ORD FRA PRESIDENTEN KULTUR HJØRNE / CULTURE CORNER Nancy Dunn, Cultural Director "Trip Trap! Trip Trap! Trip Trap!" could be heard coming from our March meeting. The Norwegian Class Don't miss this program at our April Players, under the direction of teacher Charles Knutson, 8th meeting – Sápmi is a recent, 34-minute performed a great variety show for us. From "The Three video presenting the Sami people’s way of Billy life today in Nord Norge / North . Goats The Sami people were formerly called Gruff',” Laplanders, a term which has been changed to the more to accurate title used today. These indigenous people have a poetry, long history of inhabiting the land in northern Scandinavia, songs, from Norway through Sweden, Finland, and Russia, and and a today they also live in many other countries. Renee dance, Zellweger is a Sami. Come and enjoy this rich culture! Lodge members were SYTTENDE MAI treated to entertainment showing how well the class is MAY 17TH moving along with the Norwegian language. Participating were Sharon Rein, and Lodge members Marianne and Bill Family Celebration Nesse, Bernice Kwan, and Ras Erdal. Godt Gjort!!! At The Pavilion NOTE THE DATE CHANGE FOR OUR APRIL th Behind Good Samaritan – Loveland Village MEETING – APRIL 8 . In April, we have our semi- Sunday, May 16th, Starting at 12:30 p.m. annual Welcoming Ceremony for new members who have Casual Dress joined us since last October. We bid them a hearty Welcome! Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Salad, Vegetables, Chips, As this Posten goes to press, we have 24 people signed Drinks, Dessert up for the Dinner and Show, "Norway, The Land of Vikings." We're looking forward to a fun night! PARADE Congratulations to our three delegates to the District 6 Convention in Modesto, CA: Nancy Dunn, Richard Games – Cooking Demo Linsenmann, and Roxanne Storlie. They will represent us Songs – Learn A Norwegian Dance well! Many good things are happening in Stein !! Mark Adults - $7.00... Children - $4.00... Under 6 - Free your calendar for the Syttende Mai celebration (details on this page) as well as the Estes Park Scandinavian Festival, th th Make Reservations by Wednesday, May 12th June 26 and 27 , and be sure not to miss a meeting!!! Contact Jane Robbins 1308 Walnut Ave., Loveland, CO 80537 Fraternally, 970-667-5686 Marian Erdal 2

APRIL KALENDER MEETING REMINDERS FROM RAS *Official Norwegian Flag-Flying Day Ras Erdal, Stein Fjell Host Coordinator

Deadlines: Our April meeting is on Thursday, April 8th. Note that 01: Stein Fjell Memorial Scholarship Fund this meeting is on the second Thursday of April. The Colo. Past Presidents Club Scholarship program is about the Sami people in North Norway. Our Dist. 6 Scholarship Postmark Refreshment Hosts are Mickey Schmidt (chair), Joann Harris, Bonnie Heberlein, Ruth and Clayton Nelson, and Norwegian Public Holidays: Rod Skaflen. 01: Sjærtorsdag / Maundy Thursday Looking ahead... The Refreshment Hosts for the May 6th 02: Langfredag / Good Friday meeting are Neva Gulliksen (chair), Nancy Dunn and 04*: Første påskedag / First Easter Day Richard Linsenmann, Andrea Havenar, Darlene and Jim 05: Andre påskedag / Second Easter Day Miller, Marianne and Bill Nesse, and Dick Peterson. Vær så god... 08: Lodge Meeting, 7 p.m., NOTE DATE CHANGE New Member Welcome, Sápmi Video 2009 FOUNDERS AWARD WINNERS Rod Skaflen, VP and Membership Director 14: Første Sommerdag / First Summer Day RSVP Deadline, Fjellheim Frokost We have a membership growth of 9%. This is our second consecutive year of growth, and we are the only 18: Frokost, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Fjellheim Lodge, Colorado lodge with growth in 2009. At the District Viking Hall, 1045 Ford St., Colorado Springs convention we will receive a 2009 Founders Award certificate and a $50.00 cash bonus. 20: Posten Submission Deadline CHARITIES SELECTED 24/25: Rosemaling Seminar, Camp Norge The Lodge’s Board selected four charities for Stein Fjell SAVE THE DATE to support this year: Crossroads Ministry of Estes Park, Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley (Longmont), Weld County Food May 06: Lodge Meeting, 7 p.m., Celebration of Freedom Bank (based in Greeley), and Wings (Loveland). A donation by Don Christensen of $100 will be given to each charity. May 16: Syttende Mai Celebration, Stein Fjell Lodge, The Board also decided that Stein Fjell would donate Pavilion, Good Samaritan Society - Loveland Village $35 to the Sons of Norway Foundation. May 17*: Syttende Mai, Norwegian Constitution Day May 20: Board Meeting, 7 p.m., Barb Nolin’s MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY INFO

