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44-505: There is a theory among some academic groups that due to the discrimination and suppression by the Norwegian authorities the term Kven became derogatory in the late 19th century. Therefore, many Kvens preferred to be called kainulaiset . But with the revitalization of the Kven culture in the 1970s, Kvens themselves started using the term. However, even in the 1990s there was a debate whether

88-569: A Kven culture fund, road and other signs in Kven, Kven names in official maps, and museums and centers for Kven language and culture. Kven Finn Association or Kveeni Suomi Liitto in Finnish and Kvensk Finsk Riksforbund in Norwegian is an NGO who works for the rights of the Kven and Finn people in Norway. It was founded together with similar organizations in Sweden and Finland in 1999, that jointly uses

132-479: A Kven. Therefore, other studies have estimated the number of Kvens to be about 50,000–60,000, based on the criteria that at least one grandparent spoke Kven . But many of these may consider themselves to be Norwegian or Sami or a combination. Danish/Norwegian tax records from the 16th century already list some Kvens living in North Norway . Also, the famous map of Scandinavia by Olaus Magnus from 1539 shows

176-478: A dialect of Finnish, and whether the Kven language or Kven dialect of Finnish should be taught in schools. Kven and Sami people share a common history of Norwegianization . However, post-Norwegianization policies have treated them differently. Sami people have been recognized as the indigenous people in Northern Norway. They have their own schools and parliament, and they elect three of the six members for

220-414: A government report about the history and rights of the Kven population, improving the media coverage of Kven issues, and for the Norwegian government to establish a secretary ( statssekretær ) for Kven issues. In addition, reading and writing classes at the beginner to advanced level, establishing a Kven kindergarten, and to incorporate the Kven language in all education levels in Norway. Also, to establish

264-518: A minority language; it is only protected under Part II. This means that the culture and language are barely protected under this charter and, with the language dying out, the Norwegian Kven Association deems it important that the language be moved to Part III. The Norwegian Kven Organization was established in 1987. The organization currently (2024) has over 1200 members and about fifteen local branches. The members report to

308-409: A part of his theory about the origin of the name "kven" , Jouko Vahtola , a professor of history at Oulu University, suggested that the name "kainuu" had the same origin. Vahtola constructed a hypothetical proto-Germanic word "*χwainō" that meant "swampy land" (related to English whin ). *χwainō derives from Proto-Indo-European *ḱʷeyn- , so the borrowing might have happened early on, but there

352-462: A possible Kven settlement roughly in between today's Tromsø and Lofoten named "Berkara Qvenar". Kvens of this time are often connected to the birkarl organization in northern Sweden. In some early documents Kvens are also grouped together with the Sami people , who are the indigenous people of Central and Northern Norway. The Kven language is a Finnic language . Kven differs from Finnish since

396-512: A reminder of the reputed cleanliness of the Kvens. The silver-ware is likewise an important part of Kven clothing and the position of kvensølvesmed (Norwegian for 'kven silver smith') is an important one. Kadonu Loru is the only pop music single ever recorded in the Kven language. It is based on an old Kven nursery rhyme about making sausages. The artists are Karine Jacobsen and Kine Johansen respectively from Børselv and Lakselv . The single

440-465: A slight advantage in understanding Kven speakers, as opposed to the other way around. Origin of the name Kainuu The origin of the name Kainuu has been disputed among Finnish historians and linguistics. Kainuu is a region of Finland. The reason for the controversy is the speculated connection between areas known as Kainuu and Kvenland , both historical lands in Fennoscandia . As

484-588: Is a Finnic language or a group of Finnish dialects spoken in the northernmost parts of Norway by the Kven people . For political and historical reasons, it received the status of a minority language in 2005 within the framework of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . However, it is seen by some as a mutually intelligible dialect of the Finnish language , and grouped together with

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528-786: Is also active regarding reviving the folk music traditions and documenting the history of Finnish speaking people throughout Fennoscandinavia. The Kven institute ( Kainun institutti in Kven/Finnish and Kvensk institutt in Norwegian) is a center for Kven culture and language located in Børselv in Porsangi Municipality (Porsanger) in Norway . The Kven Language Board that was established in April 2007. It consists of

