SI I RTOLATSUUSINSTITUUTTI MIGRATIONSINSTITUTET SIIRTOLAISUU 1977 MIGRATION

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1 MIGRATIONSINSTITUTET SI I RTOLATSUUSINSTITUUTTI SIIRTOLAISUU 1977 MIGRATION

2 KESAN 1977 PUHEITA SI I RTOLAISUUS _ MIGRATION 4. vuosikerta Siinolaisuusinstituutti-M igrationsinstitutet Pe,toimittaia Olavi Koivukangas Editor Toimituskunta: Editorial coomittee: Prof. Vilho Niitemaa, Turun yliopisto Prof. Sune Jungar, Abo Akademi Prof. Terho Pulkkinen, Turun yliopisto Aikakauslehtilmestyy nelid kertaa vuodessa Tilaushinta on 12 mk/vuosi tai l5 Rkr, irtonumero 3 mk. Tilauks n voi suorittaa maksamalla 12 mk Ps-tilille TU S IIRTOLAISUUS INSTITUTTI MIGRATIONSINSTITUTET Kasarmialue, rak Turku 50 puh Ph.D. Olavi Koivukangas, johtaia HuK Maija-Liisa Kalhama, toimistosihteeri Yo.merk. Seija Albrecht, toimistoapulainen Dibl. kielenk. Pirkko Hiipakka VTI\4 Arja l\4unter VTM Simo Toivonen VTK Juhani Salmela - Mattila projekt.siht. Valokuvaaja Kari Lehtinen Valtuuskunnan puheenjohtaja : Prof. Jorma Pohianpalo Hallituksen puheeniohtaja : Prof. Vilho Niitemaa Norjan Vesisaaressa paljastettiin kesdkuun pbivinb Ruijan suomalaisten siirtolaisten muistopatsas. A monument of Finnish immigrants to North-Norway was unveiled at Vadso,, on June Plaministeri K6levi Sortsn ruotsalaisolle uutistoimistoll antamassa ha stattslussa esa. tltty aiatu3 toimonpitgiden tehodlmisakli siirtolaisvirran pysayft;miseksi sai osaks6 n sek; asiallista 6ttd asiatontr huomiota. Viittaamms haastatteluun ja sen johdona pedministerin lehdellemme rntamaan lisaselvitykseen toisaalla tasse numeross. Keskustelu maastamuuton hillitsemisesta on tarkedts. Siirtolaisuuden tyrehdyttemiseksi tehokkaita keinoja lienee vain yksi: ty6llisyyden, ansiotason, sosiaaliturvan ja asuntokysymyksen saattaminen sellais lle tolallo, ettei naapuriin meno houkuttele. Kansanedustaja Marjatta ViSnenon totesi museopaivion avaiaisissa, ette viime vuosina suomalais t ovat joutuneet perustamaan kotinsa ja elimdnse enenevdsti vioraallo paikkakunnalle ja heidan on ollut pakko irrottautua omasta kotiseudustaan. Yhteiskunnan raju rakennemuutos ja s n kiihkeii kshitystempo ovat aiheuttane t name siirty. miset vuosittain lahes suomalaista vaihtaa asuinkuntaa. Sourauks na on voimakas juurettomuuden tunne ja oman identiteetin ia lehtdkohtion etsinte; tarv6 palsta turvalliseen ia kestaveen, ionka tarjoaa lahtaiymperist6. Kansanodustaia Vdanenen lainasi ruotsalaista museoasiantuntijaa: "YhtA traagista kuin on se ette vanha ihminen menettee muistinsa, yhta traagista on, kun kokonainen vdeniirvhmd monet' ted jalansijansa ja kiinnekohtansa", ja piityi lopputoteamuks en: "Kans.kunta il' man museoita on kuin ihminen vailla muastia. Hyve ja tehokas museolaitos on kulttuurin iakaia ja kasvattaja." Professori Harald Teir, suomenruotsalaisten siirtolaisasioiden "vahva mies", mm. Siirtolaisuusinstituutin valtuuskunnan jes6n, puhui Kilenin kotiseutumus on l0-vuotisjuhlassa Siipyysse: "Nykyajan ihmin n ldh' tee siirtolais ksi sisimmessien, Aikakauden kiihkeys ja kilpailu kaikilla elamen alueilla aiheuttaa sen, eft6 ihminen sulkeutuu itseenss. Yksi tdmin ilmidn seurauksista on psyykkis t vaikoudst ja psykosomaattisot sairaudet. Kun ihminen on lihtenyt siirtolaiseksi sisimmessaan, rakentaa hen ulkokuoren, jonka hdn uskoo suoiaavan itseien. Se voi suojata ihmisten kats ilta mutta vahingoittaa yksi166 samanaikais sti," Turku 1977

3 Piiiiministeri Kolevi Sorson Ruotsin TT:lle heiniikuusso -77 crntcrmcr hcrcrstottelu (Alkuoeriiinen TT:n Siirtolaisuusinstituutille toimittama haastattelu lisettvne valiotsikoilla) L HELSINGFORS (TT:s utsande) Finlands regering ;r oroad dver den stora utvandringen till Sverige. Det omtalar statsminister Kalevi Sorsa i en TT-intervju. Enbart under erets fdrsta fem mdnader flyttade finska medborgare till Sverige. Under 70- talets f6rsta 6r minskade utflyttningen for att p nytt dka under 1975 och Oknin gen har fortsatt i 3r rs konvention om en fri nordisk arbetsmarknad har fdr Sveriges och Finlands del kompletterats ise metto att tlyttningarna mellan lenderna skall gi via den offentiiga arbetsfiirmedlingen. Det kan enligt Sorsa bli frega om en skarpning av dessa regler f6r att begrensa utvandringen fr5n Finland. ARBETSLOSHET - Vi har fdr narvarande en ganska hog arbetslcjshet, men emigrationen till Sverige ldser inte de problemen, sager han. De som flyttar er ofta val utbildade manniskor i sin bdsta elder. Vi skulle behdva dem fdr framtiden, men flertalet 6terv6nder inte efter en flyttning till Sverige. Nar passtvanget inom Norden avskaffades 1954 och en fri nordisk arbetsmarknad samma 5r inf<jrdes. innebar det att flyttningar inom Norden kunde ske utan formaliteter. Pass och arbetstillstand behdvdes inte langre. EGNA NATIONEN Sorsa: Jag tror personligen att den fria 16rligheten dver gr;nserna ;r en bra sak fdr Norden, men en regering m5ste dock i fdrsta hand ta hansyn till den egna nationens intressen. Och da tvingas vi konstatera att den fria nordiska arbetsmarknaden delvis varit t ill Finlands nackdel. Det finns platser i Finland varifr;n se msnga utvandrat till Sverige att all sam' h;llsaktivitet praktiskt taget upphdrt. Dethar lett till stora problem. Detta geller siirskilt Lapplands lan. Sorsa medger att utflyttningen kan berdra bygder som skulle ha svert att dverleva aven utdn emigrationen till Sverige. men han betonar att avfolkningen, dar den iir oundviklig, m6ste ske i ett acceptabelt tempo. Annars blir sv6righeterna enorma. IVANSKL IG FORLUST l\ren de som flyttar ;r inte enbart fr6n sm;bruk och skogsbygder. De kommer ocksi frdn t;torterna, och deras utflyttning er en ekonomisk fdrlust. Det blir ockse rent manskliga fcirluster n6r vitala mdnniskor flyttar och lafirnar bakom sig trakter som skulle behciva dem fdr att utvecklas, menar Sorsa. Den frdmsta orsaken till emigrationen er att finldndarna lockas av den hiigre

