Kusiner | Issue Two by Swedish Finn Historical Society

issue 2 | 2022 the quarterly of the Swedish Finn Historical Society

Inside This Issue A Brief History of Åland’s Autonomy...4 Conversation with Eva Meyer...4 The Life & Dream of John Anton Wennström...7 Adventures of Ester Nyholm Baker...11 Interview with Annie Hargrave...13 Interview with Mike & Marian Soderberg...13

Number 2 August, 2022 Editor Cassie Chronic Editorial Staff Iona Hillman Toni Nelson Nancy Nygård Hannah O’Connell

Visual Atlas of Åland...15 My Åland Ancestors...17 Åland Family Stories...18 Viking Connections & Åland’s Identity...19 Åland in Pop Culture...20 Metall the Exhibit...22 Stamp Celebrates Åland’s 100...26 Stamps of Approval...27 Åland Transportation & Tourist Tidbits...28

Cover Illustration Island Get Away Illustrator: Kimberly Jacobs Layout & Design Kimberly Jacobs

Publisher Swedish Finn Historical Society 1920 Dexter Avenue North Seattle, Washington 98109 info@swedishfinnhistoricalsociety.org www.swedishfinnhistoricalsociety.org 206•706•0738 ©2022 All rights reserved. Additional copies are available for purchase at $10.00 per copy. Photo by member Jane Ely.

From the Editor | Issue 2 In this, our second issue, we pay tribute to the also interviewed some of our own members who islands of peace, and this summer’s centennial identify themselves as descendants of Ålanders. celebration of Åland’s autonomy. From its rich Whether they plan to return to this summer’s maritime heritage to its modern day manufactur- celebration, or not, they are rightly proud of ing, Åland holds a unique place between history their heritage. Portions of their family’s stories and the future. Our team from the Swedish Finn are reported here while the full interviews will Historical Society was fascinated to learn more be archived by SFHS and shared with the Emabout this spectacularly beautiful and interestigrant Institute in Åland, preserved for future ing part of Finland and to strengthen our congenerations tracing their family histories. We nection with The Åland Islands Emigrant Instihope as you enjoy this issue, you, too, will feel tute in the process. Our research took us back Åland calling. to the Iron Age and forward to the influence of Åland in today’s art and pop culture. We Happy summer, Cassie Chronic

Sunrise in Åland. Photo courtesy of Visit Åland.

From the Director | Issue 2 Whenever I think of Åland I remember the words of longtime member, Phil Fagerholm, “Åland is the most beautiful place in the world. It is pristine and the people are wonderful. They treated me like royalty.” Åland, the home of his ancestors, made quite the impression on Phil. We have many members with their roots in Finland. They are among our most vocal and passionate members. So, when I read that Åland had chosen One Hundred Years of Willfullness as their celebration theme, it occurred to me the descendants did not fall far from the tree. And they stepped up, writing their family emigration stories to share with you. Thank you Annie Hargrave, Cathy Maxwell, Waldine Jean Ramlow, Sylvia Stauffer, Joan Wennstrom, Mike and Marian Soderberg for your generous contributions to this issue! We also met a lot of Ålanders while researching this issue. Each one of them was friendlier and more helpful than the next. Thank you Julia Nyman, director of Eckerö Post- och Tullhus,

artisan metalworkers Maria Karlström, Titti Sundblom, and Anna Sundholm-Westerlund for sharing your work with us. Thank you Gunilla Haggblom and Johanna Finne of Ålands Post for answering our question and providing images. Thank you to Yngve Johansson of Mariehamns Tryckeri Ab for making overseas printing easy. And thank you to the musicians that released Recordings from Åland, Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer, for your beautiful album, patiently waiting for me on Zoom, and your wonderful photos. A special thank you to Eva Meyer, director of Åland’s Emigrant Institute. Our organizations share many commonalities in our missions and I look forward to increased collaboration. I will be in Åland in a few short days attending Åland Calling. I can’t wait to experience the islands, learn more about Åland, and take part in this incredible program. Thank you for being a part of SFHS! Kim

A Brief History of Åland’s Autonomy by Iona Hillman

Consisting of over 6,700 islands, the Åland archipelago is home to 30,000 people inhabiting only sixty of the total islands. With Swedish as their primary language, Åland is located just off the southwest corner of Finland. Although Åland is now known for its motto Islands of Peace as an autonomous and demilitarized area of Finland, the country’s history did not always reflect this pleasant sentiment. For 600 years, Åland—along with Finland—was under the rule of the Swedish Kingdom. However, during 1808–9, Sweden ceded Finland and Åland to Russia under the Treaty of

Fredrikshamn. In 1832, Russia began its attempt to fortify the islands, including the establishment of the Bomarsund fortress. However, just twenty years later under the 1856 Treaty of Paris following the Crimean War, British and French forces destroyed Bomarsund and demilitarized the Åland archipelago. In the early twentieth century, as a result of the growing conflict between Swedish speakers and Finnish speakers, Ålanders began a petition to secede from Finland in order to reunite with Sweden. Despite having a ninety-five percent majority, the Finnish government refused to

grant this petition, prompting the residents of Åland to go before the League of Nations to request their independence. Although the League decided that Åland remain a region of Finland, on October 20, 1921 during the Åland convention, Åland became an autonomous region. The Regional Assembly of Åland convened for its first session on June 9, 1922, which became known as Åland’s Autonomy Day. Source: Landskapsregeringen. Åland 20 min, English. YouTube video, 19:58. May 31, 2018. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=tjP0CenJRZ8.

Conversation with Eva Meyer by Nancy Nygård

With the reunion Åland Calling: Come Home to Your Roots, Share and Connect with Us sponsored by the Åland Islands Emigrant Institute fast approaching, we, at Swedish Finn Historical Society, wanted to know more about the organization and its director, Eva Meyer. Eva was happy to provide interesting, detailed information. I started off our interview asking Eva what made her interested in working at the Emigrant Institute. Eva began with explanation of her youthful perspectives about the great migration, shaped from her early life beyond the agricultural struggles much of Finland was facing. “For people like me, who grew up in Helsingfors in the Province of Nyland in southernmost Finland, the idea of what

the great emigration to America was all about was quite vague.” Young people from this region weren’t forced to consider their future to the same extent as did people from other parts of the country. From an agricultural point of view, the climate was mild and favorable for farming. They lived near the national capital and the region was the very first to be industrialized. All reasons to stay. Eva continued, “My very first perception of the phenomenon of emigration occurred when I was a little girl. At Christmas time a cousin of mine got the most adorable small dolls as Christmas presents. I asked my mother why I couldn’t have one of those ‘miracle’ dolls, too. The dolls were like something you could only dream of seeing in the toy shops of Helsingfors. My mother explained to me that my cousin’s ‘Auntie Svea’ em-