572-510: Is freely available. Today, most speakers of Kven are found in two places in Norway: Storfjord Municipality and Porsanger Municipality . A few speakers can be found other places, such as Bugøynes , Neiden , Vestre Jakobselv , Vadsø , and Nordreisa . In northeastern Norway, mainly around Varanger Fjord , the spoken language is quite similar to standard Finnish , whereas the Kven spoken west of Alta , due to

616-471: Is no evidence that the word "kainuu" was ever used to mean "swampy land" in any Finnish dialect. Jorma Koivulehto , Professor of Germanic Philology at the University of Helsinki, has proposed that "kainuu" was originally the same as "*gain-", a Germanic word for a hole or mouth. With the meaning "water-route" or "water-body", *Kainu- was originally a toponymic prefix in southwestern Finland, and during

660-576: Is published each month. The newspaper writes mostly about Kven issues, and about the work of strengthening Finnish language and culture in Norway. In addition the paper has stories about other Finnish organizations in Norway, and about other Finnish minorities in the Nordic and surrounding countries. The newspaper's Chief editor is Liisa Koivulehto. Baaski is a Kven culture festival held in Nordreisa Municipality . The first festival

704-414: Is represented in writing by ⟨n⟩ if followed by /k/ , and ⟨ng⟩ if geminated; i.e., ⟨nk⟩ /ŋk/ and ⟨ng⟩ /ŋː/ . Gemination is indicated in writing by doubling the letter; e.g., ⟨mm⟩ for /mː/ and ⟨ll⟩ for /lː/ . Just like in Finnish, Kven has many noun cases. In Kven, the third person plural verb ending uses

748-570: Is similar to that of Finnish . However, Kven and Finnish diverge in the phonemic realization of some words. While Standard Finnish has been replacing /ð/ with /d/ , it is retained in Kven. For instance, the word syöđä ('to eat') in Kven is syödä in Finnish. In addition, due to loanwords, the sound /ʃ/ is much more common in Kven than in Finnish: for example, Kven prošekti ('project'), compared to Finnish projekti . Kven has 16 vowels , if one includes vowel length : In writing,

792-492: Is used only in lower Satakunta in Finland. It had a completely different meaning, referring to the middle stake in a work sled, but also clearly derives from *gain-. There are words in Sami languages that sound similar to "kainuu". In North Samic , Gáidnu is a rope made of roots for boats or fishing nets; Gáidnulaŝ refers to a clumsy person; and Geaidnu is a road or a way. In a Saami dictionary of 1780, Kainolats had

836-585: The Peräpohjola dialects such as Meänkieli , spoken in Torne Valley in Sweden . While it is often considered a dialect in Finland, it is officially recognized as a minority language in Norway and many Kven consider it a separate language. There are about 1,500 to 10,000 known native speakers of this language, most of whom are over the age of 60. Middle-aged speakers tend to have a passing knowledge of

880-471: The 1930 census there were 8,215 registered Kvens in Troms and Finnmark. In 1950, 1,439 people reported that they used the Finnish language, in Troms (58 people) and Finnmark (1,381 people). In 2001, the number of Kvens was estimated to be about 10,000 to 15,000 in a parliamentary inquiry on national minorities in Norway. However, estimating the number of Kvens is difficult since there is no official definition of

924-614: The Finnic Meänkieli language spoken in northern Sweden. Today, both are officially recognised minority languages in the areas where the languages are spoken. Finnish , Meänkieli and Sami are all officially recognised minority languages in the Kiruna Municipality in Sweden. Ruijan Kaiku is a bi-lingual newspaper ( Kven / Finnish and Norwegian ) that is published in Tromsø , Norway . Currently one issue

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968-620: The Iron Age it was gradually established as the name of the land surrounding the northern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. Linguistically this etymology is seen as more acceptable. The area originally known as Kainuu seems to have been the central part of Ostrobothnia where Karelians had access to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Middle Ages . Noteworthy in this context is the word "kainu", which

1012-494: The Kven culture and language at the University of Tromsø , and in 2007 the Kven language board was formed at the Kven institute , a national centre for Kven language and culture in Børselv , Norway . The council developed a written standard Kven language, using Finnish orthography to maintain inter-Finnish language understanding. The grammar, written in Kven, was published in 2014. A Norwegian translation published in 2017