4 levnadsstandarden och de bettre arbetsmdjligheterna i Sverige. I mitten av talet fanns det ca finska medbor' gare isverige. IVIER BALANS Om man dessutom beaktar de emigranter, som efte( 1945 f6tt svenskt medborgarskap och den finska befolkningen itornedalen, kan den finska befolkningen i Sverige berdknas till iiver mdnniskor. Man tror att det i slutet av erhundradet skall finnas omkring en miljon manniskor isverige med finskt p6b16. - Vi meste f6 en mera balanserad flyttning, sager Sorsa. Om inte det lyckas miste vi hitta acceptabla medel f<jr att begrensa den odnskade delen av denna r6rlighet. Statsministern pepekar att diskussioner fin peger pe tjdnstemannaplanet och att det kan bli fr69a om att flytta upp dem p6 regeringsniva mellan de b6da lenderna. Aven om Kalevi Sorsa oroas av utflyttningens omfattning, ser han ockse fordelar meo qen: FORKOVRAN - Utvandringen kan i de enskilda fallen leda till att en mdnniska fcirkovrar sig i sprek och yrkeskunskaper. De kan vid eterkomsten till Finland vara battre rustade an nar de for. - Folken har ocks6 genom flyttningarna kommit varandra neirmare. Det dr ett faktum att svenskarna idag er mera intresserade av Finland dn n gonsin tidigare. Det ar inte se menga 6r sedan som vi praktiskt taget saknade en svensk turism i Finland. ldag kommer mengder av svenskar fdr att lara kanna landet. AVTAL Enbart under utvandrade finska medborgare till Sverige. Utvandringen var si omfattande att Finlands befolkning sjonk fcir tdrsta gengen i fredstid. Sverige och Finland sl6t da etr avtal som innebar att flyttningarna landerna emellan skulle ga via a rbelsfdrmed lingarna. Avtalet hialpre, siger Sorsa. Det med, fdrde att upp till 65 proc av utflyttningen gick via formedlingen. Men nu ar siffran nere i 50'55 proc och det 5r iote tillfredsstellande. Det kan derfdr bli frega om att skarpa reglerna. SMA FO R ETAG - Det stora problemet 6r sm6 svenska fciretag som gir vid sidan om arbetsfdrmedlingen och rekryterar arbetskraft direkt i Finland. De stora fcjretagen utg6r iallmenhet inget problem. Nijr de s6ker folk her anlitar de landets arbetsfdrmedlingar. I Finland fcirsoker man motverka utvandringen ockse genom att dka informationen till medborgarna om de mdjligheter till arbete som finns ilandet. Utvandringen har indirekt p6verkat Finlands social, och ldnepolitik. Vi fdrsoker undanrdja de motiv som ligger bakom utvandringen, fdrklarar Sorsa. Men det ;r inte se lett tdr oss att fdrbdttra vdlfirden sd att den uppnar svensk niv6. UNDE RVISN ING - Vilka krav har ni p6 Sverige fdr de finska invandrarnas del? - Viktigast dr att de fer sidan undervisning isvenska att de kan leva ett normalt liv ien frammande omgivning, svarar Sorsa. Hur situationen 5r i dag vet jag inte exakt, men tidigare var den i vart fall inte tillfredsst6llande. Inte bara de vuxna utan ocksi barnen miste undervisas, de senare ockss i finska. Jag anser som skolpsykolo gerna att man m6ste ha goda kunskaper i sitt eget sprak fdr att kunna behirska ett fremmande.

5 MER SAI\i]AR BETE I dag forekommer ett vidstreckt eko' nomiskt utbyte mellan Finland och Sverige En ganska ny f6reteelse ar ett direkt produktionssamarbete over granserna mellan finska och svenska fdretag - Vi ser gerna att detta samarbete utokas, framheller Sorsa. Sedan jag besdkt Sverige 1975 tillsatte ianderna en gemensam kommitte fdr att utveckla det industriella samar' betet. Fdr oss skulle det vara battre att svenskt kapital flyttade in an att vdr egen arbetskraft skall flytta ut lntresset hos den svenska industrin fdr dtt etdblera sig i Finland har ockse dkat. h

6 Piiiiministeri Kcrlevi Sorscrn lisiifcrusunto SIIRTOLAISUUS - MIGRATION oikokouslehdelle Kuten haastattelusta havaitaan en puhunut lainkaan muuttoliikkeen rajoittamisesta "ei-toivotuijta" alueilta vaan muuttoliikkeen "ei-toivotun osan" raioittamisesta. Kun haastattelu tapahtui vapaana keskusteluna, en saine ldhemmin eritellyt. mitb tarkoitin. l\4ielessdni olivat kuitenkin sen kaltaiset ihmisryhmat, ioiden poismuutto esim. alan tyovoimapulan vuoksj on kotiyhteiskunnalle erityisen haitallisra, sek; sellaiset, joiden vastaanotto Ruotsissa syysta tai toisesta johtaa vaikeuksiin. Peri. aatteessa tulisivat tavoitteena olla tasapainoiset muuttovirral, joista molemmal maat saisivat yhrrldisesti etua tai vrhinlaankin sellaiset muuttovirral, efiei niista kummallekaan koituisi kohtuutonta vahinkoa. Olen jiilkikeskustelussa joutunut liikaakin kumoamaan tarkoituksia, joita rivien v5lista on haluttu lukea. Minun mielessdni oli muuttoilmidn rajo;ttam;nen yhtejskuntamme kannalta hyveksytteviin puitteisiin, ei nruuton kahlitseminen hallinnollisin siibdoksin. HyvAksyttavia keinoja nahdakseni ovat vakaan ansion takaavien tydpaikkoien jirjestaminen Suomessa, asumiseen liittyyien onge,mien ratkaisu seka rydpaikkailmapiirin ja ty 6skentelyolosu hte iden parantaminen. Nami esiintyvet vastaanottamissani siirtolaiskirjeiss; ylivoimaisesti useimmin muuton syina, ei suinkaan Ruotsin korkeampi elintaso. Tydvoimaviranomaiset selvittelevbt parhaillaan siirtolaisuuteen liittyvia ongelmia ja vaikuttamismahdollisuuksia, mutra mitd;n erityisib uusia toimenpiteita ei tie. tbakseni ole valmisteilla. Sen sijaan hallituksen talouspol,tiikka, uudistuksen alai' nen asuntopolitiikka ja yritysdemokratian valmistelu tihtdavat kaikkikin keskeisten "tyontd"-syiden poistamiseen. Omasta puolestani toivon. etta Suomen ia Ruotsin teollisuuksien yhteisly6 kehittyisi mahdollisimman nopeasti siihen suuntaan, ettd sen puitteissavautuisi Lrusia tydmahdollisuuksia rajan teltd puolelta. Olen kdsittenyt, ette Ruotsissakin on periaatteellista valmiutta suosia tallaista kehityste - periaatteet olisi vain sdarava siirretvksi kavtantddn. Kalevi Sorsa

