Norwegians as Role Models for Peace

"When more women are involved in politics, there will be more peace," says Norway's former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. It's a statement that some concerned Minnesotans took to heart when they planned an event called "Empowerment of Women Through Education and Economics." The symposium, held last week at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, was hosted by Norway House, Minnesota International Center, the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights - U.S. Foundation.

With Mr. Bondevik (pictured here) as keynote speaker, the event focused on how Norway can serve as a role model to the rest of the world when it comes to gender equality and the role women play in shaping society. And how can we as Americans work within our society and political systems to make a difference? I'm hoping to learn more about this at a follow-up session the organizers are planning for October.

You can read my interview with Mr. Bondevik about his peace efforts, formerly as prime minister and now as founder of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, in the May issue of Viking.

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Photo courtesy of Norway House

Tuning in for Eurovision 2011

The month of May marks many exciting events within the Norwegian community, primarily the celebration of Norway’s Constitution Day. However, this year Norwegians have yet another event to celebrate: Eurovision 2011.

In it’s 56th year, the Eurovision song contest is an international broadcasting event—coordinating simulcasts in 43 participating nations as well as Australia, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Korea, and New Zealand. From May 10th through the 14th, viewers across Europe will be tuning in to this year’s live song contest to watch and vote for their favorite contestants. Hosting the event this year is Germany, the home country of last year’s Eurovision winner, Lena Meyer-Landrut.

Norway’s contestant, Stella Mwangi, received a winning 280,217 votes in Oslo’s Melodi Grand Prix with her song “Haba Haba” to win the nomination for her adopted county in February. Mwangi’s energetic pop song takes cues from her African roots and centers heavily on the words of encouragement Mwangi received from her grandmothers, who encouraged her to be whatever she wanted to be. Commentators from Aftenposten suggest that Mwangi may have good chances of winning Eurovision since recent winners—including Alexander Rybak—have succeeded with upbeat songs.

Viewers in Canada and the U.S. can follow along by visiting eurovision.tv at 2:00 PM (CST) on Tuesday, May 10th to watch Mwangi in the first of 2 semi-finals, where she will compete against contestants from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey. The second semi final will take place on the 12th, the final on the 14th.

Spotlight on Bastøy Prison

Have you had a chance to check out Ann Pedersen's article on Norway's progressive prison system in the May issue of Viking? This article has already generated some interesting reader feedback, both from those who admire Norway's approach to incarceration and from others who feel this philosophy could never work in the United States. If you've got an opinion to share, I'd love to hear it. Write me at vikingeditor@mspcustomcontent.com.

Viking readers aren't the only ones talking about Norway's prisons. If you'd like to learn more about Bastøy prison, one of the two facilities featured in Pedersen's article, you can watch these reports from Deutsche Welle TV and AlJezeera's English Channel.

While Bastøy today is a model of progressive justice, it hasn't always been the case. If fact, for the first half of the 20th century, Bastøy was home to a notorious bording school for disadvantaged boys. The 2010 film "King of Devil's Island" (Kongen av Bastøy) dramatizes the true story of a violent uprising led by the youth in 1915. The Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, (Norsk Folkemuset) has collaborated with the filmmakers with their current exhibit, called "Bad Boy? Bastøy Boys' Home." If you're in the Oslo area, check it out!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Photo courtesy of Ulf Larsen, Wikimedia Commons.

Grete Waitz: Legendary Athlete, Role Model

I was sorry to hear of the passing of Norwegian runner Grete Waitz this week. In the November 2010 issue of Viking, Åge Dalby of the Norwegian Olympic Museum calls Waitz the most influential long-distance female runner of all time. In addition to winning the title of marathon world champion in 1983 and a silver medal at the 84' Olympics, she won the New York City marathon an astounding nine times.

In Norway, Waitz's accomplishments made her a hero. Her statue, pictured here, stands outside Bislett Stadium in Oslo and a Norwegian postage stamp was issued in her honor in 1997.

But while Waitz became famous for her athletic prowess, she also will be remembered as a role model to a generation of female runners. She was a spokesperson for corporate health and wellness and organizations such as CARE International, the Special Olympics, and Aktiv mot Kreft (Active Against Cancert), the foundation she started in 2007.

To learn more about Grete Waitz and nine other great Norwegian athletes, check out "10 Athletes Who Shaped a Nation" in the November 2010 issue of Viking.

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Photo courtesy of Flickruser aktivioslo.

A Royal Visit

The Palace in Oslo recently made the official announcement that Norway's King Harald and Queen Sonja will visit the United States this fall. The 12-day trip, scheduled for Oct 11-22, will include stops in New York, Minnesota and Iowa. While in New York, Their Majesties will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the American Scandinavian Foundation, in addition to attending other business and cultural programs. In the Midwest, the king and queen will visit Norwegian-American cultural organizations and communities.