Juni 12: Fjelldalen’s 15th Anniversary Celebration, 12:30 RAMIREZ, Helen 504 49th Avenue p.m., Fresh Fish Co., 7800 E. Hampden Ave, Denver Greeley, CO 80634-1211 Juni 12: Vestafjell’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, 1 - 5 p.m., Grand Junction (Info., page 4) SPRAGUE, Jodi 2177 Cape Hatteras Drive, Unit 10 Juni 23-26: District 6 Convention, Modesto, CA 970.218.8235 Windsor, CO 80550-7251 Juni 26-27: Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, Estes Park [email protected] Januar 30 – Februar 6, 2011: Ski for Light (National!) Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center, Winter Park STEIN FJELL CONTACTS 2010

GRATULERER MED DAGEN ! President: Marian Erdal – 970.225.9035 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ! VP & Membership: Rod Skaflen – 970.484.5459 Secretary: Roxanne Storlie – 970.412.5713 06 Bill Dunn 18 Terry Thompson 07 Esther Leum 21 Ronald Normann 09 Kristina Parkos 22 Garry Bjorklund ********************************* 11 Roxie Bradney 24 Paul Bennett Names, Phone Numbers, and Addresses in the Posten must 16 Corinne Schlimme 26 Derrick Parkos not be redistributed or used for commercial purposes. 17 Medeia Ramirez 29 Andrea Havenar 3

DITT OG DATT / THIS ‘N’ THAT VELKOMMEN i Stein Fjell thoughts and prayers are with Gifford Stein Fjell Lodge extends a hearty Velkommen to Grinager as he continues to be under medical care. Carmen Merring. Although born and raised until 4th grade i Bernice Kwan is the new president of the Colorado in Aurora, she calls Loveland her home town, but has also Past Presidents Club. lived in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana. i We wish Abigail and Jane Strand God Tur as they Carmen and her husband, Christopher, have two sons, head off to Japan. Joshua and Jonathan, and one daughter, Jessica. Their four i Kira Wright, Heritage Member of our Lodge, grandsons are Logan, Leiland, and twins William and James. qualified for the Junior Olympics in Freestyle Moguls Carmen is the daughter of Sonja West and niece of Corinne Competition Skiing and competed in Waterville Schlimme, both Stein Fjell members. Valley, New Hampshire. It was a fun trip and a great Starting at CU Boulder in 1983 and finishing in 2005 at experience. She had a touch down, but got right up Colorado Christian University, Carmen has earned her and continued her run. Next she will compete in the teaching degree. Having spent two years teaching in National Championships in Squaw Valley, CA. We Montana, Carmen is now working as a paraprofessional wish her well, skiing with the elite in the sport! She is while waiting for a local teaching opening. She also is the daughter of member Kari Wright and working on her Masters degree. granddaughter of members Ras and Marian Erdal, Carmen’s roots are north of Trondheim in the who are all very proud of her. district, near the village of Spillum ( kommune, i Turid and Howard Rathbun, charter members of Nord-Trøndelag fylke). Stein Fjell Lodge, now live with their son in Bothell, In reply to her interests in Norwegian cultural skills, her Washington. list is lengthy: rosemaling, figure carving, weaving, folk i At the March Lodge dancing, traditional Norwegian cooking, reading Norwegian meeting, Lyle Berge and Norwegian-American authors, ornamental woodcarving, presented Jon-Eirik chip carving, music and musicians of Norway, and jewelry. Holm-Johansen (on Her other interests are crafts, cooking, reading, and being the right) with a well- outdoors. deserved token of appreciation for Carmen, we welcome you to Stein Fjell! running an excellent 2010 Barneløpet at VELKOMMEN YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch, We welcome Jodi Sprague to Stein Fjell Lodge. Her Winter Park. home town is the Seattle area and she has been in the Fort Collins area for three-and-a-half years. Sendai, Japan was home for one year while she was a college exchange student. LARUE HANSON’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS Jodi received a degree in electrical engineering from the ACKNOWLEDGED AS F.B. COUNSELOR University of Washington, where she also studied Japanese. She designs circuits for microprocessors at Intel. The Sons of Norway Marketing Team includes 80 Jodi is a new member to Sons of Norway but her active financial benefit counselors. An annual contest grandfather was active in a Seattle lodge. Her Norwegian rewards qualifiers with a trip which includes a working roots are in Fitjar. Fitjar kommune, a gathering of islands holiday. There were 19 qualifiers in 2009, from their and rocks divided by shallow straits and channels, covers the production reports, which are based on a combination of northern part of the island of Stord, in fylke, life insurance and annuity sales. Ranking 10th out of the south of Bergen. She traveled to Bergen and Oslo for one qualifiers, LaRue and Dorothy spent the first week of week in May 2008, and would love to go back. At that time March in Hawaii with the other winners and Len Carlson, she also visited a friend in Stockholm, Sweden. Director of Agencies. A good part of the summer is spent participating in local It is good to know that LaRue’s efforts are being sailing races, and in winter Jodi snowshoes. acknowledged. He and Dorothy’s regular attendance at our She is interested in the Cultural Skills of rosemaling, Lodge meetings, approachability, and friendly interest are hardanger, Norwegian language and culture, cooking, and noticed and appreciated. folk dancing. The next time you see LaRue, tell him Gratulerer! Stein Fjell heartily welcomes you, Jodi! 4