igrated to New York and she had sent my cousin those loveable small dolls from America.” This was Eva’s very first contact with the phenomenon of ‘emigration.’ “Many years later I worked at a small local history museum outside the town of Kristinestad up along the coast in Ostrobothnia, the western coast of Finland. I was so stunned, so excited, so fascinated that everyone I met there was expecting an uncle or an aunt or Grandpa’s or Grandma’s sister or brother for a visit over the summer from America, from Australia or from Sweden. At that point I realized I had truly missed out on something! And I never forgot about this miraculous, extraordinary fact of having family all over the world—something I felt was indeed a great lack in my own life.” “When the job as the director of the newly founded Åland Islands Emigrant Institute was announced in the local Åland newspapers (we do have two newspapers for a population of 30,000 inhabitants!) I was almost obsessed with the thought of having it. But I had to wait for another year, or two, before I was offered the job, something that turned out to be very favorable for me. Susanne Österlund-Pötzsch, who by time made her Ph.D. dissertation on the topic of Åland and Swedish Finn emigration to America (presented in 2003), made such a wonderful start as the first director of the Åland Islands Emigrant Institute, that it was indeed a much easier task to take over after her great initial job! In 1995, I happened to meet a fellow student from Åland who told me about a temporary nine-month job at the Immigration Institute. He encouraged me to apply, saying this was my chance in life to experience the ‘Finland Hawaii.’ And right he was! The nine-month temporary job has suddenly resulted in twenty-seven years in these Åland Islands—in the middle of the Baltic Sea, or in the Finland Hawaii–never causing any longing for me to move elsewhere. Today I can only state I’ve loved every single day at the Emigrant Institute! And this way I do get my little, little share of having emigrant relatives, too.”

I asked Eva to tell me about the Institute and the type of work she does there. “The Åland Islands Emigrant Institute Society was founded in 1995, by an initiative from John Wennström and his wife Karin, who both had been active in the Society Åland of New York for many, many years. They contacted our energetic Sea Captain, Göte Sundberg (1928–2013) who then got the Institute going. We owe the Society Åland of New York a huge thank you, because they kept encouraging the initial Board to struggle on to get the Society founded and to start up the Emigrant Institute. The Society Åland of New York also made a generous donation to the newborn institute to help it get started. The very first director of the Emigrant Institute was Susanne Österlund-Pötzsch who made a wonderful start by drawing up the guidelines for what would be its main tasks. She then made a field work trip to the U.S. to interview many Åland descendants, material that was the base for her Ph.D. dissertation a couple of years later. When Susanne moved to Helsingfors I was lucky enough to be offered the job. The Åland Islands Emigrant Institute is run by the Åland Islands Emigrant Institute Society, a society with a proficient and supportive Board and an enthusiastic membership, spread not only in Åland, but also in mainland Finland, Sweden, as well as, in the United States, Canada, and Australia. At the Emigrant Institute we have a small exhibit, mostly compiled by our late honorary member, Hjördis Sundblom who was a true enthusiast all her long lifetime of 100 years! Every second or third year we produce an exhibit for show not only in Mariehamn, but also in different Åland municipalities, on the mainland Finland, sometimes also, in Sweden. We also have an exhibit which some ten years ago made a tour all the way to the then Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, to Sitka, Alaska, and finally to Vancouver B.C., Canada. Afterwards it was exhibited in many, many towns in Finland.

From time to time, we invite various historians or genealogists to give presentations on a number of interesting topics; presentations are free for anybody to attend. The last ten years we have run a minor book publishing operation to publish our own specific publications that larger book publishers might regard as economically too risky. We now have seven different publications, with more to come! Publications may be purchased on the Åland Islands Emigrant Institute Society home page. What I love the most are all the questions that come in via e-mail and in person. I especially love all the wonderful people who come to the Emigrant Institute with great anticipation hoping to get just a little bit of information on their background, on their emigrated forefathers’ lives in Åland before they left for the Great Unknown. Their joy and happiness over whatever we can dig out for them is simply heartwarming! Most of those who come to visit us haven’t even considered the fact that there might still be family left in the Åland Islands! What keeps astonishing me over and over again is that the local Ålanders are constantly so eager to, so keen on getting to meet with their family members ‘from over there,’ no matter how many decades or hundreds of years have passed since their relatives left. I must praise the Ålanders for this, it’s just a natural thing to receive these Åland descendants from abroad, so truly welcoming and with such warmth. And I’ve experienced this so many times. It’s just like one person once said to me ‘Of course, we do. They are our family, and they’re coming home!’”

has been overwhelmingly well received. We have received some thirty to forty enthusiastic registrations! We are just thrilled. And still there is plenty of time left to register for anyone who would wish to partake. Also, many local Ålanders have shown interest in our multifaceted program and plan to participate. Those who know someone from their family abroad is going to attend are truly thrilled to get an opportunity to meet with them, as well as to show them around during the program’s excursion day. What makes us extremely pleased is that there is an opportunity for our participants to contribute to the program by applying for a twenty-minute speech on their own family’s emigration history. We are so eager to hear what happened to the families after they emigrated and settled in America, what became of them, how were they getting along over there, what decisions did they make, how did life turn out for them? We are so excited that so many participants have already applied for the opportunity to tell their own family history, we can hardly wait for August to come!” To learn more about Åland’s Emigrant Institute visit their website https://www.eminst.net/en.

I asked Eva to tell me more about the upcoming reunion, Åland Calling: Come Home to Your Roots, Share and Connect with Us. “The upcoming reunion, August 15–21, is one of the most extensive programs we have ever held at the Emigration Institute. We started modestly wishing we’d manage to attract hopefully one person to make the long journey from the United States to Åland. Now it turns out our program

Director of Åland’s Emigrant Institute, Eva Meyer

John and Kerttu Wennström with daughter. Photo courtesy of the Wennstrom Family.