7 Ty6voima-avustaja Risto Laakkonen SUOMEN SUUR LAHETYSTO Suomen - Ruotsin vilinen muuttoliike tammi- elokuussa -77 ja suomalalsen ty6- voiman sijoittumismahdollisuudet Ruotsin tyiimarkkinoille syksylla Suomesta muutti Ruotsiin kahdeksan ensimmeisen kuukauden aikana 1977 arusravten muuttolukujen mukaan g 513 Suomen kansalaista ja Buotsista Suomeen 3 3, 8 Suomen kansalaista. Suomen muurrorap. pioksi saadaan tammi-elokuun aikana Suomen kansa laista. Vuonna 1976 Suomesta muutti Ruotsiin Suomen kansalaista, paluumuuttajien mdaren ollessa Suomen muuttotappio oli vuonna Suomen kansalaista- Kuluvan vuoden tamm i-e lokuun muuttotdppio on ylt puolet slrurempl kjin vrme vuonna kahdeksan ensimmar sen kuukauden aikana, jolloin muu o- tappiok.i kirjattiin Suomen kansa laisla. Osa muuttotappiostaiheutuu heikentyneesta paluumuutosta_ Vuoden I976 tammi-elokuussa paluumuuttajien mdere oli 4 448, vastaavan luvun ollessa S. Suomesta Ruotsiin muutto oli talvella 1977 poikkeuksellisesti voimakkaampaa kuin heine'elokuussa. Tammikuussa 1977 Suomesta muutti Suomen kansalaista Ruotsiin, mikd on korkein kuukausikohtainen maas tamuuttoluku kuluvana vuonna_ lg76 suurimmat maastamuuttoluvut ajoittuivat loka_ ja marraskuulle. Erillisesti liitetaulukosta ilmenee muuttoliike kuukausittain 1976 seka tammi-elokuussa Ruotsin heikentyneestd tybllisyystilanteesta johtuen muuttoliike ei voine syyskuukausien aikana nykyisestaan voimistua. U- seat siirtolaisvaltaiset tyoalat ovat telld hetkella vaikeuksissa, ioiden odotetaan edelleen kasvavan. Naist6 tydaloista mainitta, koon teva-teollisuus ja autoteollisuus. Esimerk kine autoteollisuuden vaikeuksista voidaan pitaa Saab'Scanian Trollhettanin tuotantolaitosten suunnitelmia pakkolomauttaa joulupyhien yhteydessd tydntekij;d l2 tyopeivan ajaksi. Saab,Scanian Trollhdttanin kokoonpanorehlailla ty6skentelee kaikkiaan tyontekiiirii, joista I 200 on Suomen kansalaisia. Terasteollisuuden puolella on odotettavissa iomautuksia mydhemmin syksyn kuluessa. Fagerstan t rdstehdas, joka tydllisti6 runsaasti suomatarsra ty6voimaa, on jo ilmoittanut tuotannon osittaisesta pyseyttamisesra tietyilla osastoilla. Pdeosa Ruotsin tydmarkkinoilla tydskentelevssts suomalaisesta tycivoimasta on si.ioittunut valmistusteollisuuteen, jossa tydtilai-

8 suudet tulevat viihenemdbn tyotilaisuudella. Ruotsin teollasuus' liiton suorlttaman yritystiedustelun mukaan tyotilaisuudet tulisivat vdhenemaan l 000 tyotilaisuudella ieollisuuden puolella. Ainoastaan puu nja lostusteo llisu us ja kemlanteollisuus arvioivat tarvitsevansa lisd' tydvoimaa Puunjalostusteollisuuden ennakoima tarve on ia kemianteollisuuden 50. Teollrsten tydtilaisuuksien vbheneminen ei kuitenkaan tapahdu dramaattisestr, vaan siten, etta tydvoiman luonnollista poistumaa ei mainittavasti korvata uudella tyo' voimalla. Useimmissa ruotsalaisissa teollisuuslaitoksissa on tella hetkelle tyohonottokielto. Timan vaikutukset nekyviit nuo' riso- ja naistydttdmyyden kasvuna. Ty6- markkinoille pyrkimass:i olevat siirtolaisnuoret rnuodostavat kdikkein suurimm issa vaikeuksissa olevan ryhmdn. Ruotsin viran' omaiset pyrkivlit ohiaamaan eri tukitoimenpiteiden avulla julkiselle sektorille nuorta ty6tdnta. On todennakdist:i, etta Suomen tyollisyvs' tilanteesta johtuva muuttohalukkuus ja suunnittelemattomat muutot ja muuttoyritykset Ruotsiin vehenevat loppusyksyn aikana sitd mukaa kun Ruotsin puolella olevat tuttavat ja omaiset eivet ole omalta osaltaan enda houkuttelemassa ryovoimda Ruotsin kasvavissa vaikeuksissa oleville tyomarkkinoille. Suomalaisten tyiillisyystilanne Ruotsin heikentynyt tydllisyystilanne on heijastunut vaiittcimasti maassa olevan suomalaisen tydvoiman asemaan. Ruotsin tydttdmyyskassoissa oli elo-syyskuun vaihteessa tydtdntd Suomen kansalaista, vastaavan luvun ollessa kuukautt aikarsemmin Tydtt6myyskassoihin kuuluvista ty6ttdmista Suomen kansalaisista'l 252 oli pitkaaikaistydtt6mia. Ty6ttdmista Suomen kansalaisista oli 860 miehiii ia 910 naisia. Ty6ttdmyyskasso ih in kuuluvat ne Suomen kansalaiset, jotka ovat olleet Ruot' sin tycimarkkinoilla ansiotydssa ja kuuluvat ruotsalaiseen ammattiliittoon. Siirtoiaisten tydttdmyysaste oli toista neljiinnestii '1977 koskeneessa tydvoimatu tkimuksessa 3,4 prosenttia, Suomen kansala'sten tydttctmyysasleen ollessa 3,7 pro' senttia ja 1,5 prosentin ollessa tydttdmana maan ko kona istydvo imasta. Suomalaisnuorten {16-24'vuotiaat) kohdalla tyottdmyys' aste oli ll:lla neljbnneksella 1977 miehilld 4,8 prosenttia ja naisilla 6,1 prosenttia. Samaan ik6luokkaan lukeutuvista kaikista nuorista oli miesten ty6ttomyysasre 3.2 prosenttia ja naist n 3,5 prosenttia. Kielitaidon merkityst; tydmarkkinoille padsyss; kuvaa tanskalaisia ja norlalaisra nuoria koskevat luvut: alle 25-vuotiaista tanskalaisista ja norjalaisista miehisrd oli tydttomend 1,4 prosenttia ja naisisla 6,5 pro, senttia. Suomalaisnuoria heikommassa ase massa olivat Pohjoismaiden ulkopuolelta tulleet nuoret: alle 25-vuotiaiden ei pohjoismaalaisten miesten ty6rtdmyysaste oli 7,9 prosenttia ja naisten 6.9 prosenttia. Ruotsin tycjmarkkinahallituksen elokuura koskevisra tybnhakijatilastorsra rlmenee, etta Ruotsin tydnvblitystoimistoissa oli etokuussa yhteensd Suomen kansalaista tydnhakijoina. Lukuun sisallyteraan kaikki tycjnhakiiatyypit: tydtromiit, tilapdistydssii olevat tyonhakijat seke vakituisessa tyos, $6 olevat henkilot, jotka haluaval vaihtaa tydpaikkaa. Tydtt6mien Suomen kansalais, ten m6are oli ll :lla neljdnnekselld 1977 hieman yli Tella hetkella tuku on kasvusuunnassa. E lokuussa Ruotsin tyonvelityksessa oli uutta suomalaisra ty6nhakijaa, vastaavan luvun ollessa kuu, kauta arkaisemmrn puoler pienemmdn. Tydttdmie Suomen kansalaisia koskeviin lukuihin ei ole sisellytetty tyollisyyskoulutuksessa. tydllisyystdiss:i ia suojatdissa olevia Suomen kansalaisia. o