NORWEGIAN CULTURAL SKILLS 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Ras Erdal, Cultural Skills Director VESTAFJELL LODGE, WESTERN SLOPE

There are now 16 members actively working on the Saturday, June 12, at Covenant Presbyterian Church Traditional Norwegian Cooking unit. We had our first 237 32 Road, Grand Junction. class on making krumkake... which we served as a refreshment during a discussion period after everyone 1:00 p.m. Registration and Social Time with Appetizers tried their hand at rolling 2:00 p.m. Celebration Begins krumkake over those 3:00 p.m. Roast Beef Dinner with all the Trimmings, wooden cones without Prepared and Served by Church Members uttering “Uffda!” Sniffing 5:00 p.m. Celebration Ends the freshly-ground cardamom was almost Tentative cost: $12.00 per person addictive. During the class, For more information, contact someone asked what you do Barb Firth, Planning Committee Chair with the broken krumkake. [email protected] / 970.245.5649 (h) Carmen quickly answered, "We eat the evidence." A Terry got the knack quickly, VOLUNTEER HOST FAMILIES NEEDED second cooking class is in Marianne’s rolling the cone the planning stage. Volunteer host families are needed to welcome high All 14 Cultural Skills requirements are now on our school exchange students from around the world who will website: simply go to www.SteinFjell.com, click on the arrive this fall to attend local high schools. Share your love of U.S. and Norwegian culture with a teen from Norway, Thailand, Germany, Russia, Venezuela, or one of our many other countries. Students are 15-18 years old and speak English. They have their own spending money and health insurance. Hosts provide room, meals, and loving support. There is no typical host! Single people, empty nesters, retirees, and families with young children or teens can all enjoy welcoming a student. Pacific Intercultural Exchange is a non-profit program placing students for over 30 years. We also have outbound programs for American students. For more information, please call Paula Nicholson Seated L-R, Corinne S.,Sonja, Barb, Carmen, Lyn (Regional Manager, Pacific Intercultural Exchange) toll free Standing L-R, Nancy, Bill N., Marianne, Marian, Ras, at 1.877.332.0580 or visit www.pieusa.org. She also is Bernice, Terry. Taking the picture: Richard L. available at 303.794.3363 or 303.794.4616 (fax).

