News and analysis on topics relevant to Finns residing in the U.S. as well as "Friends of Finland” anywhere!

Why are there Finnish names, like Mary Peltola, among Alaska’s Native Americans?

Beth Kerttula served with Mary Peltola in the Alaska State Legislature.

Jaana Rehnstrom had an interesting chat with Beth Kerttula before the elections. (Watch the video here.)

Mary Peltola was running against Sarah Palin and became the first Native American in Congress. Her Finnish surname is from her husband Gene, whose family were reindeer herders in Finland 100 years ago, probably Samis. Many of them didn’t survive, but some Yup’ik families took them in and helped them. That’s one reason why there are Finnish names in northwest Alaska.

Beth Kerttula served 15 years as house minority leader in Alaska. She then went on to teach at Stanford, and thereafter worked under President Obama as Director of the National Ocean Council.

“You look just like my family!” says Beth to me on the video. Her family emigrated to Alaska 100 years ago.

Another wave of Finns came later: “My family was part of the wave of immigration to Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. My grandmother came to the US when she was 9, met her Finnish husband and times were tough. FDR created an agency: The Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corporation and sought people to go to Alaska. So, they went. Grandfather’s ship got stuck in thick ice for six weeks. He was involved with other Finns, including Finlandia Foundation, which is still active in Anchorage.

I’m so glad to see Finland joining NATO! I always hated the term Finlandization – some days I don’t even know how our little country survived! I finally got to go there and I was stunned how expensive it was! We also took the boat to Estonia – beautiful voyage – and I want to go back!”

What are the political leanings of the Finns in Alaska?

“When my grandparents arrived, there were only 15 000 white people, and more Native people. They were very ‘live and let live’ – they were accepting of new people. Indigenous people were also part of our family.

They were quite liberal, up until the 80’s, when a lot of very right-wing churches bought land. That area grew a lot and was populated by right wingers. A reapportionment /gerrymandering broke the state up and 20 incumbent legislators went down.

The legislature became very right wing. Alaskans are more independent and undecided. Luckily, with Mary Peltola, the vast majority of Alaskans are stepping up.

We are not particularly Republican or Democratic but feel that you need to work with people wherever they are. Ranked choice voting helped but Mary Peltola would have won anyway. She is one of the most eloquent speakers I know”

More about Mary Peltola in New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/23/us/politics/mary-peltola-alaska-house-race.html

Featured