Last year, the following lines of poetry by Raija Katarina Heikkilä were published in the cultural paper Sirp:

"kust sa siis ikka lõpuks tuled // kus su vanemad elavad // vahel tunnen et tulen igalt poolt // ja eikusagilt [...] // aga kes sa oled // oma või põder või usakas või svensson [...]"

"so where are you really actually from // where do your parents live // sometimes I feel like I'm from everywhere // and from nowhere [...] // but who are you // one of us or a moose or an american or a svensson [...]"

The poem, titled "the diaspora estonian blues, or where do you come from" ("väliseestlase bluus ehk kust sa tuled"), was written by an archaeologist of Estonian descent living in Paris, drawing attention to how multifaceted the self-identification of an Estonian living abroad can be.

Väliseestlane is probably the most prevalent term used to describe members of Estonian communities abroad. Väliseestlased, in turn, are differentiated from kodueestlased — literally "home-Estonians," meaning Estonians in or from Estonia, depending on context. The term is by no means a new one; examples of its usage can be found dating back as far as even a century.

Other terms have been used alongside väliseestlane as well, including ulgueestlane, hajalaeestlane (diaspora Estonian), globaalne or üleilmne eestlane (global Estonian), eestlane välismaal (Estonian abroad) or rahvuskaaslane (compatriot).

More specific terms are used to describe particular communities as well. For example, members of the Canadian and Swedish diaspora may be referred to more specifically as kanada-eestlased (Canadian Estonians) or rootsi-eestlased (Swedish Estonians). Starting in 2011, the term kalevipoeg — referring to the title character of the Estonian national epic — also started being used to refer to construction workers commuting between Estonia and Finland.

But how do the people referred to by the term väliseestlane themselves feel about it?

A 2022 study¹ revealed that the self-identification of Estonians worldwide is complex, and not everyone identifies with the term väliseestlane. Some consider the word alienating and don't think it's suited to describe, for example, those living in countries close to Estonia, those who frequently visit Estonia, or those only temporarily abroad.

However, if someone has lived abroad for a longer period and doesn't plan on returning to Estonia, they are more likely to adopt the term.

That said, it's important to remember that everyone's relationship with their roots is different, and even some descendants of pagulaseestlased — "refugee Estonians," referring to World War II-era refugees — may still primarily identify as Estonian.

All things considered, it's always worth asking how a member of the Estonian diaspora defines themselves. Some may call themselves väliseestlased, while others prefer to simply be called Estonians living abroad.

¹Kristjan Kaldur et al. (2022). "Estonian Communities Abroad: Identity, Attitudes and Expectations Towards Estonia." Research report. Institute of Baltic Studies.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!