Cultural Skills tab, and then select the unit of interest to COLORADO LODGES’ MEETINGS review and/or print out. To my knowledge at this time, nine of the units are being worked on. Please be sure to Vesterheim, 4th Friday, 7 p.m. contact me if you have any questions or comments. Atonement Lutheran Church, 685 Inca Pkwy, Boulder Fjellheim, 2nd Wednesday, 7 p.m. FJELLHEIM FROKOST Viking Hall, 1045 Ford Street, Colorado Springs Fjelldalen, 1st Tuesday,7 p.m. Fjellheim Lodge wishes you a hearty Velkommen til Prince of Peace Lutheran Church bords! by offering an authentic Norwegian breakfast on 2400 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver Sunday, April 18, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.. Non-members are Trollheim, 3rd Monday, 7 p.m. $17, children 12 and under are $8, and children not Trollheim Lodge Hall, 6610 W. 14th Ave., Lakewood requiring a seat are free. RSVP by April 14. Make checks Storfjell: Contact Kenneth and Muriel Johnson payable to Sons of Norway. Send checks to Laurance and (970.727.0874 / [email protected]) Lucille Moe, 6726 Bitterroot, Colorado Springs, CO Vestafjell, 2nd Sunday, 2 p.m. 80923 (719.260.9490). The menu includes a wide variety Covenant Presbyterian Church of meats, eggs, cheeses, salads, fruits, breads, and juices. 237 - 32 Road, Grand Junction 5

FØRSTE SOMMERDAG / FIRST SUMMER DAY well-known and popular in Norway. They will be offered as Marianne Workman-Nesse house wines on all Hurtigruten ships sailing daily along Norway’s 1,250-mile, fjord-filled west coast as well as Viking-era Norway had the custom of dividing the aboard the Fram on its expedition cruises to Greenland, year into equal halves, summer (production period) and Antarctica, and the Arctic island of Spitsbergen. The dark winter (consumption period). This clear separation of the ruby red has been described as having a balanced flavor with year is also found in Iceland, where Norwegian settlers soft tannins and a fruity aroma, while the white is a pale brought it with them. yellow with aromas of lychee and lime, and a full fruity Separating the year this way was still practiced well flavor with well-balanced acidity. No price was quoted with after Christianity was introduced in Norway, illustrated by this announcement... people’s way of telling the time: “two weeks in summer”means two weeks after Summer Day. People’s THE TAX MAN COMETH age was counted in winters and summers according to LaRue Hanson, Financial Benefits Counselor what time of the year they were born. Summer was on one side and winter on the other side Now that you are very aware of your tax situation, this is of the Norwegian calendar stick, or primstav, and a great time to consider future options. Did you suffer losses important dates to be remembered were shown on it using on stock market accounts last year? Sons of Norway can give you peace of mind with the guaranteed returns of our Nordic Annuity. Have you changed jobs or retired this past year? When you leave an employer, don’t leave your retirement funds there, take them with you. Sons of Norway can make rolling these funds over an easy task. Don’t like taking the required minimum distribution from your IRA after age 70½? Take advantage of Uncle Sam’s allowance to The Start of the Summer Side of a Primstav change to a Roth IRA this year and take two years to spread out the taxes. Sounds like too much work? Call your engraved pagan, religious, and daily work images or Financial Benefits Counselor with Sons of Norway and symbols. The wooden primstav could be notched as the leave the work to us. We are here to help you make the most days passed, which was extremely helpful. of what you have. There are remnants of this old separation even today. For more information, please contact me: One joke relates that in Norway there is no summer, but [email protected] – 719.599.8546(w) – 719.237.7314(c) only a green winter following the white winter! 2523 Shalimar Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80915-1030 Summer began on April 14 and today it is still welcomed as the first official summer day – a happy BERGEN NAMED MOST POLLUTED CITY occasion, after so many months of snow, darkness, and Norwegian American Weekly, March 12, 2010 with cold weather. Its symbol is a tree, signifying Information from Nettavisen and Bergens Tidene the renewal of life. This day honored two martyrs, the brothers St. Tiburtius and St. In January, Bergen was named Europe’s most polluted Valerianus, who died in 229 A.D. In many city. Like Bergen, Oslo has already used up its yearly quota