9 Liitetaulukko SUOMEN JA RUOTSIN VALILLA I\4UUTTANEET SUOMEN KANSALAISET 1976 JA 1917 Kuukausi Suomesta muuttaneet Suomeen muuttaneet Muuttovoitto Tammikuu H elm iku u l\raa lisku u H uhtikuu Toukokuu JOI 581 Kesdkuu HeinAkuu E lokuu Syyskuu Loka kuu tal -t S6 l\4arraskuu Joulukuu r Yhteensa $'r95

10 TYOVAEN TALOUDELLINEN TUTKIMUSLAITOS : KATSAUS s.11. MAASTAMUUTTO TISAANTYY Suomen muuttotase kaintyi 1970-luvun alun positiivisten vuosien jalkeen tappiolliseksi vuonna 1975, iolloin muuttotrppionrme muihin Pohjoismrihin oli I r/z tuhatta. Viime vuonna muurtotappio oli liki 10 tuhatta. Kuluvan vuoden alussa on maastamuutto edelleen voimakknasti liseintyr,) i. Ruotsiin suuntautuvaa muuttoa on hillinnyt ainoastaan se, ettii Ruotsin suuret suomalaista tycivoimaa tycillisriiviit yritykset eiviit vuoden elkupuoieila ole lislnneet tyiivoimaansa. Ruotsin tvcjmarkkinoita koskevien tiedustelujen runsaudesta voidaan kuitenkin arvioida muuttopaineen olevan melkoisen Suomessa. Mik?ili Ruotsin teollisuus saa py6riins?i jrilleen pyorimii:in, on odotettavissa rodellinen maastamuuttoryntiiys. Trihrin vaikuttaa mm. se, ettii valtaosa tiinii kevdlni maamme kouluista ty<iellmdln siirtyvistri nuorista jdd tyijtttjmiksi. Varovasti atvioiden voidaan muuttotappiomme Pohjoismaihin ennustan nousevan tinii vuonna tunsaaseen 13 tuhanteen ja ensi vuonnr sitlkjn suuremmaksi. Pohjoismainen muuttotase ( looo he n k ilciii ) -10 TTT ^a to 77-

11 Redaktdr Sverre Nilssen, Vadso Den 18. juni 1971 vil get over i Nord kalottens historie som dagen for den mektigste manifestasjon av samareidet i nord. FOr forste gang motte de tre lands statsoverhoder i disse omr5der, og valget var falt pe den lille byen Vadso i Finnmark i Norge. Der hadde man reist et 8 meter hoyt monument til minne om den finske og svenske inn vandringen til Nord-Norge og da spesielt til Finnmark. Avdukingen ble foretatt av H.M. Kong Olav av Norge. Til stede var Finlands pre' sident Urho Kekkonen og Sverige konge, H.lM. Carl XVI Gustaf. Vel 200 offisielle representanter fra de tre land var til stede, og flere av hedersgjestene var de enns gjenlevende fra innvandrertiden. Om selve arrangementet, som strakte seg over to dager, er bare e si at det ble avviklet prikk- Den finskeinnvandring til Nord-Norg fritt i strelende forsommervar. Det ble skildret i flere timer lange sendinger i finsk og norsk fjernsyn, i radio og av ner loo journalister fra dags- og ukepressen. IMonumentet er laget av den finske kunstneren Ensio Seppanen, og han forteller selv om symbolikken: Nederst rundt hele sokkelen er det et svart parti og en svart pil oppover gjennom hele fronten. Det 5ymboliserer finnlenderne som gjennom svart nod me soke inn det nordlige Norge, dette harde og karrige landet. Den gamle mannen som sitter foran, er en av de mange som kom over grensen med sine jordbruksredskaper oq dyrket opp Finnmark. Den gamle sitter og ser p6 sin datter som ammer sitt barn, den nye framtid. Den ranke fiskern som star bak, er nordmann og kvinnens ektemann. Hans skarpe og gran' sondag var starsoverhodene i vadso Kirke lil nordisk gudstjeneste. Det ble her avduket en minnestein der de tre siatsoverhoenes navn var hugget Inn (Foro:Bjorn Hildoneni

12 skende blikk roper den n6delose kamp som fores mot lshavet. P6 baksiden er plassert et anker. Det forteller at innvandrerne til slist slo seg ned i Finnmark. Pe sokkelen star det under Finnmark fylkesvepen (som er en gull borg pd svart bunn og symbolise rer at vi her har et grensefylke): "Ar 1977 ble dette monument reist i erkjennelse av den betydning den finske innvandring har hatt for Finnmark fylkes utvikling og vekst." H.lvl. Kong Olav holdt en ved slike anledninger uvalig lang og personlig engasjert tale som han avsllrttet slik:"la mo numentet sta som en erkjendtliqhet overfor de slekter hvis kvinner og menn ved sin innsats og sitt arbeide var med pa e bygge Frnnmark, o g la det for alltid st5 som et symbol pd svundne og fremtidiqe tiders brorskap og samhorighet mellom vere land mot det ytterste nord." De forste innvandrere fra Finland kom pe 1700-talletil Alta i Finnmark. Ogsii utover 1800-tallet fant det meste av innvand ringen sted til Vest Finnmark. Finnene slo seg ned som jordbrukere eller ble gruvear beidere ved kobberverket i K:ifjord i Alta. Senere dreide folkestr0mmen mer ostovet og tyngden av innvandringen fant sted til Varangerfjorden der Vads0 ble sentrum bade endelig og materielt. Det var rike fiskesr, og 0konomisk vekst. lnnvandringen omfattet ogse finner fra Norrbottens len i Sverige. En del svensker drog ogsa ovel grensen, men det ble spredt ut over hele Nord-Norge og da vesentlig som gruve- og industriarbeidere. Tusenere av innvandrere slo seg ned, det dreier seg om ca personer, men det var langt flere scm kom over grensen. Oppholdet i Norge ble for sv@rt mange bare et skritt pe veqen til Amerika. Tusener av finnledere ble skipet inn i nord' norske havner da dette ble langt rimeligere enn e ta sjoveien gjennom Ostersjoen og videre over Atlanterhavet. Arsaken til den store emigrasjonen var alts6 pe langt nar bare direkte nod selv om de fiskerike fjordene i Finnmark for mange mennesker i Lappland og Uledborg len ble sett pe som et rikt overfloclsamfunn. Den kraftige befolkningsokningen i Fin' land, flyttingen av grensen for korndyrkinq for langt nord med misvekst6r, forte til at mange kom over til Norge for 5 ta arbeidx Lrnder fisket om varen- De tjente forholdsvis godt, og de kom tilbake og fortalte om over floden inord. N,4yndighetene i Norge s5 med stor vel vilje pe denne tilstrommingen da man var interessert i6 fb en storre fastboende befolkn ng. Dpssuten vislp tinnene sto' inrpresse for a dyrke opp jorda, og man kan godt si det se sterkt at det var de finske innvandrerne som la grunnlaget for rlagens moderne jordbruk i Finnmark. Det oppstod enkelte sleder en del mot setninger, i forste rekke overfor den treclje befolkningsgflrppen pa Nordkalotten samene, rnen det fortc ikke her nord til store politiske motsetninger. Innvandrerne sluttet seg til ulike poliliske partier i Norge. OJte {ulgte de den samme pojitske kurs som embetsmennene stod for. De som sokte til venstre i politikken, havnet rkke hos de revolusjonere, men sokte til sosialdemo kratene. Innflytterne var alltid lojale mot det samfunn hvor de nii sokte sitt levebrod, me4 sdr]l dig holdr de 5lprkl pd sine 'rd disjonelle kulturformer og da f6rst og fremst spr6ket. Men etter hvert ble forbindelsen med Finland og Sverige brutt. Inn vandringe'1 sloppet opn, oq forsl elrcr \'\te krig ble det fart i veibyggingen pa Nordkalotten. N6 er situasjonen endret. Det er go.le forbindelser over grensene, og en del inn vandring har atter funnet sted. Fra Finland til Nord Norge er dette bare i beskjeden mdlestokk. Utvandringen fra Finland til Sverige er et helt annet problem. Men ni 10

