#finndians

“Over the centuries hundreds of thousands of Finns have ventured to North America in the hope of a better life. The migrants brought with them their language, customs, beliefs and songs.

Historians have noted that among European settlers no other ethnic group adapted so well to the vast American forests as the Finns. The mastery of shifting cultivation and log house building proved especially advantageous for the Finns. Tellingly, the oldest surviving log cabin in the United States, C.A. Nothnagle Cabin, was built by Finnish settlers.

The Finns, many of whom worked as miners or forest loggers, often got along well with the region’s indigenous inhabitants. Both sides learned from one another. Finnish log-building methods are even said to have influenced the development of Native American longhouses in the New Sweden area since the 1600s.

Several factors contributed to the closeness felt by the Finns and Indians. Finnish hunting culture was exceptional among European migrants. The Finns hunted and felt right at home in the forest, unlike many other settler populations. Also, both Finns and Indians had saunas, rune singing and more cyclical concept of time - as well as a tendency for heavy alcohol use.

Over time, some Finns and Indians from local tribes married each other. The descendants of these families are playfully referred to as the Findians. Even today some residents in places such as Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin who have Finnish-Native ancestry identify as Findians.

The songs and recollections of Finnish migrants were compiled to the United States Library of Congress's collections in the 1930s. In addition to popular songs of the time, mythical rune songs and incantations were recorded as well. The knowledge regarding Finland’s sacred natural sites also travelled to the new continent. In one particular recording a man, who had moved to the United States from Tornio, describes how healing water was retrieved from a sacred spring. According to the man, the water was bought by offering the guardian of the spring a silver coin and saying: “I give this gift, and gain the remedy."

Translation from Finnish by Anssi A.