FINNS: An Oral History- You Were In Finn Town Here - David Kangas
New Ipswich Historical Society
FINNS: An Oral History of Finnish-Americans in New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region
Excerpted from FINNS: An Oral History... by Patricia Kangas Ktistes, 1997, all rights reserved.
David Kangas
Among Finns, you see splintering politically, theologically, and socially. Not associating with the ‘other ‘group. This behavior was a carry over from feelings that led up to the civil war in Finland. This divisiveness was going on and they had the civil war. Now the groups have pretty much harmonious relationships with each other over there but here, among some Apostolics, you still see that old-world hangover: “Our group is the right group.” With any mainstream Finn, you won’t see it. Not many ‘old school’ Finns went to college, but of those who did, many dropped out. Perhaps my father best summed up the older generation, “Finns are only cut out to do hard manual labor.”
Usually those who do go on to college and graduate are those who have been mainstreamed. I know a fair number of people of Finnish background from New Ipswich who started college and dropped out. My guess is they’re running into conflicting values and it’s hard to relate to people there and find meaningful social relationships. So it’s safer to go back and work within the construction industry. However, more of the younger generations are attending college.
This group mentality extended to where one lived. The Finn mindset—not necessarily just Apostolics—was ‘Why do you want to leave New Hampshire? How could you think of leaving? Something bad might happen. When are you coming back? When are you going to visit your home?’ That attitude extended to seeking new horizons economically, educationally, and spiritually.
I think it feeds into this ‘God-punishing-you’ mentality. That kind of message was told to their forebears when they left Finland. Ministers were telling them, “Don’t go to America. Bad things will happen to you.”
Years ago when some Finns I knew would leave New Ipswich they were almost considered traitors. These ideas are disappearing because some of them left en masse for South Carolina. But it’s difficult when you come from that background because there’s such a slant to their thinking. You don’t like that slant, yet you’re scared to move over 10 degrees to where you get a better focus. You’d rather stay with that blurred vision because it’s been so drummed into your head. So it takes courage and quite an emotional change to leave.
My Finnish relatives did not demonstrate any group mentality.