Diane and the Kanteles Arrive at Temperance Hall

Cokato Historical Groups Acquire Finnish Instruments through

Minnesota’s New Folk and Traditional Arts Program

Representatives of Cokato and the Cokato Finnish-American Historical Society welcomed internationally known kantele performer and teacher Diane Jarvi on September 21 at 7 pm at Temperance Hall (3 miles north of Cokato at County Roads 3 and 100) to kick-off Ancestral Fires: Songs and Stories of Finland and Finnish-America, an extended musical exploration of Minnesota’s Finnish culture and history. The project is one of only five selected for funding in the inaugural round of Minnesota’s new Folk and Traditional Arts program designed to support the artistic traditions and customs practiced within community and/or cultural groups by identifying, documenting, preserving, presenting, and honoring Minnesota’s folk arts and traditions.

Kantele Maker Gerry Henkel

A key part of Ancestral Fires is making authentic instruments available to the community. At the September 21 gathering Jarvi and project organizers New Bohemian Arts Cooperative will present fifteen new 5-string kanteles, specially commissioned from master kantele builder Gerry Henkel of Duluth.This collection of instruments is a gift to Cokato in order to establish an ongoing group of players and further the community’s connections to the culture of their ancestors. The kantele is similar to a harp in some ways but has a compelling and unique sound. The original kantele had only 5 strings and was used to accompany the singing of traditional Finnish runes and stories, many from the Kalevala, Finland’s mythological folk epic. In the Kalevala it is said that a sage by the name of Väinämöinen made one of these instruments using the wood of a weeping birch and strung it with hair from a young maiden.