Please note that this and related issues are hushed or censored in Finnish media.
Persecuted minorities in Northern Sweden
Some areas in Northern Sweden have been populated by the Finns for centuries. They have formed a big majority in the area close to Finnish border. But the Finnish minority has been a victim of an organized assimilation policy by Swedish governments. According to a magazine of the Finnish Alliance in 1934 so extremely hard minority practice has not been used elsewhere in Europe except in Norway.
Over the years many minority speakers have lost their language due to Swedish governments' hard methods, which often targeted at children. Jingoistic Swedish governments did not hesitate to separate minority children from their parents and send them to majority families for months. This took place in the 1920s and governments gave money for this.
Swedish governments initiated an assimilation policy in the 20th century. Its goal was to assimilate the Finnish and Saami minority into the national majority.
Swedish bishop Lars Landgren (1810-1888) had suggested the assimilation of the Finnish and Saami minority. Minority schools were changed to Swedish in 1888. Before this there had been some Finnish schools in Northern Sweden. Teachers also represented the majority rather than the minority. Some children were separated from their parents and sent to the towns for the summer, just like the government had planned. The bishop's successor Martin Johansson was as jingoistic as Landgren, who wanted to eradicate the minority languages.
Finnish politician Yrjö Koskinen kept an eye on Finnish minorities abroad since the 1860s. Later Finnish bishops Gustaf Johansson and Juho Koskimies were worried about the situation of the Finnish minority in Northern Sweden. But their Swedish counterparts did not change their mind and continued the assimilation policy.
Over the years many minority speakers have lost their language due to Swedish governments' hard methods, which often targeted at children. Jingoistic Swedish governments did not hesitate to separate minority children from their parents and send them to majority families for months. This took place in the 1920s and governments gave money for this.
Swedish governments initiated an assimilation policy in the 20th century. Its goal was to assimilate the Finnish and Saami minority into the national majority.
Swedish bishop Lars Landgren (1810-1888) had suggested the assimilation of the Finnish and Saami minority. Minority schools were changed to Swedish in 1888. Before this there had been some Finnish schools in Northern Sweden. Teachers also represented the majority rather than the minority. Some children were separated from their parents and sent to the towns for the summer, just like the government had planned. The bishop's successor Martin Johansson was as jingoistic as Landgren, who wanted to eradicate the minority languages.
Finnish politician Yrjö Koskinen kept an eye on Finnish minorities abroad since the 1860s. Later Finnish bishops Gustaf Johansson and Juho Koskimies were worried about the situation of the Finnish minority in Northern Sweden. But their Swedish counterparts did not change their mind and continued the assimilation policy.
There followed many problems for minority children. They were punished from speaking their mother tongue at school. This punishment was an official order, which was repealed as late as 1958. And most of the minority children did not speak or understand the majority language. Children had many psycological and linguistic problems.
Language eradication committee
The Swedish government nominated in 1919 a committee to deal with the issue of the Finnish minority in Northern Sweden.
The committee which wanted to eradicate the Finnish language from Northern Sweden had five members. Bishop of Lulea Olof Bergqvist was the chairman. One member agronomist W. L. Wanhainen represented the Finnish minority and he strongly resisted eradication and wanted that the minority had Finnish education. But he could not do anything, the four other members did not agree with him. And the government wanted to assimilate the minorities into Swedish population. The committee asked statements from local priests. Almost all of them turned out to be jingoistic who hated the local language. |
Indoctrination at Swedish public schools looked down on the Finnish and Saami minorities and their language and culture.
The libraries were forbidden to have Finnish books by the government. Postal worker Hannes Hetta who had resisted government's assimilation policy was moved to the majority area by the Swedish Post Office. As we see the Swedish governments' minority policy has been hard. The vicar of Karungi parish claimed that the local children speak Finnish and they don't need Finnish education in schools.
