The Emigrants (Utvandrarna)

The Emigrants

This is the story of some people from Ljuder in Småland, Sweden

who emigrated to North America

In 1844, Ljuder County had 1925 inhabitants

the population had tripled in a 100 years

In addition to 254 land-owning farmers

there were 39 craftsmen, 92 landless peasants and 11 soldiers

Further, there were 274 servants, 23 unemployed, 104 paupers,

60 disabled, 5 slow individuals, 3 idiots, 3 whores and 2 thieves.

Four men controlled the County by power of their spiritual or secular authority:

The Priest Brusander, Sheriff Innegren,

Lord, Knights and Lieutenant Paul Rudeborg,

and the church deacon and merchant Per Persson.

It was as in most other Counties at this time.

Everyone must bow down to the local authorities

but no authority is without a God.

For what authority there is has been granted by God.

And He who opposes those in authority, He defies God's will.

And those who oppose the authority will be judged.

For those who have authority do not strike fear in the hearts of those who do good

only those who do evil

So, if you do not want to fear authority you will have to do good

and you will be rewarded by Him.

For he is God' servant leading you to good.

Amen.

- Can I have another piece of herring? - You can't just eat herring

- But it tastes good - She pickled it last week.

- How long were you a farm hand here dad? - About twelve years.

- But it wasn't in Alarum the whole time? - No, it wasn't.

You won't be taking over a Kingdom.

But there is twice as much land here as there was 25 years ago.

If you want to be a farmer you will need a woman.

Recon I could get a good one if I wanted

Don't sit there and brag, boy.

Kristina!

Eat now.

If only I had a horse... but the farm can't feed a horse.

Dad has ploughed all the land there is, yet we don't get any richer.

one should eat ones bread sprinkled with the sweat of ones face

- Do you have money for the bank? - we are 22 Riksdaler short.

- We could borrow money from Kristina's uncle. - You can borrow from me.

I will let Robert know about the cat. She won't last much longer.

Are you thinking about something?

snow for Midsummer... and a lot of it.

- It doesn't look good for the harvest. - No, it doesn't.

When should we sow. If the harvest fails again this year I don't know what we will do.

- We will put our faith in God. - Faith...

If it was enough with faith we could reap a hundred barrels of wheat this autumn.

We toil as hard as we can. and even so we only barely make ends meet.

After 4 years we have no oxen and we're 70 'riksdaler' deeper in debt.

if only the weather would co-operate,

and keep the bounty of the soil from all kinds of disasters.

bless us with wheat and chaff.

through the power of Jesus Christ, our lord. Amen.

- Karl Oskar, I don't know... - What's the matter?

- I'm thinking of the children. - They're asleep. All three of them.

I'm thinking of food for the kids.

Food?

I mean, if we abstained, there wouldn't be even more mouths to feed.

Abstain, for the rest of our lives?

Should we keep apart, for eternity? I wouldn't be able to.

Not until I get so old that moss starts sprouting on my ears.

why can't you work for your food and clothes. Your 15 and strong and healthy.

- We can't keep you at home any longer. - You ought to have left long ago.

You ought to be ashamed of your self. Your sister has been a young lady for years.

What book is that?

Natural sciences I got it from the Schoolmaster.

For he was a good reader, said Rinaldo.

He always said everyone ought to read the Bible and natural sciences.

It contains everything there is to know about this world.

It talks about the body. And about the water. Listen to this:

"you can hold a piece of wood or rock in your hand,"-

" but you can't hold water in your hand."

"for water is liquid and withdraws."

"all liquid things, such as, water, beer, milk"

"can be dripped, and are called liquids, because they are liquid."

Ah, look at the boy, yes! My little boy.

I couldn't find my way to Nybacken this morning

Stop!

You have earn much harsher punishment,

but this time you got away with a slap.

louse.

I'll teach you to speed up!

aren't you going to teach Robert as well, Arvid?

Aren't you and the heifer going to the priest to announce your engagement?

"strange exotic plants are:"

"sugarcane, which can grow three bales tall and get thick as an arm"

read that again, the bit about the rice.

"rice is a grain grown in many warmer countries

"but the refined grains are carried all the way to us, and then they're called risgryn."

"these are boiled with milk to make the white and delicious rice porridge."

"the best rice comes from the other side of the ocean, from North-America."

How wide is the ocean?

- It's all the fault of our Lord's weather. - Don't blaspheme, Karl Oskar.

