Germans From Russia Just another NDSU Library weblog

25 May 2008
Internet Cafe
Odessa, Ukraine

Just a short note to let you know that all is well with the tour members. Some tour members have gone to Odessa Opera House for the 6 pm performance of Madame Butterfly this Sunday evening.

This Sunday morning some of the tour members attended the church services at the St. Paul’s German Lutheran Church. There were two visiting pastors from Bavaria. The services were in German and Russian languages. We had an impressive tour of the parish offices and the restoration project of the church. The Bavarian House will have a new building by the church ready in 2009. This church was built in 1827 by the Germans living in Odessa and was heavily damaged until the re-construction began in recent years.

Melvin Bender of Alberta and Suzanne Haman Wanner of Illinois visited Kassel and two daughter colonies today. The Frahms of Florida traveled to Rohrbach in the Beresan District. James Hardt visited Gueldendorf near Odessa.

With the busy schedule and long days visiting the villages, tour members have not been able to prepare text of their personal memories of visiting former German villages so we can send with an email message. It may be that we will send these memories via email from Stuttgart, Germany or when back in the USA.

On Monday, 26 May, we fly from Odessa to Prague, Czech Republic to Stuttgart, Germany staying there until 30 May. We will be visiting the Germans from Russia societies in Stuttgart on 27 May [Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland and the Bessarabiendeutschen Verein e.V.].

On 28 May, we will have a one-day bus tour of Alsace, France where we will visit communities where tour members’ ancestors once lived before immigrating to South Russia [Ukraine and Moldova today].

With best wishes from Odessa,

Michael M. Miller

Germans from Russia Heritage Collection (GRHC) staff members, Acacia Stuckle and Jay Gage, recently finished an exhibit for the Dakota Memories Oral History Project (DMOHP). It showcases a few of the many photographs collected through the interviews. The exhibit is located in the GRHC display cases at the NDSU Library.

DMOHP Exhibit

When the subject of foods and recipes of the Gemans from Russia is shared with subscribers at my Black Sea Mail List and the Germans from Russia heritage electronic discussion group [listserve], there is a great deal of interest.

Jolenta Fischer Masterson, a longtime colleague living in Sequim, Washington, and a native of Strasburg, North Dakota, shared this message about Dampfnudel:

“In our house, this thing was often made on the same day as the bread was being made. Little golf ball sized hunks were taken off the bread dough and put in the heavy pan with a little bit of water and then closed to steam bake. The bottoms fried crispy by the time the Dampfnudel cooked, baked steamed or what ever. Later in life I discovered that a similar item, was prepared in authentic Chinese restaurants in Seattle’s Chinatown. They called it “dim sum”. They had bits of pork inside. It is interesting to note that different cultures had similar foods and ways of cooking them.”

Share your memories and recipes regarding Dampfnudel and other German-Russian foods and recipes with a message at this BLOG.

See the GRHC website at “Recipes & Foodways” at www.ndsu.edu/grhc/history_culture/recipe.index.html.


Dampfnudel image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dampfnudel

Jessica Clark will present “Hope for Tomorrow: Holiday Traditions Shape German-Russian Identity” on Friday, March 28.

The colloquium will take place in Morrill Hall 107, NDSU, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Please click here for more information.

Jessica Clark, Coordinator of the Dakota Memories Oral History Project

Organizers of the Dakota Memories Oral History Project, in cooperation with Prairie Public Broadcasting, will air the second part of “Growing Up German-Russian: A Radio Series, Part II,” beginning March 24.

The first part of the radio series, aired last spring and was partially funded by a grant from the North Dakota Humanities Council.

According to Jessica Clark, project coordinator and recipient of the Germans from Russia History Doctoral Fellowship at NDSU, the “Growing up German-Russian” radio series focuses on the childhood memories of second and third generation Germans from Russia.

“The series consists of short clips about memories of traumatic events, rural traditions, family life and food ways,” Clark said. “It is by far our most geographically diverse and entertaining series to date.”

Public interest in documenting and preserving German-Russian ethnic identity inspired the launch of the project in 2005. Since then, organizers have been traveling the Northern Plains, gathering stories and documenting family relationships and childhood memories of second and third generation Germans from Russia. Memories like those of Elda (Schultz) Rasch, originally from Fredonia, N.D., are part of the radio series.