13 President Urho Kekkonen besokte sdndag Tuomainenq:irden i Vadso som na blir museum for de finske inn' vindrerne. Vi ser presidenten i samtale med soskenparet lda og Alf Tuomaien som har gitt sine eiendommer vederlagstriti lil kommunen for rnuseumsformsl (Foto: Bjorn Hildonen) it 96r ferden den mostatte velen i sommer_ msnedene. Bottniske viken bede finsk og svensk side er blirr finnmarkingenes "Ri' viera" samtidig som finsk ungdom ivirmbnedene trekker over grensen {or e fe arbeid i den norske fiskeindustrien. Behovet for narmere kontakt har fort til at samarbeidet ni er tatt opp pd en rekke omrider. Det er samarbeid mellom bibliotekene, det arrangeres teaterlurneer, kunst utstillinger og sprikkurser. Ved gymnasene i Vadso og Karasjok undervises det i finsk. Det samme ved distriktsh0yskolen i Alta. Det har videre vert avviklet kurs i norsk for finnlendere i Kirkenes. BrensekommLtne'lp rdr irr'"'ref san'a'ue de p" en rekke omrider. Det er lagt fram utrednin ger med forslaq til a styrke de kulturelle forbindelsene, og det viktigste som na vil skje er at et norsk finsk kullurfond snart vll v&re en realitet. Her er det ikke bare etter_ kommere av innvandrerne som har vlst initiativ, men ogse en rekke nordmenn har engasjert seg sterkt i arbeidel. Naturlig nok er VadsO sentret Jor disse bestrebelsene. Byen har en slerl Norsk Frnsk Forenrng som bdde sorger for e markere selvstendighetsdagen den 6. desember og som ster som initiativtaker for reising av monumentet. Det er betegnene at selve idden ble "todt" i Vadso-avisen "Finnmarkens " redaksjon, og avisens folk har hele stiden statt sentralt i arbeidet fra monumentsaka ble tatt opp i 1970 og fram til idag. Hvordan man blant lokalbefolknangen oppfattet statsbesoket og monumentet kan kanskje best illustreres ved sitat fra en reaksjonell artikkel i "Finnmarken" den 18.6.: "Viktig er det at man gjennom tilstede verelsen av statsoverhoden endelig f5r det "offentlige stempel" som mange har savnet, - en uhildet anerkjennelse av er') innsats for de tusen hjem og dermed ogs6 for folk og land. Grensene her nord har aldri vart noen barriere, og bedre kontakt og forsteelse har gjort den rode streken pa kartet mindre betydningsfull etter hvert. Vi har aldri folt oss som fremmede hos vsre gode naboer i sor, bare pe besok hos n@re slektninger." _- -

14 Oale R. Spady and Henrrck S. Thompson, Northern Michigan University The FINNISH'AMERICAN: on erplorotion of ethnic identity Tlrc present reporl rlfrcribes ;lr exdloral on ot!ome ol ihe lroundary 0on(l tions that he p to det ne denl t al)lc elhnic grolrps Tlr(] l.rfrtel l)oi)u al1on n tlre t)llrspnt nallr ly s.r ranrplrng of Arnerrcan c t zens of Ftnn Jlr her taqe. Indlvr.luals n th s sarrip e rcsr(1r-' llr rur,1l rreas of the Upl)cr PenrrrrLr of [,4rr:h qirrl The p.lrl cular inf uen(it)s lhal cerl.rlrl so(:ial struclures havc on F nnrsh Arrt: r r-anst persrst ng sense of erlrn c {l0n1rly dr' l^on l-rfil o l,^ \''o.t.,r".1,.tr. t. r,. This study concenlrales on lhe spcc al ways ljy whlch lhese l)ersor)! conl DUe 1o percelve themselves as l)e ncl disl rrctly ditferent trorn the arrter, surroun.ling populatlon, rather than on demograph r: v,l at)lc! lhitt r)r9ht be used merelv to (lescr l){r v./hat I means t.j l)e F.ntsh Amer can l1 is hvllothesrze.l that the pace oi soc al crllrral rss rrr ati()n of F nnish- Anl{lr c.rat rcs allnq n a rl a sefirn! Inay be cons (iariltllv slo'..,,er lltan s cltdrilcler sltc of srmilt l)erson! resirl nq n Urllan,roas. la the Irr:sr:nt slu(ly, lrdni.jripls of raped ntcrv ew:, wrlh fir!l and second qenerat on Frnnish Aorcricans h;ve prr,v (Je(l niorma lrorr that s h{r ptlrl t i(lcnr fytnq a Lrrnl)er ol l)oun(jary nrnlntcnanare machanisnts which appear lo l)e uselul n Dreserv ncl leelrnqs anrl lr,"liefs tlrnt clefi r, tlte essence of elhnicitv. The mosl important of these n the present snmpfng irpdeil To l)e Tl)osc rp ille(l lo 12

15 religion, language, and education. Subsequent investigations of the Finnish- Americans' strong tendencres to malntaln and perpetuate their ethnic identity and cultural traditions have been planned. These studies will be conducted by indepth interviews and by inventories espe' cially desagned for this type of research. THE F INN ISH _AI\4 E R ICAN: AN EXPLORATION OF ETHN IC lntroduction DENT TY * * * Over the past two decades, and especial ly with the advent of the American Bicentennial celebration, there has been a growth of interest in studving the cultural roots of l1e vd'iolr\ elhnrl qroups rhdt comptise the American population. In this article, some of the key issues that have been raised in recent years are explored. The foclrs is on one extremely interesting ethnrc qroupi the Finnish'Americans who live in the Upper Peninsula o{ the State of l\.4ichigan. Our comments on the social networks developed by the Finnish Ame ficans in this region dramatically illustrate a number of factors that play important roles in maintaining a strong sense of ethnic dentity (i.e. these persons typically consider rhprr5plve\ d5 I'e,ng Finnish.Americans ral her than merelv Americans)- lt is hypothesi' zed that the resiclents of l\lichigan's Upper Peninsula with Flnnish heritage probably exemplify the feelings, beliefs, and enduring vallres of members of ethnic groups who lrve rn,ural ij,ea\ drd who Fdragp lo rp\i\l easv or early assimilation into the broader cultureot thelr surrounding environment Perspectives on Ethnic ldentity While much of the work to date on the subject of etnicity has focused on the demographic realities of foreign birth and immigration, it is importanto remember that the people involved have chosen to remain ethnically oriented. They have managed to maintain ways of life that are different in both obvious and subtle ways from those of the general population of their host country. In this regard, Andrew Greeley has commented: Ihe ethnic groups did not come into being in the Old World: they are American creations. In the old country, the immigrants were citizens of towns, not nations. They became ethnics in the United States partly because the larger society defined them as ethnic and pdrtly because il wds in their own interest to become ethnics, both because of the political power that might accrue to them in ethnic cohesiveness and because of the social supporl the ethnic collectivity provided for its members.l As the preceding comment indicates, immigrant groups have typically retained their sense of being people who share more in common with each other than they do with the larger population ot their adopted country. By clustering toget' her, they have been dble lo creale communities where they feel more comfortable and "at home." They have shared common food interests, a common language, common rel'grous beliets, distinct cultural practices, and so forth. Almost all members of a first generation of immigrants have preferred to be identified as members who traditionally follow family and religaous ceremonial practices of the Old World. A v rsron of lh s paper was presented wrthin th-o Fri:-. Jnd Ethn c Re Jr,ons secl on JI the.nnua nrecrrnq ot rhe M rlwesr Sociolog c! So c,ety, St Lous,Mrssouri,Ap,,l The aulhors wish to express their appreciation ro Dr. Arlhur Puolinen for his invaluable supporr IJ