The Life & Dream of John Anton Wennström by Nancy Nygård

An interview with his daughter, Joan Wennstrom Bennett and input from his son, John Dennis Wennstrom. John was born on March 24, 1916, in Salis, Hammarland, Åland. He was born out of wedlock to Erika Ingeborg Holmström. Soon after John’s birth, his mother emigrated to America leaving John to be raised by various members of her family. It was a difficult childhood moving from one family to another. He went to school for about eight years. He was a very bright student. When his family wanted him to quit school and begin work, it is rumored that the schoolmaster saw John’s potential, and offered to pay for his continuing education. The family refused the offer, so John ended up working as a cabin boy for the Erikson Shipping Companies of Mariehamn, Åland, one of the last sail-powered fleets in Europe. Later, he worked on a fox farm; he didn’t like either job. Working on the water caused sea sickness and labor on the fox farm was dirty and difficult–he felt sorry for the animals who were ultimately killed for their fur. In the meantime, John’s mother had married in America. Her husband’s surname was “Wennström”. He had no children of his own and was

willing to sponsor his stepson to come to America if John would take his family name. So, in 1936, John immigrated to New York using the surname of Wennström. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, on January 15, 1937, his mother died of pneumonia complicated by alcoholism. John had not yet learned to speak English. In later years, John referred to that period as the darkest time in his life, even harder than the time he later spent in a foxhole during WWII. However, John was disciplined and resilient. He learned to speak English, he found a job in a factory, and joined several Scandinavian-American organizations in Brooklyn, New York. Then, at a dance sponsored by one of these groups, he met Kerttu Elina Johnson. She was a Finnish-speaking Finn born in ‘Finntown’ Brooklyn. John didn’t speak Finnish and Kerttu didn’t speak Swedish, so they spoke to each other in English. They married in 1941, only a few months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of WWII. They started a family; two children, Joan Irene born on September 15, 1942, and John Dennis born on March 21, 1947. Because John’s mother died before he married, his children never met their farmor. However, they did enjoy a long-lasting relationship with her younger sister,

Anna Seralia Holmström Nelson ( June 23, 1904– January 17, 2002). Anna had also emigrated from Åland, settled in Connecticut, and stepped into the role as substitute grandmother for Joan and young John. John’s wife, Kerttu Johnson Wennström, was a kind, caring woman. She had a way of bringing out the positive. She and John were excellent folk dancers and Kerttu fondly reminisced that she was asked to dance at an event in the New York World’s Fair in 1939. Unfortunately, Kerttu died of ovarian cancer on November 1, 1976; she was fifty-six years old. John was a handsome, athletic, charismatic man. Daughter Joan remembers seeing a picture of her father as a trim, strong gymnast. He was a consummate reader and made a point of reading Swedish daily so that he wouldn’t forget his native language. He never returned to formal schooling but was a lifetime learner, particularly interested in the history of Sweden and the lives of famous Swedes like Linnaeus and Alfred Nobel. During World War II, John served in the 100th (Century) Division of the Army Corps of Engineers as an enlisted man, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. In November 1944, the Century Division fought the German Winter Line in the Vosges Mountains, part of the southwestern line of the Battle of the Bulge. In December 1944, the Division took the offensive in the vicinity of Bitche, France. John never forgot the bitterly cold Christmas he spent in a foxhole with fellow soldiers that year. By March 1945, the 100th Infantry Division crossed the Rhine and marched onto Stuttgart Germany. When John died forty-five years later, he still had a 100th Division card in his wallet. It read, “Sons of Bitche.” At the time of his death, he was president of the veteran’s association for the 100th Division.

John was a talented speaker with frequent speaking requests. Joan remembers being in awe of him the first time she heard him give a speech about great Swedish leaders. He assumed many leadership roles throughout his life and was

always effective. As a young adult he was elected president of an amateur Swedish gymnastic society. Later, he worked with the Boy Scouts of America in Brooklyn and Westchester, New York, as a scoutmaster and as Commissioner of the Orawampum District. He was a member of the American Lutheran Church—Augustana Synod, a board member for Mt. Tremper Lutheran Camp, and also for the Church of Sweden in New York (Svenska Kyrkan or Swedish Seamen’s Church) on East 48th Street just off Fifth Avenue. He was active in the Vasa Club, the Swedish American Club. For a time, he was the President of the New York State District of the Vasa Clubs of America and the Åland Society of New York. John fostered many of his own values in his children’s lives. This included pride of their Swedish heritage. As a family, they participated in Swedish folk dances in New York and stayed connected with his Holmström family in Hammarland. They were loyal members of Salem Lutheran Church in Bay Ridge Brooklyn, and then Trinity Lutheran Church in White Plains, New York. Both congregations were part of the old Augustana Synod. John’s maternal grandfather married twice. He had six children with his first wife and fifteen more with his second. John kept in contact with at least six Holmström families who immigrated to the United States, including those in Boston, Massachusetts and Galveston, Texas. John, Kerttu, and their children traveled to Åland in 1961, the 25th Anniversary of his emigration to America. Since then, his daughter Joan and son John have made several return trips. One of Joan’s cherished possessions is a historic, hand loomed Åland folk dress given to her by her cousin Elvi Gottberg. The family connection to their Åland Island heritage is strong. In 1978, two years after Kerttu’s passing, John remarried. His second wife, Karin Johnson Vasquez, was a native Ålander, so John and she shared many common past experiences. Trips to Åland continued. John purchased a small house in Geta, eligible for land ownership because of his Åland nativity.

John Anton Holmström Wennström died of a heart attack at the age of seventy-three on April 29, 1989. He left behind his two children and five grandchildren: John Frank Bennett, Daniel Edgerton Bennett, Mark Bradford Bennett, Erik Wennstrom, and Laura Wennstrom. He was cremated and portions of his remains are buried in Ardsley, New York next to his first wife, Kerttu; the remainder are buried in the church yard in Geta, Åland next to his second wife Karin. He always said his heart was torn between his two countries. Through his contacts with emigrants from Åland, John believed there was a need for an Åland emigrant institute, possibly patterned after the emigrant institute in Växjö, Småland, Sweden. The Åland Emigrant Institute could act as a contact link among Ålanders who had left seeking better opportunities in other countries and serve as a means for the thousands of their descendants to keep in touch with their heritage from any point around the globe. During his several journeys back to his homeland, John expressed the need for an Emigrant Institute—unfortunately, he passed before seeing it a reality. However, thanks to the effort of his second wife, Karin Wennström, John’s dream came to fruition. Karin tapped Sea Captain Göte Sundberg on his shoulder and asked, “What happened to the idea of an emigrant institute?” That was the impetus needed to get the ball rolling. The Åland Island Emigrant Institute looks up to John Wennström as its

initiator, and in its initial stage of development at the Society Åland of New York as its encouraging supporter and generous benefactor. Joan Irene Wennstrom Bennett It is not surprising that John’s daughter, Joan, is also a life-time learner. After attending Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey, Joan earned advanced degrees from the University of Chicago. She is a fungal geneticist who has held prominent education roles. She served on the biology faculty of Tulane University for thirty-five years and is currently a Distinguished professor in the Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She has been awarded Honorary Doctor of Science Degrees from Upsala College in New Jersey, and Bethany College in West Virginia. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2005, and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021. Joan also followed her father’s leadership path as a leader. After Joan joined the Rutgers faculty, she was appointed Associate Vice President to establish an Office for the Promotion of Women in Science, Engineering & Mathematics, which promotes gender and racial equity in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. She is a past president of the American Society for Microbiology and of the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.

