Boys learning language of Norwegian heritage

Like many children, Eric Silk, 10, and his brother Einar, 8, like watching their Harry Potter DVD. Close inspection reveals that it’s not “The Chamber of Secrets” version. It’s “Og Mysterie Kammeret.” That’s “Harry Potter’s” sequel in Norwegian.

Thanks to lessons provided by the Sons of Norway, the Silk brothers are reviving a language that hasn’t been spoken in their family for two generations. The Sons of Norway is an organization dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of Nordic cultures.

Every Thursday the boys step away from the usual routine at Hayden Meadows Elementary School to translate Dick and Jane primers in Bokmal, the Norwegian language. Although they don’t think they are fluent enough to carry on private conversations yet, they can hurl a word or two that other kids won’t understand. “Dumskull” comes in handy when they need a quick retort.

Their father, Todd, held an interest in the family heritage and wanted his children to learn about it. Their mother, Pamla, orders canned reindeer meat from the Internet and incorporates Norwegian foods into her meal plans. Although she comes from Irish ancestry, she has embraced Norwegian culture in order to enrich the boys’ experience. Even four-year-old Annika practices counting to 10 in Bokmal.

Einar’s favorite part of the Norwegian culture is the potlucks where Sons of Norway members gather to share traditional foods. He isn’t crazy about the pickled herring or lutefisk, but likes the socializing, he said. Older brother, Eric, is more open to strange foods, including lutefisk, which is dried cod that historically was treated with lye.

“It smells funny and feels like jelly, but the person who cooks it drenches it in butter and it tastes really good,” he said.

He finds that the flatbread tastes like plywood, but he likes it anyway.

The boys are the only local youths taking advantage of the language lessons, which are included in the family’s annual membership fee to the Sons of Norway. There is also a camp in Oregon that Eric attended sponsored by the group that Einar may go to once he turns nine. At camp there are opportunities to learn Norwegian games and Scandinavian dances. Eric’s favorite dance was called, “The Thief, The Thief.”

“You start with a partner and the partner can be taken away,” Eric said. “That’s why it’s called ‘The Thief’.”

Wrinkled-faced trolls are honored in the Silk household. They were a gift from relatives who traveled to their homeland and sit beside a pile of Scandinavian comic books. “Bamse” is the favored superhero, a teddy bear who gets his strength from eating “thunder honey.”

The Silk’s home computer is equipped with the Norwegian alphabet and can receive television programs from Norway. Eric found a pen pal from the country and they communicate via e-mail and live chats.

Both boys take piano lessons in addition to language classes, and both enjoy time at home on the computer. Eric plays international online games and hopes to create games of his own. He likes dissecting software and dreams of making a robot. He hopes to study abroad in Norway and imagines himself as a computer programmer or paleontologist one day.

Einar enjoys time with his PlayStation 2 and thinks he’d like to be a chemist or a scientist when he grows up. His primary goal, he said, is one that he learned from his father: to live a very good life.

Members of the Sons of Norway have offered to teach the boys cross country skiing, a traditional Norwegian pastime. Eric enjoys the thrill of snowboarding and ponders whether there’s some way to have cross country skis propelled by jet engine.

Despite their unusual interest in Norway, the Silk brothers are typical American boys who like North Idaho, where they’ve lived their whole lives. The cooler climate suits them more than the hotter places they’ve visited, partially because they don’t have to worry about sunburn on their Norwegian-Irish skin.

Besides helping her sons develop their brains with new language, Pamla Silk believes that honoring traditions builds a stronger family unit.

“The kids are learning from the older generation,” she said. “No matter what culture, it’s important that they know where they come from.”