Oral History Project: Preserving Our Finnish American Stories

Finlandia Foundation National (FFN), with input from chapter members across the country, is developing a nationwide Oral History Program to collect and preserve the stories of Finnish Americans—past, present, and future.

Through this initiative, we are creating a toolkit to help local chapters and individuals engage in oral history work. The toolkit will include:

Interview guides and question prompts
Technical tips on recording devices
Information on consent, archiving, and storage
How-to videos and virtual workshops
A centralized hub for sharing recorded histories

These stories are not only meaningful for families and communities today, but they will also serve as invaluable resources for researchers, students, and future generations seeking to understand the Finnish American experience over time.

Reach out to Dr. Mirva Johnson at mirva.johnson@finlandiafoundation.org — we’d love to hear your story!

Oral Histories

of Finnish-Americans

Click for fascinating stories

Meet the Interviewer

Dr. Mirva Johnson holds a Ph.D. in Scandinavian Studies–Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has years of experience collecting oral histories in Finnish North American communities. Her award-winning M.A. thesis documentary features fieldwork with Finnish American residents in Oulu, Wisconsin, and offers a compelling model for this kind of community storytelling.

Highlighting Finnish American Oral Histories

Across the country, Finnish American oral histories exist in repositories just waiting to be heard. Not all of the oral histories below are available for listening online but individual repositories can provide information on accessing their collections. If you know of a collection or interview to include here, please send information, including when possible, a weblink, to mirva.johnson@finlandiafoundation.org. Finlandia Foundation National is also showcasing existing oral history videos on our YouTube channel. More information below:

Immigrant Families Remember by the Finnish Center Association (Farmington Hills, MI)
Finns in the News from the Columbia-Pacific Chapter (Portland, OR)
Finnish American Heritage Center Historical Archives: Elderhostel UP-Detroit Migration Oral History Project 2005. This collection features oral history interviews detailing the UP Finnish community in Detroit and its institutions during the mid-to-late 20^th century. These recordings are not yet cataloged or digitized. Contact Archivist Joanna Chopp for information on this collection. Joanna.chopp@finlandiafoundation.org
Finlandia University Finnish American Historical Archives: Finnish Folklore and Social Change in the Great Lakes Mining Region Oral History Collection. Ca. 1971-1974. This collection features dozens of oral history interviews, primarily with Finnish American subjects from Minnesota and Upper Michigan. The collection was formerly available online but now appears to be offline.
Minnesota Historical Society: Finns in Northern Minnesota Oral History Project, 1975-1977. Interviews of Minnesota Finns Anna Ahonen, Helmi Dyhr, Ida Erickson, Helmi Gawboy, Cecelia Kuitunen, Nick Kuitunen, Emily Maki, Eino Norha, and Lempi Wachsman. Available online. http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/oh151.xml
Northern Michigan University: Center for UP Studies Oral Histories. Dozens of searchable oral history transcriptions including multiple interviews of Finnish Americans from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Transcripts available online. https://nmu.edu/upperpeninsulastudies/oral-histories
University of New Mexico: Finlandia Society of Albuquerque Oral History Project Collection, ca. 1985-1991. Oral history project coordinated by Rev. Raymond Wargelin. Features 36 interviews of New Mexico Finns including Finlandia Foundation National founder Yrjö Paloheimo. https://nmarchives.unm.edu/repositories/22/resources/1788
Wisconsin Historical Society: Old World Wisconsin ethnic research interviews 1974-1977. Includes interviews of Wisconsin Finns J. Kortesmaa, Ed Pudas, Oscar Getto. https://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/9911125887002121. Oral History Interviews with the Pudas Family 1974 and 1977. https://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/9911125687302121

Get Involved

The Oral History Program is evolving, and your involvement makes it stronger. Stay informed, access resources, or contribute to developing the Oral History Hub by contacting Dr. Mirva Johnson at mirva.johnson@finlandiafoundation.org — we’d love to hear your story!