Photos courtesy of the Wennstrom Family

John Dennis Wennstrom Son, John Dennis Wennstrom actively embraced his Scandinavian heritage being active in a Vasa Jr. Club while growing up in New York. He was also a member of their folk dancing team. The group performed annually at Lucia Fest and at the 1964– 65 New York World’s Fair. He graduated from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, where he was a member of the Swedish Folk Dancing Team. He taught the dances that he had learned growing up. Later, young John served as Chairman of the Valhalla Lodge of the Vasa Club in Las Vegas, Nevada. At his daughter’s wedding, the father/ daughter dance was a Schottische. Later when his son Erik got married, together they performed the Ox Dance to entertain the wedding party. This August, Joan and John will take part in the ‘Welcome Home’ celebration in Åland which honors their father’s role in founding the Åland

Photos courtesy of the Wennstrom Family

Emigration Center. We hope to hear more about the ‘Welcome Home’ celebration sometime after they return. Footnote: Joan has been a member of SFHS since early 2000. SFHS held a raffle in conjunction with reaching out to potential Swedish Finn members. For each name and address submitted as a possible new member, you had a chance to win the prize. The prize was a pair of round-trip tickets to Finland! And who won? Our own Joan Wennstrom Bennett! She celebrated her tenth wedding anniversary with her husband, David Lorenz Peterson, in Helsingfors and then took the ferry to Mariehamn where they met with Eva Meyer, who gave them a personal tour of the Åland Emigrant Institute. Again, Joan says “thank-you!”

Esther, front row, fourth from right, at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, 1909. Photo fromThe Swedish Finn Historical Society archive.

Adventures of Esther Nyholm Baker

by Toni Nelson

Interview with Esther’s granddaughter, Cathy Maxwell, on June 5, 2022. The long and adventurous life of Esther Nyholm Baker began with her birth in Åbo, Finland in 1887. Within a year or two of her birth, she and her family moved from Åbo to Åland because of a job her father, Gustaf Petterson Nyholm had taken as a blacksmith on the Grelsby Estate. This estate was initially established by the Kingdom of Sweden and was used by Swedish nobility. Esther’s family lived in nearby Mariehamm but within a few years they moved to Möckelby in Åland. Her father, Gustaf built a home and had a blacksmith shop. Esther took part in confirmation at the medieval St. Olaf’s Church in Jomala. St. Olaf’s is regarded as the oldest Christian Church in Finland with a history dated 1260–1280. As a young girl in Åland, Esther was educated in the folk school movement in Jomala. At the time formal education was restricted to the upper class. The folk school movement provided access to education for rural populations. Esther enjoyed her experience in folk school so much that she kept many of her treasured school books which are preserved now by her granddaughter. A large variety of subjects were taught according

to individual needs and interests. Subjects such as music, art, design, and writing were taught, as well as, religion, philosophy, and literature. Cultural identity, customs and native language were a strong component of folk school as Finland understood the importance of keeping their customs and culture alive for future generations. Amid the social and political upheaval of Russian domination the risk of losing their Finnish identity posed a real threat. Russian presence had become increasingly prominent in Finland. There was talk of disbanding the Finnish army and the beginning of compulsory enlistment in the Russian army. Esther shared an incident when Russian soldiers came into their home asking for food. The soldiers were formidable and unnerving until her father returned to the house and their demeanor completely changed in the presence of a male. Gustaf’s brother, Andrew Petterson, who along with Gustaf was born in Katternö, Pedersöre, Finland. Andrew immigrated to the United States in 1890 and settled in Seattle, Washington. In about 1899, he purchased forty acres in Brownsville, Kitsap County, Washington. With Andrew’s encouragement, Gustaf made the journey to America in 1902. Leaving his family behind in Åland, he was grateful to be reunited with his brother. He began practicing his trade of blacksmithing in Seattle.

In two years, he was able to send for Esther, her mother and three siblings. They boarded the Hellig Olav in Copenhagen for the nine day crossing to America. Esther found her time on the ship to be an adventure and later commented that the food onboard was plentiful and good. She was sixteen years old and would never return to her native Finland. With her beloved books from folk school packed in her bag, she set off for a new life in America. Arriving in Seattle, the family was together again at last. Within three or four years their life as a family was about to change again. Gustaf with his wife and two youngest children moved to Brownsville from Seattle in 1908, to join his brother, Andrew. Together they built a shingle mill on the forty acres purchased in Brownsville around 1914. Gustaf continued to blacksmith from their home. Esther remained in Seattle where she met another Swedish Finn immigrant by the name of John Nyman Baker (1873–1954). John was born in Bredarholm, Pedersöre, Finland and immigrated to the United States in about 1895. The two had never met until after their arrival in the United States. They eventually married and settled in Seattle where the first two of their six children were born. The family moved to Brownsville from Seattle in 1915, with their two daughters, Marion and Bernice. John went to work at the shingle mill with

his father-in-law, Gustaf. Four more children were born to Esther and John in Brownsville: Cynthia, John, Henry and their baby daughter, Sylvia who lived only five days. Their lives were absorbed by demanding work both at the mill as well as at home. Eventually, grandchildren began to arrive, and it was Marion’s daughter, Cathy, who took an interest in listening to her grandmother sing the songs she had learned as a young girl in Åland. Esther loved to sing, and Cathy wanted to preserve the beautiful sounds of her grandmother’s voice, so she began recording and translating her grandmother’s songs. Living in the same community in Kitsap County, Washington, provided many opportunities for Cathy to enjoy her grandmother’s songs and to hear beloved tales from her childhood in Åland. Cathy explained that Esther especially enjoyed sharing her experiences attending folk school. In 1954 John passed away, but Esther lived until the age of ninety-eight passing in Poulsbo, WA, in 1986. *Esther corresponded with a cousin in Finland until the cousin’s passing; there are no known relatives remaining in Finland nor has Cathy had occasion to travel there.

Left: Esther Mathilda Nyholm, 1907. Right: Ester’s parents, Gustaf and Mathilda Nyholm. Photos courtesy of Cathy Maxwell.