To learn more about the royal family, check out the feature story "A Thoroughly Modern Family" in the December 2010 issue of Viking magazine. The article includes a royal family tree and a history of the modern monarchy.

To get you in the spirit of this historic event, we thought you'd enjoy this video clip of the 1968 royal wedding of King Harald and Queen Sonja in the Oslo Domkirke. And stay tuned for more details on the royal visit!



Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Finding Norwegian Film

If you're a fan of Norwegian film and you live in the Twin Cities, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival begins today and runs through May 5. This year's festival, which includes more than 170 films from 50 countries, will feature several Norwegian films and an appearance from Norwegian filmmaker Bent Hamer.

The good news—no matter where you live—is that it's never been easier to watch Norwegian films. A number of cities, such as Seattle, Milwaukee, Los Angeles and Austin, are host to Nordic film festivals. Scandinavia House in New York shows Nordic films year-round. There's also a growing number of Norwegian titles available on Netflix. Finally, don't forget the Sons of Norway media lending library, available as a benefit to membership! (Log in as a member on Sons of Norway's website to read more about it.)

Want to learn more about the past, present and future of Norwegian film? Check out Rob Nelson's article in the August 2010 issue of Viking!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

The Mystery Behind IKEA Product Names

Swedish furniture retailer, IKEA, is often known for its affordable and Scandinavian-inspired products, do-it-yourself assembly and large showroom stores. But, perhaps almost as well known, are their product’s distinctive names. A simple google search brings up numerous articles on the topic, a game dedicated to matching IKEA’s product names with the item type, even an interactive product name generator application. What might seem to be a mishmash of unfamiliar words and characters to the average shopper is actually much more. With product names ranging from “Billy” to “Snitta” and everywhere between, IKEA actually employs a complex Scandinavian naming system to the over 10,000 products they sell.

For instance, in my home there is an Aneboda, Bjursta, Malm, Aläng and Mongstad, or in other words, three locations in Sweden and two in Norway. So how do a dresser, dining table, bed frame, lamp and wall mirror turn into place names? Here are just a few of the Scandinavian naming rules that apply to IKEA’s many products:

• Beds, wardrobes, and hall furniture: Norwegian place names
(e.g. Elgå - “Location in Norway” - wardrobe)

• Children’s items: mammals, birds, and adjectives (e.g. Mammut - “Mammoth” - wardrobe)

• Bathroom articles: Scandinavian lakes, rivers and bays
(e.g. Boasjö - “Swedish lake name”- 5 piece bathroom sink set)

• Chairs, desks: men’s names (e.g. Gustav - workstation desk)

• Textiles, curtains: women’s names (e.g. Felicia - throw blanket)

• Upholstered furniture, coffee tables, bookshelves, media storage: Swedish place names (e.g. Ektorp - “Location in Sweden” - upholstered sofa)

• Kitchen utensils: foreign words, spices, herbs, fish, mushrooms, fruits or berries, functional descriptions (e.g. Snitta - “To cut”- knife set)

• Carpets and rugs: Danish place names (e.g. Gåser - “Location in Denmark” - floor rug)

Now you are probably asking yourself, “where did the idea for these IKEA names come from?” Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s founder, created the naming system in the hope that naming the products with words and proper names rather than numbers would be easier for the shopper to remember. It was also helpful for Kamprad, as he is dyslexic.

While IKEA’s unique naming system is certainly one of the most well known, it is hardly the beginning of the trend toward retail product naming. Furniture Chairman at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Antonio Larosa, pre-dates the idea much farther, saying, “Throughout history, furniture pieces were given the name of a monarch, such as Queen Anne or Louis XIV, to gain favor and influence.” Giving proper names to retail items creates a visceral connection and many retailers have taken cues from these early ideas in an effort to lure shoppers.

No matter the reason behind IKEA’s product naming procedure, one thing is certain, knowing the nomenclature makes a trip to IKEA all the more interesting, and perhaps even informative.

Itching for some additional examples of IKEA items with a Norwegian moniker? Here are a few to get you started…
• Trondheim: Collection of bedroom furniture
• Tromsö: Collection of loft and bunk style beds
• Stolmen: Collection of wardrobe furniture
• Fåvang: Collection of foam mattresses
• Figgjo: Decorative bathroom mirror
• Nidelva: Bathroom storage tins

Sweet Treats

It was a pleasure to work with Kari Diehl on "Sweet Talk," Viking magazine's cover feature for April. I came across Kari's Scandinavian food blog a few months ago and have been a fan ever since. If you enjoyed her article on Nordic coffee celebrations, then you'll enjoy this expanded post on the same subject, with plenty of recipes for cakes, tortes and cookies.