During an interview for the project, Rasch shared childhood memories of gopher hunting. She said that her family trapped the gophers and would turn their tails in to the county, which paid two cents per tail. “One time I remember we didn’t kill them, we just let them run without their tails,” Rasch said laughing. “Dad found out about it and that was the end of our gopher hunting for a while.”

Arthur E. Schmidt, another participant for the project who is originally from the Mewelart Township in North Dakota, told a story of his father’s positive attitude during a difficult time for farming. He remembered his family was getting ready to harvest a field of wheat, when grasshoppers invaded and destroyed the entire field. “Everything was gone. The wheat was chewed down,” Schmidt said. “Then my mom said, now what are we going to do? This was supposed to be enough for our flour for the winter and enough seed to reseed again next spring.” Schmidt knew his father was hurting, but he reassured the family there would be another way.

The radio broadcasts are funded by the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection and can be heard on 90.5 FM in Bismarck, 89.9 FM in Dickinson, 91.9 FM in Fargo, 89.3 FM in Grand Forks, 91.5 FM in Jamestown, 88.9 FM in Minot and 89.5 FM in Williston. The program will run through May 12, broadcasting at 7:33 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The program also will air following the “Hear it Now” show, which airs at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The radio narratives also can be heard at www.prairiepublic.org/radio. A two-disc set will be available for purchase in late spring or early summer.

The Dakota Memories Oral History Project is a privately funded project sponsored by the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection in the NDSU Library. For more information, contact the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection at 1-6596 or visit www.ndsu.edu/grhc/dakotamemories.

Please click here to see a schedule.

The Advertising Federation of Fargo Moorhead awarded a Silver Addy Award in the Sales Promotion Product or Service Sales Presentation category for the Germans from Russia brochure and pocket folder, at their annual Addy Awards Banquet at the Fargo, N.D., Holiday Inn on Friday, Feb. 29. Credits go to Beth Hagemeister (design), Kathy Laid (copy editor), Knight Printing and Richtman’s Printing (printers). The Addys are the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition. The mission of the Addy competition is to recognize and reward creative excellence in the art of advertising.

Front Panel of the GRHC Brochure

Front of the GRHC Folder

Please click her to view the March 2008 In Touch with Prairie Living column.

We (Fargo) tied our record low temperature of 30 below this morning. With subzero temperatures all week, we’re all doing our best to stay warm.

Every German Russian knows (or anyone with good taste) that nothing warms you up like a bowl of knoephla soup!

Growing up in south-central North Dakota, knoephla soup was a favorite all year long. However, on a cold day like today I can’t help but crave a bowl of mom’s creamy knoephla soup or even one from my hometown cafe. Home Plate Café in Fredonia, ND still serves knoephla soup every Tuesday. On cold days like today, it makes the 150-mile drive sound like a good idea. Maybe I should call and see if they have any left from yesterday. It would definitely hit the spot!

According to www.reference.com:

“Knoephla, also spelled knephla (in English), is a type of dumpling, commonly used in soups. The word is related to the modern German Knöpfle, meaning little knob/button. Traditional knoephla soup is a thick chicken and potato soup, almost to the point of being a stew. It is particularly common in the U.S. states of Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota, where there was significant German-Russian settlement.”

After waking up everyone’s taste buds, I had better leave you with a recipe.

Here is my imitation of my mom’s classic recipe (as with all great cooks she does not have one):

Knoephla Soup

1 Onion (chopped)
1 Recipe Knoephla (or a package of frozen Spätzle or dumplings)
5 Potatoes (peeled and diced)
4 Tablespoons Chicken Bullion (more or less depending on taste)
1 Carton Milk
Cream
Salt & Pepper

1. In a kettle, boil the knoephla and potatoes in water.
2. In a small pan sauté onion with butter.
3. Put carton of milk in soup kettle and begin to slowly warm, adding the chicken bullion.
4. Once the knoephla and potatoes are done cooking, drain and add them to the soup broth.
5. Add sautéed onion to the soup broth.
6. Simmer on medium low, stirring frequently.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Prior to serving, add some cream to thicken the broth.