Interview with Annie Hargrave Interviewer Iona Hillman

Who was the family member(s) that immigrated from the Ålands? The first family member departing was my maternal great Aunt, Sophia Alina Jansson (or Johansson). My second family member is my maternal Grandmother, Aina Mathilda Jansson (or Johansson). Do you know the parish or island where they lived? Alina was born January 31, 1882, in Grelsby, Finström, Åland; immigrated 1907; married Leonard Olson in 1913 in Spokane, Washington. Aina was born June 14, 1885, in Finström, Grelsby, Åland; immigrated 1909; married Gustav Richard Lindberg in 1914 In Spokane, Washington When did they leave and why? Alina left home for America due to having just had a child born out of wedlock and was apparently disgraced by the family. She had a son and left him in the care of her mother. Aina left Åland to be with her sister. Where did they originally settle? Alina originally settled in Spokane, Washington

where an Uncle lived, Charles Johnson. Aina also settled in Spokane until my grandfather’s work took them elsewhere. What was their occupation in their new country? Alina was a housekeeper and nanny for several families in Washington state, before settling permanently in Rainier, Washington with my family in 1953 when I was two years old; until her death. Grandmother Aina did not work outside the home. Where are their descendants today? The descendants of her son, Johan Edvin Jansson, are still living in the Åland Islands. Have you visited Åland? Unfortunately, I have never visited the Åland Islands–it is definitely on my bucket list! Are you in contact with family members still living in Åland? Yes, I am in contact with several of the descendants of Johan Edvin (Alina’s son)–Camilla, living in Mariehamn; and Millen, living in Geta, Åland.

Interview with Mike & Marian Soderberg Interviewer Iona Hillman

Who was the family member that immigrated from Åland? My paternal great grandfather Karl Emil Söderberg first came to the U.S. in about 1884. He made at least one trip back to Åland before returning to the U. S. with his family in 1904. Do you know the parish where they lived? They lived in Jomala. Karl Emil was born in Öningeby, and their last home was in Västerkalmare. When did they leave and why? They left for the same reasons so many others did: poor economy, the possibility of being conscripted into the Russian military, food shortages, opportunities here for work and a better life, etc. Where did they originally settle? As far as I know, they first went to Seattle where they had relatives, and later came to Astoria, and another story has them coming directly to Astoria where they had a couple of cousins, and KE [Karl Emil] had lived and worked as a riverboat captain

What was their occupation in their new country? All the men worked in the maritime industry except one son who had been a tailor in Finland. Where are their descendants today? I have cousins in Portland, Vancouver, Washington, Yuma, and San Diego. Do you have a favorite memory or story? Someone asked my grandfather Charlie (KE’s son) where he was from because of his accent, and he replied, “I’m a Russian-Finn Swede from Åland.” Have you visited Åland? I have visited many times and am totally in love with everything about the place: the landscape, the beauty of the Islands and the sea, the proximity to Stockholm, the people… If I had my druthers we would pack up and take the next available flight. That isn’t possible, so we take an occasional trip. I love our relatives there, they are some of our best friends.

Åland Islands

Islands of Peace

population: 30,344 capital: Mariehamn official language: Swedish islands: over 20,000, 60 inhabited area: 1554 km² of land & 11,771 km² of water

Geta

2 1

population 505

Saltvik population 1810

Eckerö population 933

Hammarland

Sund

population 1619

1. grottstigen cave trail, 5 km hike 2. sälskär lighthouse, built in 1868 3. Eckerö post- och tullhus 4. viking line is åland’s largest employer 5. pommern sailing ship, built in 1903

population 1019

Finström population 2638

6 3 Jomala

population 5512

Mariehamn 5

11 Lumparland population 376

Lemland population 2135

9 6. kastelholm castle 7. bomarsund fortress 8. shipmaster’s homestead pellas museum 9. kobba klintar, former pilot station 10. lågskär lighthouse, built in 1920

Fög

popul

11. Lumparland church built 1728 12. Föglö church, built in the 14th 13. sottunga wooden chapel, built 14. åland’s elk population reaches

Brändö population 449

17 Kumlinge

population 313

Värdö

15. kumlinge has more holiday homes than residents—335 16. wind power produces 90% of Åland’s electricity 17. Brändö has 2 islands for every resident 18.the first settlers of åland were seal hunters. Gray seals still sunbath on the outer rocky islands.

population 463

Sottunga

population 105 finland’s smallest municipality

12 14

glö

lation 501

h century & rebuilt in 1860 t 1730 s as far out as kökar

Kökar

population 224

1908 card postmarked in Hammarland—in Russian and Swedish—sent to Emelia in Ballard, Washington. Photo courtesy of Sylvia Stauffer.

My Åland Ancestors by Sylvia Stauffer

I remember my grandmother as frail most of the time, but her across-the-street neighbor told me, some years ago, about how startled she was one day to see Mrs. Clark up in her front-yard apple tree, pruning maybe or picking fruit. That would have been in the early 1950s when my grandmother Emelia Helander Clark was in her seventies. When young, Emelia probably spent plenty of time in fruit trees or doing other farm chores, growing up as the youngest of five children on a farm in the Åland Islands. Her father, Eric Ulric Helander (1848–1914), was a seafarer and tenant farmer who did all he could to support the family. But farming was not the only trade in the family—Eric’s father was known as the excellent tailor who always wore a silk hat.

The Helanders of the Åland Islands, Finland, and their ancestors lived on a small contested island in the middle of the Baltic Sea for many generations, going back at least to the 1700s. Some of these ancestors would have lived through long periods of war, starvation, and strife, being invaded and occupied for hundreds of years. When Åland’s neutrality, autonomous status with Finland, and the right to maintain Swedish culture were recognized by the League of Nations in 1921, my grandmother and her Åland relatives had all been in the United States for nearly twenty years. My grandmother on my father’s side came to Seattle in 1906 to join her two older sisters, who had already settled and married there in previous years.

Left: The author with grandmother Emelia Helander Clark in Seattle, 1953. Center: Hilda Scheuerman and Julia Johnson in Seattle, 1956. Right: Emelia and Hilda in Seattle, 1958. Photos courtesy of Sylvia Stauffer.

Left: Passage certificate for Julia Helander, 1901. Center: From left, Hilda, unknown woman, Julia, and unknown man (possibly Eric. E. Helander) in Mariehamn, ca. 1895. Right: Family gathering at Hilda and Walter Scheuerman’s house in Ballard, Washington, 1909. Photos courtesy of Sylvia Stauffer.

