Faroese Americans

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Faroese Americans
Regions with significant populations
Scandinavian Americans, Norwegian Americans, European Americans

Faroese Americans (

Kingdom of Denmark. Because many immigrants were identified by their Danish citizenship, it is not known how many Faroese Americans there are.[1]

History

Further information: History of the Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands were originally settled by Norsemen around 800 AD, and remained in contact with Iceland and Scandinavia throughout the Viking Age. This settlement was a part of the same population movement that brought the Norse to North America around 1000 AD.[2]

Unlike many European countries, the Faroe Islands did not industrialize and did not experience the same population pressures which drove many Scandinavians to immigrate to the United States during the 17th and 18th centuries. In fact, the opposite was occurring in the Faroe Islands. Due to shipping restrictions and monopolistic control of goods traveling to the islands, there was a famine, exacerbated by the lack of grain going to the Faroe Islands from Denmark. Additionally, Danish laws were created that effectively barred the poor from marriage to keep the population low.[2]

Immigration and settlement

Faroese American immigration differs significantly from that of most groups of Europeans. Faroese Americans did not come to the United States in large groups, but instead came as individuals. Men often immigrated to the United States to work, especially as sailors. Women often immigrated to the United States through marriage to Americans. Because of the individual style of immigration and the smaller numbers, there is not as cohesive a Faroese American community, as there is for many other immigrant groups to the United States.

Seventh-day Adventism, and so then moved to Denmark to be a part of the larger Mormon and Seventh Day Adventist communities there. From Denmark, some further immigrated to the United States, often in larger groups, as was common for Danish emigration. However, very few people overall left the Faroe Islands.[3]

There is evidence that Faroese Americans settled widely across the United States, and did not refine themselves to simply the areas settled by many

Scandinavian Americans. In context, this makes a lot of sense, as Faroese Americans immigrated mostly as individuals, and often had different skill sets than Scandinavian Americans, namely, seafaring abilities.[1] Additionally, around the 1850s, the Faroe Islands started to develop their own national identity, and so many Faroese Americans may not have identified closely with Scandinavian Americans that they would feel the need to live amongst them.[4] However, there is anecdotal evidence that many Faroese Americans settled in Colorado and the West Coast
.

Faroese Ethnic Identity

Two Faroese Americans

Faroese ethnic identity is rooted in a strong sense of place, hospitality, and family connections. Faroese people have a strong tradition of hospitality, which includes inviting distant family members they have never met to stay at their house or for a complete meal.[1] In the Faroe Islands, many people keep in touch with distant relatives, even so far as third cousins, and so family connections are extremely important.[5]

Faroese Spoken in the United States

Some Faroese Americans have retained their language, but it has been very difficult until more easily accessible technology to actively keep the language with the next generation, and so many descendants of Faroese Americans do not speak Faroese.[1]

Difficulty in Determining Numbers

Because the Faroe Islands are a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, Faroese people have Danish citizenship. This means that in old census records, Faroese Americans would identify themselves as having Danish citizenship.

Fayal Island, the island of Föhr, or others. Additionally, spelling mistakes for villages from the Faroe Islands makes it difficult to determine immigration. This makes handwritten records unreliable or incomplete concerning the Faroe Islands. Instead, passenger lists should be explored. Research in Faroese, Danish, and American archives is ongoing.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Douma, Michael J. (3 June 2016). "Faroese-Americans: Some Preliminary Research on an Immigrant Group without a Written History". Michael J Douma. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  2. ^
    JSTOR j.ctt130jng0
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  3. JSTOR 621333
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  4. ISBN 8798342452
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  5. ^ "Færøsk kultur". Visit Faroe Islands (in Danish). Archived from the original on 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  6. ^ Barfoed, Lars (23 February 2005). "2004/2 LSF 27: Forslag til Navnelov". Retsinformation (in Danish).
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