I encourage you to post your favorite knoephla soup recipe.

Stay warm,
Acacia

Jerry Richter of Jamestown, ND shared his Christmas memories:

“Christmas was a time of delicious smells emanating from the kitchen, as Mom began holiday preparations of pies, cakes, cookies and homemade candies.

The central tradition at our house was going to Christmas Eve’s Midnight Mass. I still remember the front of the church with live Christmas trees and the Nativity scene. I can still smell the scent of pine trees. Even with no lights nor tree ornaments, everything was so beautiful; plus the music sung by the St. James Academy Choir. [I would in later years try out for the choir, only to have Sister Camillus take me aside and say to me, "Jerome, God is gracious to all his children and gives each one special gifts and talents. But I am sorry to say that the gift of singing is not one of the many gifts, which he has given you.] A very short-lived musical career for me!!!

In those days the Mass was still said in Latin. After Mass when we had returned home, we always had oyster stew, with those neat little oyster crackers. [This was not a favorite of my three sisters and I, but we would labor through this tradition.] Our parents absolutely loved this treat.

Christmas Day was the culmination of suspense: completing our morning chores and making sure all animals had extra feed and bedding. It was time to cleanup, to finish breakfast, and to see what Santa had brought us.

My sisters and I would wear out pages of the Sears wish-book, hoping Santa would bring us our hearts’ desires. We usually got one item of our many desires: The proverbial shirt, blouse, hankies, etc. … And always a book from Dad. He fully believed that we could lay the world at our feet, from the pages of a book. A sentiment we didn’t quite share, yet he never knew our thoughts.

And always the fresh, fresh fruit: Oranges, apples, and bananas. I can still taste those fruit! It was such a treat!

Also, for us children was the big bag of mixed nuts. Even today, some fifty-plus years later, I still try to open a Brazil nut without demolishing the nut meat. I succeed more often now, than those early years.

Christmas Day saw all of our aunts, uncles, and cousins for the Christmas Dinner. Although times were very tough as I realize now, at that time the world just seemed right. Us kids never realized that we were poor. We had each other [to cherish]! And the love of family will blot out many flaws … well, maybe not the set of Lincoln Logs. What the heck! There was always my birthday coming up in three months… or next Christmas.

Meanwhile, we siblings fought over ribbon candy and those chocolate stars, shaped like a Hershey kiss. But my siblings and I had our secret stashes, which held us for a week or more.

Beautiful memories! But I am not so sure that I would want to relive them again. These beautiful memories have a way of blotting out times that were not so great. But good memories stir my heart at this Season of Hope and Joy.”

For additonal Christmas memories, review the GRHC’s Customs, Traditions, and Memories webpage.

Christmas Customs in the Black Sea Area
Weihnachtliches aus dem Schwarzmeergebiet

“Volk auf dem Weg” published by the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland, Stuttgart, Germany, in the December, 2000 issue featured an article in the German language by Anton Bosch, translated to English by Alex Herozg relating to Christmas traditions in the former Black Sea German villages of South Russia (today near Odessa, Ukraine).

I want to share with you some interesting comments from this article:

“In the Black Sea area, too, Christmas was the greatest feast, for which children along with their parents and grandparents intensively prepared throughout Advent, and which they awaited with great anticipation amidst projects of repairing and applying new layers of lacquer on old toys.

The old traditions had been brought along by our ancestors, from the Pfalz [Palatinate], from Baden, Alsace, and Wuerttemberg, to the Black Sea area. They held on to them even up to the expulsions and deportations four, five generations later, and they practiced them, with slight variations, in every settlement area, be it the Beresan or the Kutchurgan regions.

And today, the figures of the Christ Child and the Pelzenickel, to name only two of our favorite Christmas-time figures, still make their appearance at the season’s celebrations of our organization. Moreover, the descendants of our colonists, beyond two or three further generations, continued to nurture these traditions even in Siberia, and subsequently they brought them back to Germany — a fact not too well known by our people.”

Click here to see the complete article.

Please share your Christmas memories by posting a comment.

Image from Joseph S. Height’s, “Memories of the Black Sea Germans” on page 211.