When the immigrants came to America, their cultures entered the "great melting pot." In Michigan's Upper Peninsula Finnish immigrants mixed their musical traditions with many other cultures, creating a sound that was unique to the "Copper Country."
Production
Archival photos and home movies feel discovered, not staged.
Direction
Loukinen lets elders speak; no narrator over-explains.
Director
Michael Loukinen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
'Yooper' itself was originally dismissive slang from downstate Michiganders; Copper Country residents reclaimed it as badge of honor.
Director Michael Loukinen spent 40 years as a sociology professor at Northern Michigan University before making films; this was his final project before retirement.
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