1992 - 2 - Siirtolaisuusinstituutti

Marion Henrikson Typpo
Finnish-American
Identity
'KUsW
sinufta, mitd piffrt o(ostosi sieffa countrymen. What did it mean to be a
oizran[a mnnf[a."
Finn then? What does it mean to be a
Finnish-American now?
This question is part of a letter, written
The letter is part of Paavo's slim, yel-
as a portion of a school exercise. It was
lowed copybook from school. He wishes
written 99 years ago from one of my
his cousin to know that he is growing up
husband's uncles (Paavo) to his cousin
and will soon be a young man. He is
Fredrik, a few years his senior. The older
attending school along with seven other
cousin had left for America, leaving his
students at his level. The kind of self
younger family members to envy the
presentation, self-image or identity is in-
adventure but worry about his wellteresting.being.
Quite clearly Paavo wishes to
be considered adult-like ... he even dis-
The letter was given to us some years
cusses the weather. The first aspect of
ago, and we have shared it with many
identity thenmightbe "who one is". The
other family members "on this side of
counterpart might then be related to the
the Atlantic" and have all marvelled at
environment within which one grew
the exquisite penmanship and careful
and, therefore, gave identity substance
phrasing of a boy who was then, almost
and meaning.
100 years ago, almost fifteen. The docu-
The second part in this old letter is
ment written so long ago is poignant yet
called simply "Kotiseutuni" and is a
for another reason: the writer did leave
loving but honest and candid descrip-
Finland for the United States when he
tion of his birthplace. Paavo writes of the
was in his early twenties but he disap-
beatiful homeplace, the huge old birch
peared amidst the waves of immigrants
tree that even the oldest do not remem-
all trying to find their own places in this
ber being small, but also admits that the
country of promises. It is also sad that
land is rocky and not as fertile as it could
the cousin to whom the letter was
be. He admits honestly in the "Ko-
addressed shared the same misfortune
tiseutuni" portion of his writings that his
and also disappeared. One wonders
home area in not one of towering moun-
what their lives were like and if they
tains although there are a few high hills.
lived and died in the companv of their
"On tda[fa jo(unen jd.rztiftin ja tfr.pi ftytan
Marion Typpo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of rtirtan moniin mutftjin aiurui[erta Wairi.-
Human Derelopment nnd Family Studies, jokj. eiframaa on rtarsiruftjn kgaaimiru frg-
Unioersitu of Missouri, Columbia. ain rapaftfutinen. {aftga{an tefu:odt futu-
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