16 The present report describes some of the special ways that substantial numbers of Finnish-Americans view themselves as being distinct from other Americans and the ways that members of the majority of the;r non-f innish-american neighbors vrew them as being different from "typical" Ameracans. Fredrik Barth, a prominent social anthropologist, specifies two distinct wiiys by which an ethnic group may be identified. The first represents a rather trad itional view in anthropology, one which places a primary emphasis upon a shared cultural orientation of a group and its organization into a field of communication and interaction. 2 The second conceives ethnicity as being based on personal preferences resulting in a choice made by an elhnic group. The latter perspective represents a view of ethnic groups that defines a boun dary that an individual group maintains rather than cultural phenomena that rt encloses- 3 lt is this second approach to ethnic identity that is emphasiz d in the present reporr. The concept of boundary is regarded as 5ingularly central to the study of ethni city. This posirion becomes especially central and important when it is understood that the boundary, as it is represenled by d cluster of social culturdl marnlendnce mechanisms, leads to a dislinct channelinq of socrdl behaviors and ceremonral prdclrces for the ethnic group involved. Within any strongly bonded ethnic grolrp, members share many common cr iteria for day'to'day evaluations and persgnal judgn'rents. lt is generally understood that members of any "outgroup" are limited in therr shared understandings with the ethnic "in-9roup," in criteria for time honored values and in evaluating individuals' noteworthy perfor mances. As Barth has observed:...the persistence of ethnic groups in contact implies not only criteria and signals for identification, but also a structuring of interaction which allows the persistence ot cultural differences. The organizational featufe wh ich...must be general for all inter ethnic relations is a systemalic set of rules governing the inter ethnic social encounters.4 ln accorddilce witlr Bdrtlr's conception, a set ot boundary properties may be viewed as a normative mechanism used both by an ethnic group and its related hosl population. It is the sociological properties of boundary that provide distinctly different perspectives between the two groups. It is not necessary, or probably reasonable, to hypothesize that boundaries created by ethnic groups are in any way total or completely homogeneous in their effects. Barth has noted that even in a society where assimilation is common, boundaries slill uonslilu(p impor tdnt condrlrons. F l\1, r1 rs Llear thdt houndar res pat\r{ despite a flow of personnel across them. In other words, categoricdl ethnic dis tinctions do not depend on an absence of molilily, contarl, dnll Informdlron, but do entail social processes of exclu sron and rncorporation wherel)y discrete categories are maintained despite chan ging participation and membership in the course of individual ltfe hislories. Secondly, one finds that stalrle, persrsting, and often vitallv rmportant social relations are maintatned across such boundaries, and are freqltently based on the dichotomi2erl ethnic sta ru5es. In orhei words, elltntc drslrncltorts do not depend on an absence of social rnteractron and acceptance, but are qurte to the contrary often the very toundations on which embraclng social systems are built. Interactton in such a social system does not lead to its 11

17 liquidation through change and acculturdlron; clrllurdl drlferences aan persisl despite inter-ethnic contact and interdependence.5 In an effort to extend knowledge about the functioning o{ l)oundary mechanisms, lhe present research was conducted on a group of individuals with a generally acknowledged strong sense of ethnic identity: a sample of Finnish Americans residing in the Upper Peninsula of the State of N4ichi gan. The data involved in this stlr.lv are at this point of inquiry somewhat mpres sionistic. The clata were obtained trom an analysis of transcripts Jrom an oral hlstory project being condlrcted In the Upper Peninsula by Dr- Aflhur PLrotinen. lvlost of the observations included in the present repoft are clerived trom analysis of over 300 tfanscripts of intervle!^,/5 codljlr{jted by Dr Puotinen with first and second generation Finnish Amerlcans. Dr. Puoti nen's interviews, conducted as a basis for hisloncal records, wer{] relatively unstruc turecl. Ouantifrcation of the type that sociologists find most persuasive L!as lhere lore not possible. The Finnish-Anrericans of Michrgan's Upper Peninsu la Ethnicity in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is one of this geogiaphrcrl area's most slrkrng leatures Folklorisl R chard M. Do'sor' nude lhe tollov!rrg o!,iervdlio.\ on a tour ol tfte area. The psychology of the Peninsula people in parlicular, ilnd oi American socrety is l)ed(lecl deep In lhis ethnic r'lrix. Amenca has grown fronr Europeans, and the Upper Penlnsula spectacu larly illustrates the fact. All Europe comingles in her neighl)orly towns; besidcs the dodrnadt Fions, French Canadians and Cofnrshmen, yolr can find Belgians at St. Nicholas, Poles ancl Bohemians at lron N4oLrntain, Austrians and Armenians in Escan;ba, Greeks rn IVlarquette, ltalians in Slab, Greeks in [4arquette, ltirl ans in Sram baugh, Oanes in Norway, Swedes in Manislique, Czechs in Crystal Falls, Croats and L-ithuaniaDs rn lronwood, and everl such l,ny peoilles as Luxenr burgers at Escanaba, Slovenians at Shtnq leton, and l\4ontenegl ns at Wakefield. These colonies splotch the countryside with a cullural rainlrow, an(l each contr butes its own distinctrve folk colorrng.6 The Upper Peninsula of l\,4ichigan car be appropflatelv termeal rliral bv alnrost any acceplable criterion. In ts 16,500 squafe miles of ter tory there.re 304,347 residents; flrrtherrnore, the largest comnlu nity in the region ls the town of lvlarqucrte whrch has a population of about 23,000. For ihe prl-sen1 report rl s irnportdnt to know thnt the Uppe' Pen nsula nas (ne largest siagle concentratton of persons with Finnish heritage in the United Sl,rtes_ The 1970 census ndicared that the reg orr containecl 17,721 loreqn lrorn Frnns r;on centrated n eight of the Peninsu a's filteen colrnties. Since the bulk of Finnish inlmi, gratlon took place near the turn of the,pntjr,7.:h, [J1'1,pr Pcr rs- J Jl\o.o ltjr'r5 largc nunrllcrs of second,lnd third geaera tion F rnn ish-a mer icans. The prindipal atlradr oo for Finnrsh- Arc i, 'n(,rn,l nprtoin oll'er elhntl. qroun\ now rejrci ng irl the ultper Peninsula oi lvlichiqan lvils the openrnq of extensive m nrng operations in the late 1800's. As the min ng ndustry expanded, the copper ancl iroo comljanies!'nqaoed in major labor recruitment drives all over Europe. These efforts proved Lrnusually slrccessful in attracting pefsons with Finnish heritage_ Since the Upper Peninsula conratneo such a diversity of ethnic groups dlrring the extreme latter part of the 19th cenlury,