1056-508: The Kven language. Norway saw the Kvens as a kind of a threat to Norwegian society and the attempt to assimilate the Kvens was much stronger than with the Sámi people . The Kven Assembly was formed in 2007 and plans to standardize a Kven written language. The term Kven first appeared in Ohthere 's tales from the 800s, along with the terms Finn and Norwegian . The area that the Kvens lived in

1100-423: The Kven population was in effect isolated from other Finnish-speaking people. The Kven language has come to incorporate many Norwegian loanwords, and Finnish words that are no longer used in Finland are still used. In a 2005 government report, the number of people speaking Kven in Norway was estimated to be between 2,000 and 8,000, depending on the criteria used. Finnish is the preferred language of instruction among

1144-629: The Kvens recognized, similarly to the Sami people, as an indigenous people in Norway. This has made it important for some Kvens to show that their history stretches further back in time than commonly believed. There has been some recent unofficial adoption of the word "Kainu" as the new name for "Kven", in accordance with the hypotheses put forward by Finnish historians Jouko Vahtola and Kyösti Julku . Vahtola has hypothesized that words "Kven" and "Kainu(u)" are interchangeable . In 2018, The Storting commissioned The Truth and Reconciliation Commission to lay

1188-472: The Kvens started to comprise a significant part of the population in Northern Norway. In 1845 13.3% of the population in Finnmark, and 3.2% in Troms, considered themselves as Kvens. In 1854 the numbers increased to respectively, 19.9% and 7.0%. The peak was in 1875, with respectively 24.2% and 7.7%. The ratios were reduced to respectively 20.2% and 3.7%, in 1890, and 13.8% and 2.0% in 1900 (all numbers from). In

1232-440: The Kvens. 90% of the kids in the county of Troms and Finnmark that had a right to choose between Finnish and Kven chose Finnish. In the 1990s there was a debate among Kvens whether they should be considered as an ethnic group of their own, or whether they were Finnish Norwegians. As well, during the process of legal recognition of the Kven language, there was a debate as to whether it should be considered an actual language or merely

1276-414: The Norwegian terms finne , finsk , or finskætted (respectively a Finnish person, Finnish, and of Finnish origin) should be used instead. However, today the term Kven is accepted and used, for example, in the name of the Kven organization in Norway, Norske Kveners Forbund . The Kvens were registered as a separate group in the Norwegian censuses in the period 1845 to 1930. From the 18th century

1320-526: The area's close ties to the Torne Valley area along the border between Finland and Sweden, is more closely related to the Meänkieli spoken there. In government report from 2005, the number of people speaking Kven in Norway is estimated to be between 2,000 and 8,000, depending on the criteria used, though few young people speak it, which is a major obstacle to its survival . The phonology of Kven

1364-496: The board of Finnmark Estate (the organization owning about 95% of the land in the county of Finnmark). Some Kvens believe the distribution of rights and public funds has favored the Sami people too much, whereas on the Sami side there are people who think the Norwegian minority politics and public funding should focus mostly on the Sami people. Lately, the Norwegian Kven Organization has attempted to get

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1408-757: The discrimination the Norwegian authorities are directing towards the Kvens/FInns and the Saami. 100:1 in favour of the Saami in economic terms, at least. Furthermore, the government's bad treatment of Finnish as the de-facto ethnic language for the Kvens/Finns. In this regard, the Kven Finn Association has started a grant for young students in high school to motivate more young people to learn Finnish (Finnish, Kven, or even Meänkieli). The Kven Finn Association has local chapters all over Norway and

1452-430: The first Kven language and culture plan. They are skilled at making plans. For example, they have a library plan, transport plan and physical activity plan. In the above sample, some Kven terms are shared with not only Norwegian, but also Swedish (e.g. biblioteek ( bibliotek ), transport , kommuun ( kommun ), and plaan ( plan , alternate term for planering/planera )), giving Finns who learned Swedish at school

1496-476: The foundation for recognition of the experiences of the Kven subject to Norwegianization and the subsequent consequences. The Kven flag was hoisted at the Kiruna City Hall in Sweden on 16 March 2013, at 11:00, in celebration and honour of the first annual Day of the Kvens. Hereafter, that date is meant to be recognised wider in the Kven communities of the north and by others as well. The date for