parts of Norway servants renewed their for NO2 emissions. Stavanger and Trondheim are not far obligations to their employers on this day. Shepherds behind. abstained from meat on this day, believing that if they ate An exceptionally cold winter with stagnant air has meat it would harm their herd. contributed to a decrease in air quality, but the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association (NAAA) believes this is no Sources: Wikipedia, www.digitalkunst.com, excuse for what they believe is a serious health problem for www.cyberclip.com, www.no.wikipedia.org many Norwegians. Geir Endregard, secretary-general at the NAAA said “Caps on air pollution will have no value if HURTIGRUTEN ADDS NEW HOUSE WINES municipalities can’t do anything about it.” He believes Norwegian pollution politics and preference for diesel It was mentioned in the Oktober Posten’s Hurtigruten vehicles are major problems. Bergen city council member article that ordinary wines offered on board were rather Lisbeth Iversen (KrF) calls for much stricter regulations than pricey. From more than 60 possibilities, Hurtigruten has parking restrictions and public transportation incentives. To commissioned two Portuguese wines, a red and a white, see current air quality levels in several Norwegian cities, produced by Winery José Maria da Fonseca, a vineyard visit http://tinyurl.com/yaad3uw. 6

MOLTEBÆR / CLOUDBERRIES cream and sugar for a heavenly treat. While you are unlikely Bill Nesse to find it at your local liquor store, cloudberries are made into wine, though not without the addition of considerable Several years ago, while on a Sunday hike up Siggio sugar to get fermentation to produce sufficient alcohol to on the island of Bømlo with a cousin and her husband, we maintain stability of the finished wine. A cloudberry liqueur had an animated discussion of the berries we saw along is also available from both Finland and Newfoundland the trail. These included quite a few local varieties, but not While in high demand as a delicacy, most cloudberries what is perhaps the are picked from wild plants. This means that supplies are premier berry in spotty and many people pick their own berries rather than Norway. That honor purchase them. Because these berries are not all that goes to the moltebær common in , people there tend to be or cloudberry (Rubus secretive about good berry-picking areas. To satisfy the chamaemorus). These demand of those who don’t pick their own berries, Norway berries, that look imports 200-300 tonnes of cloudberries annually from somewhat like amber Finland. The raspberries, grow in Norwegian bogs, marshes, and government, in wet meadows in acidic cooperation with soil between about Finland, Sweden, 55E to 78E N latitude and Scotland, is in Europe, Asia, and developing North America. In cultivars of Finland, where they cloudberries, and are quite common, several varieties Ripe Cloudberry they are known as are now available lakka, and in Sweden as hjortron. In North America, they to farmers, Cultivated Cloudberries are sometimes known as bakeapple and knotberry. including a Cloudberries grow wild in both Canada and Alaska, and hermaphrodite that is self-pollinating. The berry can be are found locally in northern Minnesota, New Hampshire, grown in arctic areas where few other crops are possible. Maine, and even on Long Cloudberry preserves are stocked by Johnson’s Market Island, New York. It is in Ault, at least at Christmas time, and Trollheim Lodge’s possible that they could be butikk may carry them. They are available from grown in Colorado, Amazon.com and specialty-food shops on the internet. particularly in the The Nesseby Kommune, not far from Kirkenes in far mountains, but the northern Norway, has the intolerance to dry cloudberry as part of its coat of conditions could pose a arms, and they challenge. To properly are the fylkesblomst / county flower pollinate, both male and of Finnmark. The Swedish female plants are required. Cloudberry plants are less than 10 inches high and have multi-lobed leaves on branchless Male Cloudberry Flower stalks that rise from the ground. Each female stalk Cloudberry on Nesseby has a single white flower, that, after pollination, develops Coat of Arms into raspberry-like fruits with 5 to 25 drupelets. The fruit Nation starts out pale red and turns amber when ripe in early al Democrats have the autumn. They propagate both via seed and through cloudberry as their logo, and the spreading rhizomes. Finnish 2 euro coin displays The Finnish 2 Euro Coin The berries are delicious, with a flavor that combines cloudberry leaves and fruit. tart and sweet. They are often made into jam used to top waffles or ice cream, and may be mixed with whipped Source: Wikipedia 7