Hilda Marie Helander (1878–1964), the eldest of the three sisters, had left Åland for America sometime in 1896. My father’s cousin Ruby Scheuerman Wells (1903–2000) told us that her mother, Hilda, may have traveled from Åland on a stolen or forged passport. Fearless as Hilda must have been, that could be the case. Extensive online searches reveal no clues as to Hilda’s travel dates or routes, including her daring adventure in the Klondike gold rush of 1897 to 1898. The story is that she worked as a cook or clerk in Dawson City for a year or two, with the proof being a receipt dated October 20, 1900, for gold bullion worth over two thousand dollars at the time. Hilda had earned enough, paid in gold dust, to bring her two younger sisters to Seattle: Julia in 1901 and Emelia five years later in 1906. Sources for Visual Atlas on pages 14 and 15: Eriksson, Thorvald. Så tillkom Ålands självstyrelse och så försvaras den; Glimtar ur självstyrelsens historia. Mariehamn, Åland: Ålandsutställningen, 1976. Fakta om Geta. Geta kommun, accessed July 13, 2022. https://www.geta.ax/ turistinformation/fakta-om-geta. Fakta om Kumlinge. Kumlinge kommun, accessed July 13, 2022. https:// www.kumlinge.ax/index.php/las-mer-om-kumlinge. Four Lighthouses Around Åland. Visit Åland, accessed July 17, 2022. https://visitaland.com/en/experience/sights-excursions/lighthouses/.

In October 1906, following the death of both her grandmother and mother, and disappointed with her father’s second marriage, Emelia boarded a ship from Mariehamn, Åland, bound for Hull, England. From Hull, she made her way to Liverpool to travel on the SS Dominion, October 11–26, 1906, crossing to Quebec, Canada. Then, she made a solo journey by rail across Canada, entering the U.S. to arrive at her final destination, the rough and muddy metropolis of Seattle, Washington. To read Emilia’s complete story, please visit our website https://www.swedishfinnhistoricalsociety. org/my-aland-ancestors/.

Presentation of the Municipality of Brändö. Brändö kommun, accessed July 13, 2022. https://brando.ax/en/brando. Åland in Figures 2022. Mariehamn, Åland: Ålands statistik- och utredningsbyrå, 2022. Åland Wildlife. Åland Travel, accessed July 11, 2022. https://aland.travel/ aland-wildlife.html.

Åland Family Story by Waldine Jeanene Ramlow

My mother, Ines Valdine Eriksson was born in Hammarland, Åland on August 31, 1909. She departed from Åland on the Gripsholm on August 10, 1929, just before her twentieth birthday. After landing in New York, she traveled to Wales, Wisconsin, where her farbror, Algot Andersson, lived with his wife Hilda and son Elmer. Her uncle helped her find lodging and employment with a Swedish family in Rockford, Illinois, through a Rockford family friend, Hilda Johnson. Ines was the live-in maid and nanny until her marriage to Berthel S. Nelson in November 1930. He was born in Illinois in 1900, of Swedish immigrants. Ines’ name was Americanized to Inez Waldine Nelson. My sister Inez Betty Lou was born in 1932 and I, Waldine Jeanene, was born in 1938. My mother grew up on a farm; her older brother left Åland when he was sixteen, leaving the farm short of male help, so my mother did heavy labor usually performed by men. After her symptoms gave way to a doctor’s examination, it was determined that she had an enlarged heart. She was not to continue the demanding work on the farm. The doctor recommended emigrating to America where she already had relatives, and “where women have it good!” The Hammarland properties of Åland relatives then, are still occupied by our many relatives. Of my mother’s six siblings, only she and an older brother, Ellis Eriksson, and a younger brother,

Karl Helmer Andersson, left Åland for America, living here the rest of their lives. Neither visited Åland often, but my mother visited several times, once with three year-old Betty, for several months. Betty has visited Åland many times throughout the years, and I visited in 1956, 1963, 1968, 1989, 1998 and 2018, always staying with wonderful relatives. I was eighteen when I first visited Åland, with my mother. We stayed with her sister Martha Hannes Eriksson and family for three months, on their farm. I was happy to find so many English-speaking people in Åland because of my limited knowledge of Swedish. I loved going with all the young people to dances; several of them were held outdoors. Relatives had big gatherings all summer in our honor. One family ran a lumber business, but most were farmers. During that first visit in 1956, my aunt was still doing her laundry on a scrub board! As a thank-you for welcoming us, my mother bought her a washing machine. My moster Martha was amazed, as she stood by, declaring “Here I stand with my hands on my hips, while my clothes are being washed!” Her daughter Susanne Henriksson now has a vacation resort in Jomala. When my sister and I stayed with cousin Kerstin and Klas-Göran Janssen and family in 1989, everything was modernized. She even had a cell phone, plus a fax machine in her fabric studio. I did not have either back then!

Waldine, front row, first person on the left and mother Inez visiting Åland, 1956. Photos courtesy of Waldine Ramlow

Inez, left, Waldine, and Betty at home in Rockford, Illinois, 1943.

My sister and I have many cousins, nieces, and nephews, most still in Hammarland, and some in Mariehamn and other locations. When I turned 80 in 2018, I decided I needed one more visit! My eldest granddaughter Amber Appelgren accompanied me. We stayed with my cousin Anne-Maj and Stig Mattsson again. I have the most wonderful relatives in the world! Another cousin, Jan Veronica Sundqvist, who hosted a dinner, declared that there is nowhere in the world that can compare with the excellent quality of life

they enjoy on Åland! To this day, we exchange Christmas cards with Åland relatives, along with some email contact.

Waldine and her sister Betty in 2012. Photo courtesy of Waldine Ramlow.

Viking Connections & Åland Identity by Iona Hillman

In 2012, an archaeological project named The Hall at the Crossroads of Baltic Waterways was created with the goal of uncovering the occupation of an elite settlement on the Åland Islands. Under the direction of Dr. Kristin Ilves, the archaeological team discovered a high-status farm dating to the 6th century, just north of Saltvik Church. The finds included silver and bronze ornaments buried close to the remains of a large residence structure, most likely belonging to a local chief or king. The finds unearthed from this excavation represent just one piece of the Åland Islands’ rich history, going all the way back to the Iron Age. From the start of the sixth century when the first Viking settlements began to appear on the Åland Islands, the foundation of Åland’s cultural landscape has been characterized by the traditions of their Viking ancestors. Located along the main sailing route in the Baltic Sea, Åland held a vital position for trade and warfare during the Viking Age. With increased mobility and settlement expansion of Vikings, Åland’s role as a vibrant trade center between the East and West contributed to its rich and diverse heritage and identity. Although most of the knowledge regarding Åland’s Viking history results from archaeological research in the region, we can still see many aspects of Viking heritage in current Åland society. The Saltvik Viking Market is an annual festival that takes place on the last weekend of

