The Finnish American Reporter is a monthly, English language journal, established
in 1986, featuring articles and news reports of interest to Finns across
North America, in Finland and around the world.
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| The Finnish American Reporter has no political or denominational affiliation
and welcomes well-written articles representing any aspect of Finnish culture,
politics and religion. The Finnish American Reporter provides a national
network for announcements of Finnish events in the United States and Canada.
Monthly features in the Finnish American Reporter include: sports, calendar of events, genealogy, book reviews, regional news and regular columnists. Past issue book reviews can now be found here. Current news reports from Finland and the North American keep the Finnish community connected, despite great distances. Numerous FAR subscribers are active supporters of the FAR by submitting articles, regional news, calendar events and photographs for publication. To join the growing number of participating FAR subscribers, click on the links below. Submissions can also be sent by mail or fax.
Some of the features included
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Excited and confident, members of the Duluth Area Youth Kantele Ensemble playfully pose for the camera. The kantele, which is enjoying a resurgence of interest in North America, will be significantly represented at FinnFest 2008 (see page 16)
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in the May 2008 issue are ...
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CROSS-CURRICULAR CULTURE
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Jim Kurtti photo
Cheryl Ruohonen (L) and Jennifer Pera give credit where credit is due when discussing how they use William Durbin’s “Otto Peltonen” in a cross-curriculum approach.
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BY JIM KURTTI
Painesdale is a prime example of a planned copper mining town in the Lake Superior basin developed a century ago. Modest company-built, cedar-shingled saltboxes and tall narrow clapboards hug the rolling hills of the former Champion Mine community. In striking contrast, the Jeffers High School, an imposing structure built from local Jacobsville sandstone with finely carved focal points, stands on a ridge from where one’s view extends miles beyond Chassell Bay, some eight miles away.Cognizant of the community’s place in history, teachers Jennifer Pera (science and math) and Cheryl Ruohonen (English and social studies) utilize the local heritage, with significantly Finnish flavors, to make literature, science, social studies, and even math relevant to their 7th grade students. The teachers have developed a cross-curriculum approach, which draws from the mining past and Finnish-American identity, threading the various studies together with a novel - “The Journal of Otto Peltonen,” by Minnesota author and teacher William Durbin.The novel, of the “My Name is America” series, was released in 2000 and although written for adolescent readers, is also a popular read for adults. Durbin is particularly motivated to encourage reading among boys.When asked who first had the idea of creating the “Otto Peltonen” inspired curriculum, Pera and Ruohonen smiled and in synchronized unity ....
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For chef Inga Ojala, seafood preparation starts with a rod and reel.
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THE ART OF FINNISH COOKING
BY DAVID MAKI
As a young child in Washington state, Inga Ojala recalls working side by side with her grandmother Saima in the kitchen, learning Finnish culinary techniques. Decades later, Inga now shares her grandmother’s methods with students through organized Finnish cooking classes. Inga’s classes aren’t quite like those of Martha Stewart or Julia Child, however. Inga - a lifelong artist and daughter of Hollywood gunslinger Arvo Ojala and actress Doris Seversen - considers herself an artist and a chef, a description reflected not only in what she creates, but how she creates them.Measuring cups? Not a vital tool. Bread machines? No way. Inga’s not a believer in fancy kitchen equipment. “It’s amazing how many people don’t know how to do true baking,” she said. “There’s no need for fancy tools ... you use a ...
YOUTH CHOIR WITNESSES HISTORIC MISSION SUCCESS
BY DAVID MAKI
On March 11, Pastor Tuomas Palola and several members of a youth choir from his church in Jyväskylä boarded a plane and flew several hours to one of Africa’s southernmost countries. During their travels, they met their guide, a life-long Namibia resident, who was to lead them to various church sites in her country of some 1.8 million residents.Her name? Tuulikki.Palola accompanied the youth choir on a two-week journey through Namibia, a country known well for its enormous sand dunes and the Hoba meteorite. It’s also known - among members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, at least - as the site of one of the most successful Finnish missionary efforts in history. Even today, Namibians show a Finnish influence. While no Namibian speaks Finnish, some businesses have Finnish names and many residents have Finnish first names. “Almost everyone has heard about Martti Ahtisaari and his work in helping Namibia achieve independence (in 1990),” Palola said. “Since the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland’s lessons include (discussion of) Namibia, and about 80 percent of Finns are members of the church, then ...
SHARING THE SPIRIT OF FINLAND THROUGH SONG
BY BARBARA HANKA
The kantele is the national folk instrument of Finland and was brought to America by Finnish immigrants around the turn of the 20th century. It is considered one of the most important instruments in Finnish history and culture, and has been played for several centuries, with its creation dating back more than 2,000 years. FinnFest 2008 will feature a Kantele Room, and co-chairperson of the FinnFest2008 committee Diane Skomars, described it this way: “I’ve begun to realize just how important the kantele is to our Finnish identity and heritage. The kantele is truly at the musical center of our FinnFest 2008 theme ‘Sharing the Spirit of Finland.’” Many Finnish citizens and Finnish Americans have realized this as well, which can be evidenced by the fact that the kantele is featured at FinnFests each year, and is studied as ...
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