I have been a member of the Ladies of Kaleva (Kalevan Naiset) Aallottaren tupa #15 since fall 2017 after I had been invited by one of its members. I remember wondering what the group was all about and if I would enjoy being part of this Finnish group -- MN is lucky to have so many!

During my first meeting I was greeted with much enthusiasm as I learned that we refer to one another as sisters and that at least a little bit of Finnish is used in every meeting. I remember having our “lunch” towards the end of the meeting and talking in Finnish to a few fluent members. It was nice to be able to use Finnish with a new group of people and many of the women reminded me of my friend Leena -- one half of the older Finnish couple I had been paired with for a friendship program bringing together international students and Oulu-area families by the University of Oulu, while I had been studying there.  Leena had passed away several years prior in 2014, so to be surrounded with so many good-spirited women with a let’s-get-it-done attitude was reassuring and very inviting.

Although I can’t always be at every meeting, I am reminded that I am a part of the group through phone calls, cards, emails, and other digital communication. During the pandemic, we sent messages to one another about how we were doing and eventually embraced Zoom as a way to see faces and to continue meeting.  I was able to join them this past Monday in a group meeting at Sampo Beach Club in Saginaw, Minnesota. 

Inside the main lodge, dining hall, and kitchen, I saw many artifacts telling of the history of Sampo Beach Club -- mostly in Finnish. The Ladies and Knights of Kaleva bought the land for the club in 1939, transforming the lake-front space into a Finnish activities hub where families could stay, take sauna, and enjoy good food. In the mid-1900s, among the guests were Hubert H. Humphrey and later, Walter Mondale. As the excerpt written by Leo Mäkelä in the 1986 Kalevainen on the wall reads: “We all know how far those two men went. I often wonder, do you suppose it was the good mojakka and sauna that gave them a start?” 

There used to be numerous Finnish Cooperative Camps in existence in the Northern US, now there are very few. One of the largest remaining Finn Camps is in Detroit, MI and was featured during FinnFest 2019. I want to learn more about these places and their history, perhaps even enter into the drawing to stay at Sampo Beach in the cabins for a bit next summer. I am happy that our tupa is affiliated with one of these remaining Finnish cooperative camps. 

As we set up for the meeting, several sisters had brought treats to share: pulla, fruit breads, coffee, and juice. We decided this time to break with the norm and have the treats right away. There were about 15 of us there and after reading our mission aloud, we were able to get through our entire agenda in about 40 minutes or so. Our mission is “The Mission of the Ladies of Kaleva is to preserve, promote, and foster the Finnish heritage, develop a spirit of open sisterhood, assist our members in need, promote higher education, and encourage good citizenship.” One of the projects we are working on in the next couple of years is a cookbook to help fundraise for scholarships. We are trying to get enough into our scholarship fund that we can plan to give scholarships in perpetuity from the account’s earned interest. We have a few thousand to go. 

Our last large event was our annual 2020 Kalevala Day (something that was of course canceled for 2021). At this event we invited community members to enjoy a program, including a lecture from University of WI, Madison professor Tom DuBois about the Kalevala, musical performance by an abbreviated Finn Hall, sing-along, bake sale, silent auction, and white elephant sale. Many ladies dressed up in Finnish-inspired folk costumes, with a few members wearing the real deal! 

The next community event we will be hosting is coming up on September 18th from 11a-1:30p at Sampo Beach. The event is the annual Mojakka Day where there will be Mojakka (Finnish beef stew), baked goods, raffle tickets, live music, and a white elephant sale. Head to Sampo Beach to support the work of the Ladies of Kaleva Aallottaren tupa #15 and keep a look out for our Kalevala Day event at the beginning of 2022.

-Elizabeth “Helvi” Brauer