As if that weren't enough, Sons of Norway's website is loaded with dozens of great Norwegian recipes for breads, desserts and baked goods as well. When the treats come out of the oven, all that's missing is good coffee and conversation!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Northerners Say It Best

Can one dialect sound more appealing than another? For Norwegians, this seems to be the case. In a recent survey conducted by InFact AS, Norwegians chose nordlendingene—those living in the far north of Norway—as most attractive sounding.

More than ten percent of respondents chose Norway's northernmost dialects as their favorite. It's perhaps a bit surprising, then, that sørlandsk—the dialect spoken in the far south—came in second place. The dialects spoken in Trondelag and Bærum (an community southwest of Oslo) tied for third place.

Why not judge for yourself? You can hear samples of all these dialects and dozens more on this audio database. The instructions are in Norwegian, but you can hear a sample by clicking the map of Norway. When the larger map appears, chose any location. Each dialect is identified by place (sted), municipality (kommune) and county (fylke). Listen to the sample by selecting one of the audio files (.wav or .mp3).

Want to learn more about Norwegian dialects? You can check out my feature story "What Did You Say?" in the March issue of Viking!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.)

Map image by NordNordWest.

Presidential Tour 2011

If you’ve been reading the last few issues of Viking magazine, then you’ve probably seen the ads promoting the 2011 Presidential Tour of Norway, which departs this fall and is hosted by International President Dan Rude. This is only the second time we’ve done a tour like this in the decade-plus that I’ve been with Sons of Norway, so it’s obviously a very special trip.

But what makes this trip even more special is that those who go will get to see the very best that Norway has to offer! From 800-year-old stave churches and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, to modern cities and upscale accommodations throughout, tour participants are in for a trip of a lifetime. Thos who decide to jump at this amazing opportunity will experience:

• Local culture and cuisine in a number of Norwegian cities, including Oslo, Bergen Sogndal and more
• The Oslo Folkemuseum
• Seven stave churches, including Gol, Heddal, Lom, Urnes
• The Viking Ship Museum
• Hadeland Glassverk
• The famous Flåm railway     

Over the next week or so I’ll be blogging about all the great places the tour will visit. Join me as we begin tomorrow with the first day in Oslo. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the tour, be sure to contact Linda McCormick at Borton Overseas by calling (800) 843-0602 ext. 12.

You, Too, Can Speak Norwegian!

I came across a blog post this week that highlighted many of the cognates between Norwegian and English. It's a great reminder of how approachable Norwegian is for us speakers of English. (Although my personal favorite cognate was omitted: egg.) You don't speak Norwegian yet? Learning it is easier than you might think!

As a student at St. Olaf, I was required to study three semesters of a foreign language. And while I chose Norwegian out of an interest in the culture and my heritage, there were others who picked it for its reputation of being the easiest language to learn. In addition to its similar vocabulary, the grammar and sentence structure are, indeed, very English-friendly.

Another reason to learn Norwegian: it's really three languages for the price of one! By learning Norwegian, you'll also find Swedish (especially when spoken) and (written) Danish quite understandable, giving you linguistic inroads to 20 million people.

You can learn a new Norwegian word or phrase each month by checking out Spread the Word, a bite-sized language lesson found in each issue of Viking magazine. You'll find language-learning resources on the Sons of Norway website, too.

So why not take a few minutter (minutes) to brew yourself en kopp kaffe (a cup of coffee), find yourself a comfy place å sitte (to sit), and do a little looking through an ord bok (literally "word book," or dictionary) to see just how easy learning Norwegian can be!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Glass Act

When Karen Hansen was researching "A Glass Act," the Viking cover feature for March, she came up with more glassblowing resources than we could pack into the available pages. For glassblowing enthusiasts, here are a few more sites to check out.

Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington and Pittsburgh Glass Center offer classes for students at a wide range of experience levels. And if you're really serious about finding a glassblowing program, here's an article that can help you find the right one for you. To see artisans in action, you can watch live streaming video of glassblowers from The Hot Shop at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. The live video is streamed during the museum's normal hours of operation.

Can't get enough of Norwegian glass? Join Sons of Norway International President Dan Rude on a Presidential Tour of Norway in September. The tour includes a tour of the Hadeland Glass Factory. For more information, contact Borton Overseas.

You can read Hansen's article about the history of glassblowing and southern Norway's "glassblowing belt" in the March issue of Viking!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user crankyuser.

Meet the 2010 Norwegian Experience Winner

Sons of Norway and Borton Overseas are very excited to announce the latest winner of the Norwegian Experience recruitment contest, Nancy Madson! As the 2010 winner, Nancy and a guest will be spending nine days visiting some of Norway’s most scenic and historic places, including UNESCO World Heritage sites and several stave churches.

A member since 1990, Nancy has held numerous lodge leadership positions and is currently vice president of Solskinn 6-150 and a District 6 zone director. I had an opportunity to speak with Nancy and learn more about her as well as the upcoming trip.

