “are either very religious or very drunk.” An oversimplification of course; but one that points out the very real contradictions and extremes in the Finnish character. Such dramatic extremes breed an inner tension that contrasts with the calm, poised exterior of the Finns. From this tension the Finn seeks release either in the peace and solitude of his magically beautiful countryside or, less happily, in alcohol. More perhaps than any other people in Europe, the Finns remain a nation of country dwellers, their character shaped and molded by the vastness, power, and majesty of their landscape. Landscape, climate, and history, have bred in them their famous “sisu,” that fierce inner reserve of moral strength, on which they draw when physical reserves are spent. Their independence of mind and spirit, their self-sufficiency, their integrity; their sincerity and simplicity, are born of the conviction that they are as nothing against the forces of nature. If the Finns are country dwellers at heart, they are country dwellers of unusual sophistication and style. In the remote farmstead, the table is laid

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Finnish Migration

1907 to 1914: Many young workers, including Finns, came to port in Boston and New York. 1913: The year of the Copper Country strike in Minnesota and, with that, the center of Finnish immigration moved to Duluth. 1920: A Finn from Duluth, by the name of Larsen was elected to Congress. 1924: The United States cut off immigration Many believe that the Finns made a conscious choice to move to areas that resembled Finland. This however was a luxury that few of the early immigrants could afford. Instead, they moved to wherever the jobs were and where the waterways and railroads would lead them. They settled for economic reasons. There was no nostalgic “choice”, only jobs they knew well. They labored on railroads, and in forests, mines & farms, wherever there was a need. It also appears to be a myth that Finns were all farmers. The fact is that less than 20% of the Finns were farmers. Others were a part of the industrialization and urbanization of America. The greatest concentrations of Finnish descendents to this day are found in Minnesota & Michigan. While Minnesota has more Finns per capita, Michigan has more Finns overall due to their greater population. Wherever the Finns settled in numbers a sense of community and cooperative effort was evident as churches, cooperatives, temperance societies, newspapers, bands & theaters would emerge. Most of these passed with the first generation but the legacy they left lives on. While most of the immigrant generation never made it back to Finland, they cherished their beloved Suomi and instilled in their descendents that same love. The heritage continues through organizations that abound throughout the country, and many of the second and third generation have enjoyed travel to Finland, some having made numerous visits. Post World War Two the limited migration from Finland became cultural and high tech, not “tired and poor” Historical information gathered from a variety of sources including Early Finns of the Northwest, a Finnfest 2001 seminar and a Maine Times article by Lou Deitz 1/73.

The following time line shows that Finns had made their way to America, and Maine, long before the West Paris Colony was established. 1638 and 1656: When Finland was being ruled by Sweden, Finns were a part of a dozen or more colonizing expeditions to the Colony of New Sweden in the Delaware region. When the colony was taken over by the English, the Finns stayed on. 1840 to 1862: The first Finns on the Pacific Coast were craftsmen who came to Alaska to build dwellings, churches, fur company offices and warehouses for the Russian colony in Sitka and from other settlements in the “fur empire”. Since the Russians in Alaska traded with the Americans farther south and sent fur-buying expeditions to the California coast, it is not improbable that some Finns may have “jumped ship” as they began showing up in San Francisco and other ports in the 1850’s. Finnish sailors in New Orleans that had fought in the Crimean War as Russians also came ashore and began moving up the Mississippi River to Cokato, Chicago and Northern Ohio. 1862: The Homestead Act was helpful to the immigrants settling the northern regions. 1864: Lastadius, a Lutheran sect leader, died in Finland and his followers migrated to Cokato to build their Utopia. Circa 1865: The first known Finns in Maine came to Long Cove shortly after the Civil War, drawn there by the granite quarries. The quarries on Vinalhaven & Hurricane Islands were booming and Finns made up 40% of the workforce. The cross1867: The U.S. bought Alaska. continental railroad was established in 1869, making travel easier. By 1870 public records show the Finns moving up from California to Astoria, Oregon for fishing opportunities and to the wheat country of Pendleton, Oregon. Circa 1875: The communities in Friendship, Warren & Thomaston were established. (The establishment of the Monson colony, where slate was mined, is unknown.) 1890: The first Finn, Jacob Mikkonen, arrives in West Paris. 1908 Historical nugget: The 20 cities of Maine contained 1/3 of the population and 45% of taxable property as farms were being abandoned. Thus, immigrants were needed to restore the farms! 4

Finnish Tongue Twisters Yksikseskös yskiskelet?

Inform our Sunshine Lady … Betty Hertell… 743-6658 if you are aware of someone in need of get well wishes or condolences.

Are you coughing alone?

Itsekseskös itkeskelet? Are you crying alone?