18 ethnrc idenlity became a prime settinq tor unusual 'l)oundary" condrlion\ As noted eaf.f, Cr e ley ollserved that etlrnic identity typ c.rlly provides social sopport lor the medlrers of a group wilh a conrmon cultural background. For members of ethnic groups in the Upper Pen nsula, lot,ll disorganizal on!!as avoided by fierce attempls to hold on to the cusloms arrci ceremonral pract ces of their respective cultures- The key to ethnic bolrndanea!\,ere, theretore, cu tlrrally defensive postlrres thirt were maintarnc.l by the diverse ethnic groups for purposes of surviving, ancl hopefully I elrp' r.a I r. r 'o,.rl rrr'i er n1'i 'ric \ldlj\ n d dtent J.,r'rr.o_r"l,Te, lh, J L r' r! Pnv,ro.l As one nrgllt ilntrcrpa!, mirrrv lorrrs ol confl al drose l)etween thc vdr ous ethn c gro!rps o[ this area. one that was most easily ol)servell $,'as lhe h.lh leve ot sheer phvs cal vio ence that previl led among the drllercrll rrembcrs c)f ethnr. (troups within tbc,et on Surrh cofi icls vrere pjrt c!larly lrcqutnt betrveen the Frnrr sh Arner caas and the rish.arnerlcarrs. The comnlenls o1 onc of the o der F nnish Americans liv og ln the Upper Peninsula lustraterhlsconfl ct: Therll taver n lrra\.jls, youirro!1/,]rlrorrgst rhe lr sh and thc Finns 1 rv,ls lrke the Blacks,rrrrl!\lhif s Vcsr! b.rck they lrircl rl ose rpeoid f) Jces wlrerc they meet. \Ve t was the same lhrnq n llre sa oon, wh.rt thev calicd thenr rn those days. But th s place \,vas clesigfaleal for lr sh an(l the other p ace u.i(ls (lcslgnated rrore for Frnns.!Vel, rj tirp lr sh!.r'ou(j vr'alk n1o the Finnrsl) l.ive n, or vrce vefta, so ihen llrlra!1,oulci 1],r,r lrajhi. I alon't kno\,4/ whal rl \,!.rs. lrul lhey lusl couldn't gei alonrt dr nkrng toqelher The f ghts were ruqge.l they were cul up, you know, the o alen clays th? Finnish especia ly llrey used to carry them "puukkos." There was a lot of them "puukko iunkkaris" - You (r)ow, llrey would,edlly get Into quite a few blood spilling brawls.t Political Activity One very traditional manner in which menlbers of different ethnic groups have dciill wilh inter-grolrp conflicts has been to become involved in tlre political activi ties of their communities. Political machines 'rnve lr.id rion,rlly,our(ed erhnic groups in the hopes of block support. lt is interesting to note how visible the attempt to colrrt the ethnic vote became in the 1976 PresLdent,rl election in the United States. Wl en.rne ex,rm,nes the F nn;s r'arner'' on, of the Upper Pen nsul.r, lrowever, one frn.ls tllat this patteflr has never been pfonounced. The fo lowing comments by E.igar Litt mav help to e\plain the absence ol l li s process.. accomtnoclation polrtrc5 was excee,inqly rmited in scale. 1l lvas e5sential y url)rrr pol t cs, boun(l lry per rrelef s r'rr ll, no n.t Jnr po.t '.d' InctrlLtion\.rf the centfal city. Our understanding rr.. rrnt. r,, on-no,ld' or poliri, s resrs orr iln analysis of urlrrn po 1 cs as so. frelhing essent a lv selrsrate lrorn the ndi ()r]jl pol tical horrlori When one c.rnsrclers the f<rnqe of parly patronage ;Ir(l ollrcr rc$/arcls alrsllerse(l lo accommo (lalc coml)ctinq ethnic groups, it can l)e scrn llrirl these benetrts are meanin!lful only n, llr n lhe urban,rreand the sphere ol operirt ons of lhe ocal pol t rrraas. A( (iornmoclal on pol lrcs l)resented a p clcfe of Lliscreie (irl),rrr' 50lillrorj.5, \.Jlr.)sc Inrpacl \(ris meirnrnqtui only in the aqcjr eqate 3 Atlernpts 1o qet the "Finn vote" rvere mn(l{r on occasion, but the urban style of polrlrcal accommodat on.rppears to have bccr largely absent. Tlle one perod when 16

19 Finnish political activity was visible occur red in the early part ot the twentieth century, however it seemed even then to be diffuse rather than concerned solely with the interests of Finrtish-Americans. This occurred during a period of maior strikes aqainst the owners of the mines in the Upper Peninsula. A large portion of Finnish- Americans wefe at that time of the radical socialist persuasion (members of the Finnish Socialist Federation). They supported the strike and began to make a bid for power on lhp pdrl of rlre worker\. Privale securirv forces and the National Guard were called in, however, and the strike was broken in a wave of violence. Since rhar trn're, Finntsh' Amencans seem to have withdrawn, as 3 group, from this lype of political particr' pat ion. In the Finnish vallre system, the prin ciple of self.sufficiency is extremely im portant. Rather than turn to various govern_ mental agencies for ai(1, lhe members of Frnnrsh communities lrave tr e(l to establish a variety oj self help proqrams. ODe of the more successlul attempts has been the development of cooperat ves. In order to prov de food, farm slrppi es, and other necessities, the Finnish Americans ot the Upper Peninsula hav tjanded together in cooperatives rn an ettor t to reduce the cost of goods and to help one another. Most of the early cooperalrves were establrs. hed by the Finnish soc alrsts during the Deprcsrion, l,jl d rrur"1her ot ll-e\e orgdni zatrons still function today. The coopera tives, in acldition to sefvinq as a source of marp i,ll prollj, rs, I-ave 5ervp,ld\ rreeting places for the Frnns; a place where they havc lreen able to girthcr and to discuss thc issjes ct lhe {lnv. Education For many elhnic groups, the educational system has been a vehtcle for assimilation. Pub icly supported education has long been recognized as a potent force for homogeneous socialization. The educational pro, g.dms encounrered by Finnish immigrants were very American indeed. Tlrere was little attempt to deal in any special ways v1./ith the cultures of immigrant groups. Tltis wa., however, an oulcome of economrc opportunism ralher than any conscious Jp5rgns or prearranged plans to Americanize the immigrant. The number of cultures represented in the schools of the Upper Penrnsula was very ldrge, and little attention was given to the specific concerns of the Frnns or any of the othef ethnic groups. The students would often gather in the school yards and try to teach each othef pans of their languages. Some who experienced this process have stated that they qrew up having some familiarity with the words trom over a dozen languages in their vocabularies. In the classroom, only English was spoken, and few attempts were made to teach it in any special pro' grams to the sludents. The sludents were expected to pick it up themselves. and through necessity, many of them did. In attempts to counter what they considered the leveling effect of the public school system, the Finns established privately tinanced summer school programs. These programs were designed to teach the chrldren the Finnish language, and many of the cultural values ot the Finnish people. These schools were undoubtedly very important in passing on and reinforcing a sense of ethnic identity among Finnish children. In addition to the establishment of sumnrer schools for Finnish children, educational faciliiies were created tor the Finnish population of young adults. For example, Suomi College in Hancock, Michigan was created in Suomi is the only institution of higher education that has 17