What do you like most about your lodge?
“We really are planning some great activities at the lodge. We have several cultural skills groups in hardanger, music and rosemaling, a literature blog and a folk dancing group as well as a lunch and supper club. We also are doing some great succession planning for our lodge leadership.”

Why did you join Sons of Norway?
“I grew up in Mankato, Minnesota and had always been surrounded by other Norwegian-Americans, but I never had any exposure to Sons of Norway until I moved to Southern California and saw an ad in the paper for a lodge that was just starting. I was so surprised that there were other Norwegians in that part of the country that I decided to attend the event. I had always had an interest in my heritage and had attended Nordic Fest in the past, but my interest really increased after the loss of my parents—when it is too late to ask questions about bunads and family recipes.”

Were you recruited?
“No, I attended a lodge meeting after seeing an ad in the local paper. It turns out that the meeting that I attended was only the 2nd meeting the lodge had ever held and they asked me to become the publicity director for the lodge—I hadn’t even officially joined yet but I said yes!”

Do you have any family in Sons of Norway?
“I have a sister and niece that are both members. At one time I had purchased gift memberships for all of my siblings and a distant relative in Norway. My nephew and niece both have a strong interest in their heritage. My nephew wants to learn how to make lefse and my sister has been teaching my niece and grandniece Norwegian baking. It’s really important to pass our heritage and traditions on to others. I don’t have any children, but I enjoy passing on those traditions to my nephew, niece and grandnieces.”

What do you like best about Sons of Norway?
“Many things…mostly the camaraderie. Getting together with people with a shared interest. Membership in Sons of Norway was also good for me on a personal level. I used to be terrified of public speaking! But, when I first became a cultural director I had to learn how to give presentations. Several leadership positions later, I’m much more comfortable and I now give leadership workshops.”

How did you find out that you’d won the Norwegian Experience contest?
“Dan Rude, our International President, left a message on my answering machine saying he would like to talk with me and that he would call back at a different time. My first thought was, ‘oh no something is really wrong in my district!’ Luckily, it was good news and a definite surprise!”

What are you most looking forward to when you travel to Norway?
“I’m really looking forward to seeing so many stave churches. I traveled to Norway in 2000 to attend the International Convention in Stavanger, but that was 11 years ago. I’m really looking forward to seeing the differences and things that have changed since the last time I was in Norway. I’m also looking forward to enjoying the trip with others. We’ll be joining attendees of the Presidential Tour so it will be a lot of fun to experience Norway with other members.”

The contest is open to anyone who recruited at least one new member last year. How many new members did you recruit and do you have any tips to share about recruiting?
“I didn’t recruit that many, 4. I know there are people who recruited many more people than me--it really is all the luck of the draw! Over the years we’ve tried a few recruiting ideas and letter writing campaigns, but simply asking others in your community works. Just recently I was at a Chamber mixer and someone overheard a conversation I was having with another person about lutefisk and that peaked the person’s interest. I always have copies of Viking magazine in my car, so I went out and grabbed them a copy and showed them what they’re missing.”

Be sure to check in with us in the coming months as we continue to blog about the big trip, and don’t forget you, too, can be eligible to win the Norwegian Experience! Check out the Norwegian Experience 2011 ads in the March and upcoming April issue of Viking to learn more or call 800-945-8851.

Norway's Skiers Dominate Nordic Worlds

Congratulations to Norway on their spectacular showing in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships! When the games came to a close in Oslo on Sunday, Norway had amassed a whopping 20 medals, including 8 golds. The nearest competitors were Austria with 10 medals and Sweden with 5.

There were plenty of exciting moments during the championships, but one I found particularly moving was when 22-year-old Therese Johaug won gold in the Women's 30 km (18 mile) race. After a week of foggy weather, the sun broke through and helped energize the crowd of 100,000 fans to add an extra boost to the home-field advantage.



For more coverage of the FIS championships, check out this summary from the English language website "News and Views from Norway."

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.

Lifelong Learning

While scrolling through my Facebook feed yesterday, I noticed that Vesterheim Museum is promoting their upcoming Lifelong Learning classes. I checked out their website and was really impressed to see the variety of classes they're offering this year. The museum offers classes in woodworking, metalworking, fiber arts, rosemaling, writing, and traditional Norwegian cooking and baking. Want to make a wooden bowl? Or a traditional Norwegian corner cabinet, including the metal hinges? How about improving your overshot weaving technique? Or learning the style of rosemaling from Rogaland or Valdres? You can even build your own Hardanger fiddle! It's a good thing I don't live any closer to Decorah. If I did, I would want to register for all of these classes—my family would never see me!

Several of Vesterheim's upcoming woodcarving classes are taught by Professor Emeritus Harvey Refsal, who recently retired from Luther College. Check out an interview with Harley in the October 2010 issue of Viking.

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.
Photo courtesy of Vesterheim Museum.