Recently (last weekend, to be exact) my beautiful older cousin got married to my NEW older cousin (in law) in what I believe is safe to say was the BEST PARTY I have ever attended.
Going to this event and seeing my all of my cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. got me thinking about the Finnish heritage that we share, connected by our very un-American sounding last name (which gets butchered by people who don't know us). For the record, it is pronounced exactly how it looks Ah-see-ah-lah (all long aaaahhhh sounds). Every time I register this name on a poster or manuscript for publication I have terrible split second lucid nightmares of future research psychologists referring to me as Ash-i-luh, or worse.
So what makes the Asialas cool??
1) Our Cultural Roots: We are from Finland.
The land of epic poems! (I'll get to that) and Salmon for breakfast.
Above is the beautiful Finnish wilderness that I'm sort of shocked any of my great great's wanted to leave. But that brings us to the number two reason Asiala's are awesome...
2) Our Resilience: we moved to the United States under false pretenses and made the best of it!
Thats right, the individuals that came before us and were responsible for binding us together as a family moved to Kaleva, Michigan as immigrants, uprooting everything they knew to live in a village established by a few other former Finnish citizens like them. The village of Kaleva was established around 1900 (approximately 17 years before Finland claimed independence from Russia).
Where do the false pretenses come in? Well, the land that makes up quite a bit of Northern Michigan, (especially where Kaleva lies) is made of sand, and at the time, clear cut forests. Essentially, those who lived in Kaleva in the early to mid 20th century had to deal with sandy soil, stump land, and acres and acres of flooded plains and swamps. Due, however, to the resiliency of the Finnish/Asiala spirit (but I might be biased), those farms still managed to produced a livelihood the supported the foundations of the family we have today.
And speaking of said family farm...
We still have it! Note: this is NOT the original farmhouse (this is a mansion compared to the original one room log cabin). However, this is the original land -- 100% Asiala roots.
3) We tell a really good story.
Perhaps you're wondering where a name like Kaleva comes from. Like any other culture of the wold, Finland has it's own cultural patrimony that has been handed down in one way or another throughout generations, one of the most important being The Kalevala -- an epic poem comprised of elements of Finnish folklore passed down over many years. It has been noted as one of the most important and significant works of literature in Finnish history (which is high praise coming from a country with a 99% literacy rate). "Kalevala" translates directly to "The Land of Kaleva"and is a work that is noted to be directly related to the development of Finland's national identity and eventual emancipation from the Tzar. Needless to say, it's reasonable to assume that a work like The Kalevala was influential on the people who sought a new life in America in the years leading up to Finland's independence.
The Kalevala is like other important epics. It has a collection of creation mythology, there is an element of magic and mystery, it involves characters who go on quests and endeavors, fall in love, learn skills, etcetera etcetera. And like many written epics, it impacted a nation, and inspired those who chose to plant their seeds in a new place (hoping against hope the sand and grasshopper population would allow them to grow).
And we still let a good story inspire us.
Here is my cousin Olivia, telling us about her sister Celia (the bride) and Jim (the newest member of our family).
And here we are sharing stories about two other very important Asialas
So not to brag...but my family is the coolest family there is.
