Kansallinen eläin

Suomenhevosen ekonationalistiset diskurssit

Abstract

This article discusses the discursive production of the Finnhorse as a national animal. While the role of
the Finnhorse has transformed from a rural workhorse to a companion animal, its image and cultural
representation continue to reflect traditional values famously promoted by nineteenth-century nationalist
thinkers such as Zachris Topelius. Since the Finnhorse articulates clearly Finnish values and is strongly
linked to the past values of a rural Finland, the article addresses the Finnhorse in the context of nation. We
discuss its representation in a variety of contemporary documents planning the future of the Finnhorse
and its cultural representation in contemporary popular culture and literature. According to the findings,
the traditional ideals of Finnishness such as honesty, humbleness, and hard work characterize the Finnhorse
as well as the nation. The role of the Finnhorse in the World War II has become a part of Finnish
cultural memory and is addressed in popular cultural representations. The relationship between Finns and
the Finnhorse is an emotionally laden and gendered relationship. The future of the Finnhorse as imagined
in planning documents sees its Finnishness as a strength, but some cultural representations problematize
the relationship between the animal and nation in the era of European integration. When the econationalist
discourse of biodiversity argues for the protection of the Finnhorse, it simultaneously argues for the
preservation of traditional Finnishness.