Findians
Ethnic group in North America
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Findians or Finndians (Finnish: fintiaanit; Swedish: findianer) are American or Canadian people that descend from the mix of Finnish Americans or Finnish Canadians and Indigenous peoples of North America, mainly the Ojibwe. Most Findians today live around the Great Lakes in Canada and the United States.[1][2][3]
Fintiaanit | |
|---|---|
Distribution of Findians around the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada | |
| Total population | |
| c. 200–9,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Around the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada | |
| Languages | |
| Ojibwe, English, Fingelska†, Swedish† | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ojibwe, Finnish Canadians, Finnish Americans, Lake Superior Chippewa, Métis |
The population number of Findians is unknown, but it could be between a few hundred and a few thousand.[4][5]
History
Modern status
The American Finnish language is no longer spoken by the Findians. However, many of them retain Finnish surnames. Some are also able to speak the Ojibwe language.[1]
Culture
Finnish saunas are common in Findian culture,[8] as is the Finnish idea of sisu - "stoic determination, tenacity of purpose."[9]
Notable people
Americans of both Finnish and Indigenous North American descent
- Richard Dean Anderson (born 1950), actor of Mohawk descent
- Cheri Honkala (born 1963), politician of Cheyenne descent
- Erica Lord (born 1978), artist of Iñupiaq/Athabascan descent[10]
- Ahrue Luster (born 1978), guitarist of Cherokee descent[11]
- Arvo Mikkanen (born 1961), Assistant United States Attorney of Comanche descent
- Jennifer Tilly (born 1958), Canadian-American actress and poker player of Native American descent[12]
- Meg Tilly (born 1960), Canadian-American actress and writer of Native American descent[12]
- Mark Webber (born 1980), actor of Cheyenne descent
Canadians of both Finnish and Indigenous North American descent
- Jaime Black, activist and artist of Anishinaabe descent
- Arianna Grace (born 1997), professional wrestler and beauty pageant contestant of Métis descent
- Frank St. Marseille (born 1939), ice hockey player of Ojibwe-Métis descent