Knights of Kaleva

Finnish American society founded in 1898.

The Knights of Kaleva were founded in Belt, Mont., in 1898 by John Stone, a Finnish immigrant from Oulu. The fraternity was formed to help foster fellowship between Finns in America and was dedicated to the nurturing of "Finnishness," predominantly through the study of the Kalevala, the national epic of Finland. The Knights of Kaleva, or Kalevan Ritarit, also aimed to improve the socio-economic status of American Finns. Many of its members were a part of the Finnish immigrant middle-class businessmen. The central governing body of the Knights of Kaleva is the Grand Supreme Lodge, or Yli-Maja. Soon after the Knights' founding a corresponding women's organization, the Ladies of Kaleva, was formed. An organizational publication, The Kalevainen, has been published annually or monthly since 1913.