SAMI PEOPLE come to be known as “mountain Sami.” Bill Nesse Around 1500, a decline in reindeer populations, perhaps caused by over-hunting, pressured the Sami to domesticate The Sami people, (also Sámi, or Saami), have reindeer and adopt the semi-nomadic reindeer-herding life occupied northern Norway, for which they are most widely known. Only a minority of Sweden, Finland, and Sami people ever herded reindeer and it has declined in northwestern Russia for importance over time. It is now important to only about 10% over 2500 years. Because of the Sami they are the earliest of the population, of modern ethnic groups to which only have continuously about 2800 occupied this land, they are people are considered to be an actively “indigenous” population. involved. Their current population is Reindeer between 70,000 and herding has 135,000 people – the gone high-tech, uncertainty is because an Sápmi, the “homeland” of the with reindeer objective definition of Sami people, extends across moved from what constitutes “Sami” is northern Norway, Sweden, place to place lacking. The Sami people Finland, and Russia Nils, a Sami, poses in native dress with a in large boats, have been referred to as reindeer. When not posing for tourists and herding Lapps and their homeland as Lapland. This terminology is near Nordkapp, he works as a dentist. His done by now considered derogatory, at least in Norway and father was born in the tent on the right but motorbike and Sweden. Norway is home to about 75% of all Sami, most the family now lives in the modern house snowmobile. of whom live in the Finnmark fylke. However, the city shown below. with the largest population of Sami is probably Oslo. The Sami languages are part of the Uralic group of languages, which includes Finnish, Hungarian, Estonian, Mari, and Udmurt. Roughly 20,000 Sami speak one of the nine different Sami languages/dialects. People from adjacent areas can, to some degree, understand each other, but people from more distant areas cannot. Some variations are as different as Norwegian and German. The Sami language is officially recognized in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and is an official language in a number of political subdivisions in each country. Historically the Sami lived as hunter-gatherer societies dependant on locally-available resources, including wild This modern home contrasts with the reindeer in the reindeer and fish. The Black Death, that reached northern background and the old sled in the foreground. Norway in 1349, profoundly altered their way of life. The population of Norwegians, which lived by marginal In the past, Sami culture and language were suppressed, farming and an extensive trade of fish with Europe, was but now they are being encouraged by Norway, Sweden, and decimated and nearly three-quarters of Norwegian farms Finland. Sami parliaments have been established in all three in the region were abandoned. The Sami population, countries in the last 30 years to provide political which had little connection to the source of the disease, representation. While the parliaments from the different was less affected. In an attempt to revitalize the fishing countries are not officially connected, they do cooperate and industry, the local Norwegian authorities encouraged mostly serve to provide a focus for cultural and social Sami, many of whom already lived along the fjords and issues. In Norway, the Sami Parliament shares adjacent waterways, to occupy the abandoned farms and administrative responsibility with the Crown in some areas. take up commercial fishing. Many took advantage of the opportunity and have become known as “sea Sami.” A Sources: Wikipedia, www.nordicway.com, minority who remained inland and followed their www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/document/sami/an/i2/i2.html, traditional ways of hunting, fishing, and trapping have www.eng.samer.se MARIANNE AND BILL NESSE POSTEN EDITORS 22 DOS RIOS GREELEY CO 80634-9501 FIRST CLASS SONS OF NORWAY STEIN FJELL LODGE 6-114 LOVELAND, COLORADO www.steinfjell.com

APRIL 2010

STEIN FJELL LODGE meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Good Samaritan Society - Loveland Village’s West Dining Hall. The address is 2101 S. Garfield Avenue, Loveland, Colorado. Board meetings are held on the third Thursday of every other month at the home of a member. YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US!

The mission of Sons of Norway is to promote and to preserve the heritage and culture of Norway, to celebrate our relationship with other nordic countries, and provide quality insurance and financial products to our members.

Sons of Norway misjon er å fremme og ivareta norske kulturtradisjoner, feire vårt forhold til andre nordiske land, og samtidig tilby de beste forsikrings og finansprodukter til våre medlemmer.