20 ever been founded by Frnnish'Amerrcans in the United States. The college was established with three major goals in mind: The study of religion lmeaning Finnish Lutheranism), nationalism (wh ich meant Frnn.sh ndtronalisml, and laslly, the pd5sing on of the more subtle but equally important aspects of the Finnish culture. While some watering down of these goals has probably occurred in more recent years, the basic philosophical intenr remains in1acl. During the earlier years of rts operation, the courses at Suonri College were all talrght in Finiish, but bv the 1920's, English was employed in some of the classes. This practice angered mdny of the more conservdtive mombers of llre Finn,sh commun;ly. Nevertheless, by 1958, the requrrementhat all taculty members be fluent in Finnish was dropped; indeed, by that time all classes were laught in English.!t/hile the Finn;sh language rs no longer in formal use at the college today, the curriculum still reflects a Strong commitment to passrng on the general culture oj modern Finland. At Suomi College, Finnish cultural events continue lo be represented in the school calendar. The cultural activ iles at Suomi often include visits from the Finn sh Ambassador to the United States, and by other Finnish persons with national and anternational repuiations, rnclud ng the President of Finland, who vis ted the Upper Pen;nsula rn These otficja,s' publrc addresses on the contriblltions of the Finns to the American way of life are well attsn ded and widely hearcl. Language LangLrage has always playeci a Lrn que role in the mainlenance of a sense of efhn c identity. lt is a special class of ihose boun dary conditions il'rat separate an elhnic group from the population al large. Tfrrs is due to the fact that the communicaiions passed on in the language of the ethnic are privy onlv to those who understand it. Therefore, the media used by the ethnic group is composed oj a series of "coded'' messages lhat are directed toward the specific inrerests of the ethnic group; and consequenlly, the "out-group" is not able to undefsrand or appreciate this realm of private communication. Since the arrival of the firsl Finnish immlgranrs about 1860, there have t)een over 350 Finnish language newspapers and periodicals prnted in the United States. One of the more prominenr publications was the American Suometar (American Finn). lts published editorial policy illustra ted the role that erhnic perio.licals play in the marntenance of ethnic identitv. The purposes of the Amerikan Suometar were lo: I ) turther Finnish nationalism and c.rlture; 2) Supporr the temperance move ment; 3) preserve Frnnish culture and education; 4) provide information about the United SIates; 5) ge,rerate worlhy Jiction or other literature; 6) provide thorolrgh coveraqe of news from Finland; 7) offer re liab le reportinq from Finnish-American communities; 8) pflnt as mlrch world news as space permitted; and 9) underlying ail, encourage a Christran outlook and strong support of the nsl t!rtrons and activities of the Suomi Synod dnd its pastors. The Amerikan Suomelar published ts last edrtion n 1962, bur a number of Finnrsh language newspapers remain In circulation throughout the Un ted States. ln ad.lrlion to the prinied word, rad o and televis on statrons of l\4 chrgan's Upper Peninsula devote srgnificanr periods of lrme each,,veek for Finnish ldnguage pro qrammrng. The content of these programs uslrallv deals with communily rssues, news trom Finland, Finnrsh music. travei pro, grams on Finland, and speci.ll brrthday and ann ivetsar y announceotents. l8

21 Religion Religion among the Frnnrsh Amcricans of the Uppef Perrinsula was, and sttll is, an active source of ethnic rdentity. The Flnns are predominanlly Lutheran anci have developed erllht different bfanches of Lutheranism in the United States. In the early years of the Amerlcan establishment of the Luthefan Church of Finland and or'lpr LLrrhe o'r lrod es, ll^e, on! p!dl'on5 were dependent upon the Old Country for their source of n'rinisters. They lnsisted thai servrces l) cotl(l!cle(l in F nn slr. As a general rulc, lhey wolrld n01 accept ministers fronl the American Luthcran or ganization; however, the suppiy oj minis ters from thc home country was not very stable or aclequate. Between 1890 and l930, fifty-one pastors came to the Unitecl States {rom Flnland, but only seventeen ot them rernained in the unitecl States. To attain sonre degree of independencc from their reliance Lrpon Finland for mrn s ters, lhe Finnish Anrer rcans ot the UIlfr r Penrnsula founded the Suom Theo ogtcal sem nary to tratn pastors to Serve rn the I churches. The seminarv was attached to Suomi College, ancl this partia ly explains the strong emphasis on religion in the college cun cu lum. Whi e the L!theran Church has strong slrl,po r d.j d 1., qe 'ollowi'rq. il i' 'rol, by any means, LJn versally accepted. For many Finnish-Afier cirns the Lutheran Ch!fch repres nts the nrore conservatrve tor ces wilhro therr corrmlrnrlres. Thrs, oi coufse, rlrns colrnler lo a widely held socra list polrt ca rdeology. Current estimates incllcate th,j1 only one in tltree of Finnish Americans rs n member of the Lutheran Church. This rat o ol membership is undout) teclly lniluenceci by lhe praclrce of holding services in Finnrsh in many ot the churches, a lanquage rn ',vh ch many of the yollng people are nol l lqen t. Self lmage Frorn the time thnt the frst Finnish imrnigranls arrived in Mrchrqan, FLnn sh Americans have had 1o cont{rnd wlth cons derable ethnic hostility ll l)()gan with the early fiqhting arnong the ethnic qroups of tllc arca, which, as mentroned earlrer, tendecl to qenerate a strong deqree of solicla- 'ity within the Finnish commun tv. Hostili ty ancl social pressures from "outsialefs" contrnue to be factors n the sense of ethnic r(lentrty that prevails arnong Finnish Arne 'icans. In rranv areas of the Unileal Stales, defogatory jokes are conrnronly io d al)out Swe(lish A mer ica ns, Polrsh,Anlericans, and.ren'l,er\ o' oll'" i,lent '.dl,le -rr^or ry groups within the United St,l1L's. In the Upper Peninsula, jokes allout Finnish. Americans are more common than jokes about the irequently ridiculed Polish Americans within the United Stat rs. tfr lne Upper Peninsuia Frnnish Arnericans are of ten the recipients of sllrrs.ncl other dero grtory remarks (e q, "He's ilrst. dumb F nn'). Perhaps a parl ol the toll thrs takes on se f esteem s rllustr ateci by the follovrinll comment: R: The young people, when their parents LoulLrr'l l,rll t 191,51 lnpy drljn'l re),ler I lhcn rhoy rhojahr rhey wp p \luord. The young people were not only:lshamed of their parents, tjut asharlred of their Frnnish nationa ity, even. They tr ed to h alc under some other nationalrty cspcc ally here in the Copller CoLrnlty wlio have taken d tlerenl n.rrnes, anai they say they are Smedish. l: So, that's one of the reasons why the F inn sh people changed the names then feeling that they \,1/ere not good enough? R: Yes, but the thircl and fourih qenerarron started looking at it differently and began to tle proud of lhe Finnish her rlage.9 19