July. From traditional Viking songs to live battle reenactments, this festival encompasses the triumphant and immortal history of Vikings. As one of the largest Viking festivals in Europe, this event attracts visitors from countries all over the continent, each celebrating their own Viking history. Åland’s long history of seafaring can also be witnessed at the Åland Maritime Museum, located in Mariehamn. Considered to be one of the top museums in the world for sailing ships, the Åland Maritime Museum continues to uphold Åland’s strong legacy in the maritime industry. Although Åland has a turbulent political history, the country continues to carry its long Viking tradition in modern society through events like the Saltvik Viking Market and establishments such as the Åland Maritime Museum. Despite its small size, Åland has continued to flourish through years of conflict, the autonomous region’s identity representing strength and perseverance. Sources: Ahola, Joonas, Frog, and Jenni Lucenius. The Viking Age in Åland: Insights into Identity and Remnants of Culture. Helsinki: Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, 2014. Evidence of Viking Settlement on the Åland Islands. HeritageDaily, May 16, 2014. https://www.heritagedaily.com/2014/05/evidence-of-viking-settlement-on-the-aland-islands/103107. Fallgren, Jan-Henrik. Saltwiik – Boo – Kvarnbo (FINAL PART): Some Reflections on the Early Medieval Åland – Settlement Reduction or Continuity. The hall at the crossroads of Baltic waterways, April 6, 2017. https:// kvarnbohall.wordpress.com/. Viking Days in Saltvik 2022. Visit Åland. Accessed June 1, 2022. https:// www2.visitaland.com/en/event/1710335/viking-days-in-saltvik-2022/showallimages.

Åland in Pop Culture

The spirit and natural beauty of the Åland Islands have inspired people all over the world. by Iona Hillman

Photos Courtesy Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer, pictured in L.A.

Jeremiah & Marta Sofia at Hotel Svala, Kumlinge, Åland, photo by Joyce Kim.

Recordings from the Åland Islands During the summer of 2017, two musicians–Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer–traveled to the Åland Islands to help friends build an inn for an artist residency program. Soon after their arrival, the two artists were taken by the Åland serenity and the natural soundscape of the archipelago. Almost five years later, Chiu and Honer released the album Recordings from the Åland Islands, a musical collaboration inspired by Åland. The songs combine the organic sounds of Åland’s environment with Chiu’s synthesizers and Honer’s string performance. As written in their description of the musical project, “Honer and Chiu’s collective pallet produces a vivid three-dimensional hyperreality of painterly tones and textures–bright and kaleidoscopic, but with a deeply warm, earthen resonance.” By transporting the listener into the center of Åland’s

vibrant natural domain, the album presents a unique and exciting opportunity for individuals to discover the wonders of the Åland Islands. To listen and/or purchase the album visit https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/recordings-fromthe-land-islands. Sources: International Anthem. n.d. Twitter. March 11, 2022, 6:16 AM. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://mobile.twitter.com/intlanthem/status/1502287426680676355?cxt=HHwWhoCznZCdmdkpAAAA. Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer: Recordings from the Åland Islands. 2022. PopMatters. March 17, 2022. https://www.popmatters.com/jeremiah-chiu-marta-sofia-honer-recordings. Middleton, Ryan. n.d. Album Review: Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer—Recordings from the Åland Islands. Magnetic Magazine. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://www.magneticmag.com/2022/03/album-review-jeremiah-chiu-marta-sofia-honer-recordings-from-the-aland-islands/. Recordings from the Åland Islands, by Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer. n.d. International Anthem. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://intlanthem. bandcamp.com/album/recordings-from-the-land-islands.

ÅLAND, South Korea In the summer of 2005, a small ionable clothing styles to youngstore in South Korea by the er generations. name of Åland opened its doors to the developing fashion scene The name and logo of the store in Seoul. What originally started take inspiration from the Åland as a small studio across Hongik Islands. The logo is a drawing University, became the new “It” of a fish holding a cintamani store for rising Korean designstone in its mouth. The design ers and local fashion youths. is based on the Säyne species Åland was started by two sisof fish that live near the Åland ters–Kinam and Jung Eun Jung– Islands and the wish-fulfilling who wanted to create a space stone jewel from the Buddhist for up-and-coming designers to tradition. With Seoul’s growing showcase their brand as well as street-style reputation and the to provide affordable yet fashstore’s increasing populari-

Courtesy of ÅLAND

ty among Korean celebrities, the Jung sisters have recently opened a second store in Brooklyn, New York. Visit their website at www.alandusa.com. Sources: Åland. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://www. alandusa.com/. Kim, Monica. Åland, Seoul’s Best-Kept (Affordable!) Shopping Secret, Opens a Flagship in Brooklyn. Vogue. Last modified July 19, 2018. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://www.vogue.com/ article/aland-brooklyn-korean-shop-opens-newyork-flagship-store Pin by Nathaly Acevedo on Åland | Shop Facade, Fashion Store, Design. Pinterest. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://www.pinterest.com/ pin/618119117588524669/.

Courtesy of Får North Spirits, photo by Bodega, Ltd

Får North Spirits Twenty-five miles south of the Canadian border Stormin’ Nordic in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, lies 1.5 oz Ålander Nordic Spiced Rum a fourth-generation farm owned by the Swanjuice of quarter lime wedge son family since 1917. In the center of the thou3 drops habañero or Jamaican jerk bitters sand-acre farm is a distillery named the Får North 3 oz ginger beer Spirits. Taking inspiration from Nordic-style Combine all ingredients in tall glass with ice. Stir. spirits, this distillery offers a wide variety of whiskey, rum, and gin. The Ålander, in particular, is a Visit their website at www.farnorthspirits.com. Nordic-style spiced rum named after the Åland Sources: Islands due to its similar environment to MinneÅlander Rum | White, Aged & Nordic Spiced Rum | Far North Spirits. n.d. Farnorthspirits.com. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://farnorthspirits.com/ sota’s Lake of the Woods. The drink uses whole craft-distillery-alander-rum-minnesota/. bean spices common in Nordic baking recipes Far North Spirits | Northernmost Craft Distillery in the Contiguous US. and various other spices–all sourced organically. n.d. Farnorthspirits.com. Accessed June 15, 2022. https://farnorthspirits. Double distilled to 175 proof, the Ålander carries com/home a 90-point rating in Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

METALL the Exhibit

The work of Åke Gustafsson featured in the METALL. Photo courtesy of Eckerö Post & Tullhus.

by Hannah O’Connell

Every year the museum Eckerö Post & Tullhus presents exhibits featuring local artists and craftsmen. This year’s exhibit METALL, showcases twenty-two metal workers and goldsmiths. Three of the craftsmen and the exhibit curator Julia Nyman spoke to the Swedish Finn Historical Society to tell us about their work, how life on Åland inspires them, and why the people of Åland are so creative. METALL takes inspiration from the book 25 Years of the Åland Home Crafts Association published in 1954, which says “tools and other objects had always been forged locally on farms’ own forges.” Julia Nyman, curator of the exhibit, speculated that there are so many craftsmen in Åland because people had to make their own tools for much longer.

