The Finno-Ugric spirit was alive at Salolampi this spring, a Finnish language immersion camp in Bemidji, Minnesota (USA) where people of all ages come to learn and practice Finnish every year. Salolampi has been open since 1978 and finds itself in a region with many Finnish-Americans, northern Minnesota.
The spring adult camp took on a Finno-Ugric theme for the first time as Finnish-American guest speaker and teacher Gage “Touko” Keränen visited to host a series of workshops and activities. This theme week was held in honor of Hancock, Michigan’s appointment as the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture for 2026, and functioned as part of Finlandia Foundation National’s Finno-Ugric public education campaign.
To kick off the week, Touko gave a Finno-Ugric 101 presentation, introducing the various kindred peoples and their languages through music, photography, and storytelling. Campers explored materials such as Estonian national costumes, Mari embroidery, Võro saunas, Votic foods, Karelian dictionaries, and tablet-woven belts.
As an elective camp activity, the campers could also join a beginner Estonian language class, in which they would compare Estonian to Finnish, and learn basic greetings. Students were excited to apply their Finnish skills to pick up a new language and to play a game in which they guessed the meaning of Estonian words. Several look forward to practicing their Estonian at Juhannus this year when honored guests arrive from abroad.
Daily language lessons at Salolampi typically include time to learn Finnish songs, but this year students were also taught an Estonian song, Metsavendade Laul. In their free time, they could also try out a Karelian language matching game, provided by Karjalan Sivistysseura, in which they could learn vocabulary in Viena Karelian, Livvi Karelian, and Suvi Karelian.
The reaction of the campers to these new materials was overwhelmingly positive and hours of conversation followed the activities, in which students remarked on the apparent similarities between the Finno-Ugric peoples and wondered about their unique histories. For students who were Finnish-American, they gravitated towards the stories of their kindred peoples, drawing experiences of immigration and assimilation within the US.
Hopefully, this new Finno-Ugric theme week will mark the awakening of a kindred spirit in Salolampi and will endure for following years.
URALIC Centre thanks Gage “Touko” Keränen for providing this information.