Finnish Genes … continued

Recipe

The article on Finnish Genes, submitted by Beverly Robbins, drew a great deal of interest and response, as well as some additional information. An article on Pernicious Anemia from MEDLINEplus Medical Encyclopedia states, “The disease can affect all racial groups, but the incidence is higher among people of Scandinavian or Northern European descent… Risk factors include a family history… Very rarely, are infants and children found to have been born lacking the ability to produce effective intrinsic factor. This form of congenital pernicious anemia is inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder. (You need a defective gene from both parents to get it.)

Rice Pie recipes are sure to be found in any of the recipe books found in our Tori or Library. Some of the differences that abound are due to the region. For example, Beverly Bailey’s recipe, found in the Oxford Hills Magazine (2009/2010) refers to it as Ryynikukko. This is made in a 9” pie shell. To serve, the pie is sliced and served on a plate. What a treat when served warm with melted butter, accompanied by a cup of coffee. Then there is the Karjalan Piirakka (Karelian Pie), which may contain either a rice or potato filling. These are made to individual serving size. The dough is rolled out into circles 6” to 8” round. The filling is spread to within an inch of the edge, which is then crimped to hold the filling in place. These are easily carried in a lunch pail, often in place of a sandwich, and are generally served with Munavoi (egg butter) spread on top. Munavoi is a combination of soft creamed butter, hard-boiled eggs (finely chopped) and a little salt. We have had many amongst us who were masters at making rice pie. Eva Heikkinen Hilden was one of them. She made her crust using Jiffy Pie Crust mix, ¾ cup rye meal and water. Her filling was 6 cups milk and 1 heaping cup rice, which she cooked in a double boiler for approximately one hour. She also added salt, 2 Tablespoons butter and 1 Tablespoon of sugar to her filling. This would make at least two pies. Now, back to the name ryynikukko. Ryyni literally translates to grain while riisi is the word for rice. The only definition found for kukko in the dictionaries is rooster. Piirakka is the word for pie, although an old 1914 dictionary also listed torttu as another definition. Yet many “pies” are called kukko, such as in nauriskukko (turnip pie), kalakukko (fish pie) etc. So, whatever term is used, be it Ryynikukko, Riisipiirakka or Karjalan Piirakka I’m sure the rooster has good reason to crow about the fantastic flavor of these fine Finnish foods!

Buffalo Bill Was “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917) a Finn? That question was posed in the ChronicleJournal in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada (4/9/94). William Fredrick Cody lived an eventful life as a gold miner, fur trapper and bison hunter, shooting 4,280 buffalo for Kansas state railroad workers, thus the name Buffalo Bill. Cody was determined to open a continuous mail line through many states from the Midwest to California. This 2,000 mile long horseback ride, called the Pony Express took about a week. Through 16 different wars & battles fought for control of the west, Cody maintained a good relationship with the Native Americans. He taught them how to build log saunas & log cabins. William Cody never hid his Finnish descent. His grandfather was from Liminka, Finland. His name was Kotilainen. In America, his name was shortened to Koti, in English Cody. Names often get lost and original roots get forgotten. This almost happened to “Buffalo Bill’s Finnish origin. Excerpted from anarchives article by Howard Reid

Puoleksi totta on täysi valhe A half truth is a full lie 5

Elementary Education Compulsory School Attendance Compulsory school attendance is relatively old in Finland. The Church Law of Sweden-Finland of 1686 prescribed that everybody should learn to read and, in addition, to learn by heart a considerable number of religious texts. Severe penalties were inflicted in order to effect compulsory school attendance. Those who, on reaching a mature age, had not fulfilled their school duty were subjected to various humiliating punishments. An illiterate person was not even allowed to marry. As early as that, literacy was made a condition for enjoying civic rights. As a result of compulsory school attendance maintained by the Church, the time of literacy of the Finnish nation as a whole can be counted in centuries. Also the fact that Finnish orthography always has been considerably easier than that of many other languages naturally contributed to the spread of literacy. However, compulsory school attendance in its modern sense is comparatively young in Finland. The Russia of the Czars did not look favorably upon

the high standard of folk education in Finland, and the Emperor refused to ratify the School Attendance Act accepted by the Diet of Finland. Not before the country had achieved independence did she get a School Attendance Act, August 1st 1921. Compulsory school attendance commences at the beginning of the autumn term of the year in which the child reaches seven years of age. Compulsory school attendance lasts for nine years. It ends, however, as soon as the child has satisfactorily completed the eighth year of the folk school. ‘The School System of Finland’ by Niilo Kallio 1956. After basic education there is a choice of upper secondary school, vocational education, or the job market. Upper secondary is concluded with a matriculation exam, which is required for entrance into a university. Handcraft is a part of Finnish education, as it is believed that handcraft teaching trains eyes, hands, brain, mind and heart together. Use of hands, combined with practical reasoning skills, expands the utilization of the brain. “Unlike Greek and Roman nations, Finnish valued work as an honorable vocation for a free human being.” Kyostio 1954

MAINE FINN FINNISH-AMERICAN HERITAGE SOCIETY OF MAINE P.O. Box 294 8 Maple Street West Paris, ME 04289