The Finnish American Collections
One of the many ethnic communities represented
in the MSU Museum's collections is Finnish Americans, whose population in
Michigan, especially in the Upper Peninsula, is the largest and most concentrated
in the United States. The Finnish collections include rag rugs, placemats,
looms, sauna stove, as well as archival materials such as audio tapes of
interviews, audio tapes and CDs of music, field reports, photographs, videos,
articles and books that cover such topics as textiles making and use, sauna
making and culture, foodways, music and dance, and being Finnish American.
Field researchers:
Drs. Yvonne R. Lockwood, William G. Lockwood, James P. Leary, Janet Gilmore,
Marsha MacDowell, and Kurt Dewhurst.
Exhibition:
"Sauna, Sisu, Sibelius: Finnish Americans in the Upper Peninsula," East
Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University Museum, 1985.
Sauna Beer
Photo by Pearl Yee Wong
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