1540-464: The government about the history and rights of the Kven people. The members also try and highlight Kven news by advancing Kven media coverage. The organization has also been pushing the Norwegian government to establish a state secretary for Kven issues. Moving the language of Kven into kindergarten classrooms, as well as all other education levels is also a forefront issue that the organization is aiming to tackle. Since 2006, it has been possible to study

1584-416: The language. They use it occasionally, but not frequently enough to keep it off the endangered list. People under the age of 30 rarely speak or know the language. However, children in the community of Børselv can learn Kven in their primary schools. Because of fears of Finnish expansion into Norway, there were attempts of assimilating of the Kven people into Norwegian society and to make the Kvens give up

1628-518: The leader Irene Andreassen, Terje Aronsen, Prof. Anna Riitta Lindgren, Assoc. Prof. Eira Söderholm, and Pia Lane. The first task is to create a standard for written Kven language. Halti kvenkultursenter is located in Nordreisa Municipality . The Ruija Kven Museum is located in Vadsø . Kven language Kven ( kvääni or kväänin kieli ; kainu or kainun kieli ; Finnish : kveeni or kveenin kieli ; Norwegian : kvensk )

1672-542: The name Kvenlandsförbundet (Kveenimaayhistys). Kvenlandsförbundet created the Kvenflagg. The Kven Finn Association as a part of Kvenlandsförbundet is administrating the participation of the Kven people at the Finno-Ugric World Congress. The organization reports to international bodies on how Norway is living up to various International Law conventions. The organization is very much concerned about

1716-520: The occasion was chosen from the signing in 1328 of a state treaty between Sweden and the Birkarls , known as Tälje Charter ("Tälje stadga" in Swedish). In that treaty, the king of Sweden guaranteed them their trading rights in the north (translation from Latin last printed in 1995, Wallerström, page 48). In the past, the Kven language spoken in Norway was considered a dialect of Finnish , much like

1760-803: The passive form. The letter h is also very common in Kven; there are rules on where it is used. According to Katriina Pedersen, most differences with Kven and Standard Finnish are in vocabulary, for example Finnish auto 'car', in Kven is piili (from Norwegian bil ). Tromssan fylkinkomuuni oon saanu valmhiiksi mailman ensimäisen kainun kielen ja kulttuurin plaanan. Se oon seppä tekemhään plaanoi. Heilä oon esimerkiksi biblioteekkiplaana, transporttiplaana ja fyysisen aktiviteetin plaana. Tromssan läänikunta on saanut valmiiksi maailman ensimmäisen kveenin kielen ja kulttuurin suunnitelman. Se on taitava tekemään suunnitelmia. Heillä on esimerkiksi kirjastosuunnitelma, liikennesuunnitelma ja fyysisten aktiviteettien suunnitelma. prepared

1804-407: The vowel length is indicated by doubling the letter; e.g., ⟨yy⟩ /yː/ and ⟨öö⟩ /øː/ . The graphemes representing /ø/ , /æ/ and /ɑ/ are ⟨ö⟩ , ⟨ä⟩ and ⟨a⟩ , respectively. Kven has 14 consonants found in native vocabulary , and 4 consonants found in loanwords : /b, d, ɡ, ʃ/ are only found in loanwords. /ŋ/

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1848-608: Was called Kvenland. They originally settled in Kvenland, which also expanded into the flat areas of the Bay of Bothnia . As the Kven community continued to grow and develop a long standing culture, the Norwegian state deemed the Kvens taxpayers and the term Kven soon became an ethnic term. In 1992, the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages was enacted to protect regional and minority languages. It included Kven as

1892-475: Was in June 2007, but it is intended to be an annual event. The responsible organizers is Nordreisa municipality, and the first festival director was Johanne Gaup. While the Kven costume ( Kväänipuku ) was only 'designed' in the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s it builds on older Kven fashions and is intended to strengthen Kven identity. Much of it is in a simple white colour, which beyond it's historical use serves as

1936-411: Was published by Iđut . The Norwegian Kven Organization ( Ruijan Kveeniliitto in Kven/Finnish and Norske Kveners Forbund in Norwegian) was established in 1987, and has currently about 700 members. The organization has local branches in: Skibotn , Børselv , Nord-Varanger , Tana , Lakselv , Alta , northern Troms , Tromsø , and Østlandet . The tasks of the organisation include working for

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