Maria Karlström, head goldsmith and director of the jewelry company GULDVIVA, is the great granddaughter of Teodor Karlström, who in 1902 emigrated to Portland, Oregon, where he settled in a Scandinavian community and built a Sears catalog home. By the time he left Portland in 1912, his American home had electrical lighting. Back home in Åland he became a member of the first Åland Parliament. “[Teodor] tried to introduce modern American building methods to no success, he was a bit ahead of his time. No one really got into it.” Maria explained. “The village where he resided was electric in 1954. It was probably a very different world from the modern Portland that he had left.” Helsingfors and Norway trained goldsmith, Titti Sundblom, has owned her own workshop since

Jewelry created by Maria Karlström, center, is featured in the METALL. Photos courtesy of Eckerö Post & Tullhus and Maria Karlström.

1992. She is one of the founding members of SALT, a joint operation located in Mariehamn– started by craftsmen which aimed to house the members’ workshops and store under one roof. Sundblom believes that Åland has produced so many creatives because “Ålanders have always been very curious and open minded. One can say even nosy. Ålanders have sailed around the world and brought home new ideas and influences.” Titti shared that Haddom Sundblom, creator of the Coca-Cola Santa Claus is her relative. Every person from Åland will tell you how beautiful it is. Maria Karlström said, “Islands are

generally great inspirations, they are small microcosms in themselves and all are different.” One of Karlström’s favorite pastimes is walking on the islands gathering rocks for her jewelry, looking at plants and beach finds. “I think this shows very clearly in my creations.” Karlström describes her goldsmith techniques as traditional. She has managed to preserve a large part of the goldsmithing history on the Åland Islands. Maria owns many of the tools, workbenches, and shop fixtures from the 1900s. A few of these relics are on display at Eckerö Post & Tullhus, and many of these items she uses in her work or are on display in her shop.

Teodor Karlström and wife in front of their Portland, Oregon home, c. 1910 Photos courtesy of Maria Karlström.

Maria Karlström and family visiting Teodor’s house a century later.

Jewelry created by Titti Sundblom featured in the METALL. Photos courtesy of Titti Sundblom.

Anna Sundholm-Westerlund has been working in Föglö as an artist for twenty years. She started in 1995 at the smithy in Sjökvarteret in Mariehamn. She went on to study wood and metal at the Åland Craft School. Later, she graduated from the University of Design and Crafts, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden with a bachelors in art forging and metal design. “I want to highlight phenomena, injustices, abuse of power in society with art. I work with feather light acid etchings from several hundred kilos in cast iron, heavy sculptures.” Sundholm-Westerlund spends her free time by the sea, where she says she gets endless inspiration for her art. She swims in the Baltic Sea year round. “I immerse myself in the cool, sometimes icy water, with eagles circling above my head.”

Karlström says it is easy to get started as a craftsman in Åland. “Islanders are generally keen to help their own, but when living on an island with a limited population it is very hard to make a living.” Sundblom says “There can be a benefit to coming from a small place like Åland. People get curious about you and your work. It used to be easier to reach through noise in our local media and build a name for yourself, but with today’s social media you can reach out all over the world, and I do not think people care about where you are from. If they like your designs, they will buy it.”

Eckerö Post & Tullhus was built in 1828 and designed by the architect Carl Ludvig Engel. It is considered to be one of his most important buildings, and it served as Eckerö’s post office and cusTitti Sundblom also describes her methods as tra- toms station. Today the building is owned by the ditional. “I do not cast my designs, so everything is Åland government, where the building serves as hand sawed, filed, soldered, and polished. I do of a postal museum, art gallery, and artist residencourse use some machines but I am interested in cy. If you are interested in visiting Eckerö Post & old metal techniques.” Sundblom believes that not Tullhus and METALL in person, the exhibit runs everything needs to look factory produced. Her until September 18th. work is mostly in gold and silver. She adds gemstones, natural fibers, acrylic, dried rowan berries, and more. Sundblom said “Humor is an important part of my designs. I do a lot of animal shapes.”

Left: Jewelry by Titti Sundblom. Center: Ladle by Per-Åke Johansson. Right: Knife by Robin Mattsson. Photos courtesy of Eckerö Post & Tullhus.

Left and above: The work of Anna Sundholm-Westerlund. Photos courtesy of Anna Sundholm-Westerlund.

You can see more of Anna Sundholm-Westerlund work online at www. anna.ax or on Instagram @annasw.ax Her art is for sale during exhibitions or contact her through her website. You can purchase Maria Karlström’s jewelry collection online at www.guldviva.com/en or in person at her store in Mariehamn, as well as onboard the Viking Line, the Silja Line, and the Eckerö Line in Finland. You can see more of Titti Sundblom’s work at www.titti.ax, Instagram @ tittisundblom. You can purchase her designs through email, Instagram direct message, or at SALT in Sjökvarteret in Mariehamn.

Illustration by Annika Rehn Zetterqvist courtesy of Visit Åland.

Stamp Celebrates Åland’s 100

By Nancy Nygård

The first Åland stamp was issued on March 1, 1984. Since that time, sixteen stamp motifs have been available each year. The Åland Post must approve all stamp designs. Each design must describe nature, culture, history, industry, or society of the islands and be a medium for the promotion of Åland Two stamp designs commemorate the islands’ hundred years of autonomy. The first series, One Hundred Years of Willfulness was released on February 1, 2022. The stamps are based on the graphic profile of the Åland anniversary year created by Annika Rehn Zetterqvist. They illustrate a few symbols that represent Åland and Ålanders’ willfulness. Designer Anika explains, “The biggest challenge was the limited space and the request that the motifs would fit together like a puzzle. There is no main symbol except the sea, which of course cannot be ignored since we live on an island. Here, you find the important maritime history with both Pommern (sailing ship) and the Lågskar lighthouse, but also the midsummer crown as a familiar symbol of Åland’s cultural history. The deer represents public Åland, while the swan is a flirt with Finland. The Åland creativity and na-

ture interact in the dragonfly created from cutlery spoons by scrap artist Johan Karlsson. The berry with leaves underneath is the logo of Åland’s development and sustainability agenda. The Åland network Bärkraft (sustainability) has won the EU’s sustainability award for having defined its own local agenda based on the UN’s global sustainability objectives. It suited the topic of willfulness well, the courage to go your own way and create something of your own.” The second stamp design, ‘Åland autonomy one hundred years’ became available on June 9, 2022. Åland artist Jonas Wilén shows a cross section of the Åland Islands of today. If you wish to purchase stamps you can do so online: www.webshop.alandpost.com