Can this be called hay? or is it cat's hair?

If you've taken the rest, you might as well take this too.

Karl Oskar! You challenge God!

God forgive you for what you have done. God forgive you, Karl Oskar.

What have you found?

- Are we going to die too? - Yes, I suppose so.

- When will we die, dad? - Not for a long time yet.

If we don't get rain soon, we will have to do without milk.

you remember how many molehills we had last ye

- Where did you get that? - I took some of my pay in spirits.

Aaron said there will be a house change next week.

Last year the priest asked me who we call 'our lords'. I couldn't answer.

"our lords are what we call the people, who in addition to our parents,"

"have fatherly authority over us, such as clergy, teachers and landlords."

Do you know how many nobles and landlords we have above us in this world?

The first is the King, Oskar 1st.

The second is County Chief. The third is tax collector.

The fourth is sheriff Innegren, and the fifth is the sheriffs deputy.

the sixth is the Priest, and seventh, Aaron, our landlord.

I have to say. What a mountain of gents!

Do you know it now, if they should ask you again?

the first is the King...

- And what's his name? - Oskar the 1st.

and then we have...

The County Chief.

and then the tax collector after that?

- and then it's the priest. - No.

The King, Oskar the 1st, and then the County Chief...

Arvid!

Are you going to chop wood in the middle of the night?

Old mother is going to die tonight.

- Put down the axe. - I'm going to kill her!

- Have you gone insane! - I'm going to chop her straight in the mouth!

Arvid, listen to me...

Don't touch that axe!

Listen to me! Your making yourself miserable.

- You don't know what you're doing! - I said, let go of the axe!

Arvid... come inside.

- Do you know what she's accusing me of? - Yes.

It's that women that has made it all up

I have never done anything illegal with the heifer.

I believe you, Arvid. I have never believed the things they have said about you.

Do you know what they call me?

The bull of Nybacken.

It's not so strange none of the girls want anything to do with me.

Arvid... I have a secret. You're the only one I can tell.

Can I trust you?

You have to promise not to tell anyone.

My lips are sealed. Even if they chop my head off, my lips are sealed.

- I'm going to run away. - Run away?

In the autumn, when they drive the timber to Karlshamn, I'm taking the boat to America.

- Will you come with me, Arvid? - Yes.

Look at this.

'description of the United States of America,"-

"with information and advice for emigrants."

in America things aren't split into nobility and commoners as they are here.

and you can address even the President as you if you want to.

The finest rice comes from Carolina in North-America.

and it's forbidden to eat salted herring.

"in America no one works more than 12 hours in a day."

"many of the slaves have better houses, food and circumstances than peasants in Europe"

'they keep their own chickens ands pigs. They can grow what they want and sell their excess."

- Then I will sell myself as a slave. - That's illegal for white people.

but, you said America was a free country.

Yes, but this particular trade is illegal for white people.

I'll come even so.

- How much is the fare? - About 200 riksdaler.

Ah Hell...!

200 riksdaler? I'll never be able to get that much.

- You don't have enough for the fare. - We have forgotten about the highway!

No, no one can walk to America.

- Is there no way? - No, America is an island.

The god-damn ocean.

Last year our harvest rotted away. This year it's burning up.

We should manage on this till Christmas time, I should think.

And what will we put on our bread afterwards?

- When will we die, mother? - Only God knows that.

Dad has said that everyone will die.

There are a few drops. Maybe we'll get a shower after all.

- Peek-a-boo! - No, don't do that!

There's a fire. There's a fire in the outhouse!

You got what you wanted. That's your punishment.

There was nothing we could do. Those few drops didn't help.

is this my little boy with his playhouse?

Sneaking away from your work, you devils lazybones!

oh my god... oh my god!

Oh my god!

What is it?

...find a good Christian husband...

- Robert, what is it? - My ear hurts.

What should I do?

Will have to try some spirits on a piece of wool.

This is going to sting at first, but it will soon pass.

There... that's it.

It helped a little.

but it's still noisy.

It sounds like there's a whole ocean in there.

- Can you hear it? - No.

Are you home so soon?

Karl Oskar?

What's the matter?

I broke the plough. On a big stone bastard.

- The soil here is cursed. - There is no need for profanity.

Can't you fix the plough?

Everything falls to pieces, no matter how hard you work.

and there just keeps getting more and more of us. - Leave the worries to God.