The vicar of Hietaniemi parish demanded that there should not be teaching in Finnish, because Swedification of the Finnish-speaking population was delayed. The vicar of Täräntö parish had found an idea to send Finnish children to Swedish areas for the summer. His statement like so many others did not defend the minority and its rights. The vicar of Jukkasjärvi parish claimed that it is necessary to use only Swedish in schools. There was not room for teaching in Finnish, although the majority of the parish spoke Finnish. The vicar of Pajala parish said in his statement that he speaks only Swedish with youth when the schools are out. It seems that most Swedish clergymen of the area were actually extreme nationalistic. Only one clergyman dared to say that teaching about religion should be in Finnish for Finnish children. All the other Swedish clergymen wanted to eradicate the Finnish language from Northern Sweden. |
Oppression continues
The Swedification law of the committee came into force in 1924. The law denied all the rights from the Finnish minority.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornedalians
In 1912 Haaparanta Seminar did not use Finnish language any longer, although teachers were from the Finnish areas. Finnish was forbidden in schools. Even teaching about religion was in Swedish only.
It seems that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden was highly jingoistic, dependent on the government and ready to obey it. After the reformation in the 17 century the Church of Sweden was a kind of puppet of the government. Services were held in the churches on Sundays and holy days and the priests read also government orders to the people.
Source the magazine of the Finnish Alliance in 1934, no 5, pages 227-
The Swedish foreign ministry and a committee led by bishop Olof Bergqvist found out about political trustworthiness of the Finnish minority. The committee was suspicious about minority's religious connections to Finland. In autumn 1920 Swedish government deported two Finnish laestadian lay preachers. Olof Bergqvist had been a vicar of Jällivaara parish since 1896 where he must have noted the Finnish population there. He later led a committee which wanted eradicate the Finnish language from Northern Sweden.
In spring 1923 Finnish foreign minister Juho Vennola criticized Sweden's education policy, which had denied Finnish education from the Finnish minority. Also Finnish politician Santeri Alkio wanted that the Finnish minority in Northern Sweden had Finnish education. But the Swedish government remonstrated and on president's order foreign minister Vennola retreated.
In the 1930s Swedish newspaper Kuriren which came out in Lulea, attacked all the people who dared to express their opinion on certain things or defend minorities. The newspaper was jingoistic and spread hate against the local minorities, the Finns and the Saamis. The Swedish press demanded that all the citizens should speak only one language. The minorities could not defend itself in the media, it had to be quiet.
Finnish students Paavo Alkio and Ilmari Turja visited the Finnish areas in Northern Sweden in 1925. They wanted that the minority had Finnish schools. Next winter they took the matter up at the Students' Union. In March 1926 the Helsinki Student Union asked Swedish students to urge their government to organize Finnish education for the Finnish minority, in vain. Swedish students supported their government and were not interested in minority rights. The Helsinki Student Union published a booklet of correspondence with its Swedish counterpart in spring 1930 (in French).
This booklet proved to be sensitive, namely the Finnish foreign minister did not consider a good idea to publish the booklet. Over the decades there are many similar cases. Is the Finnish foreign ministry a kind of Office of Censorship? The irresponsible practice to avoid criticizing the neighboring country has been adopted by Finnish media in the 1930s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornedalians
In 1912 Haaparanta Seminar did not use Finnish language any longer, although teachers were from the Finnish areas. Finnish was forbidden in schools. Even teaching about religion was in Swedish only.
It seems that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden was highly jingoistic, dependent on the government and ready to obey it. After the reformation in the 17 century the Church of Sweden was a kind of puppet of the government. Services were held in the churches on Sundays and holy days and the priests read also government orders to the people.
Source the magazine of the Finnish Alliance in 1934, no 5, pages 227-
The Swedish foreign ministry and a committee led by bishop Olof Bergqvist found out about political trustworthiness of the Finnish minority. The committee was suspicious about minority's religious connections to Finland. In autumn 1920 Swedish government deported two Finnish laestadian lay preachers. Olof Bergqvist had been a vicar of Jällivaara parish since 1896 where he must have noted the Finnish population there. He later led a committee which wanted eradicate the Finnish language from Northern Sweden.
In spring 1923 Finnish foreign minister Juho Vennola criticized Sweden's education policy, which had denied Finnish education from the Finnish minority. Also Finnish politician Santeri Alkio wanted that the Finnish minority in Northern Sweden had Finnish education. But the Swedish government remonstrated and on president's order foreign minister Vennola retreated.
In the 1930s Swedish newspaper Kuriren which came out in Lulea, attacked all the people who dared to express their opinion on certain things or defend minorities. The newspaper was jingoistic and spread hate against the local minorities, the Finns and the Saamis. The Swedish press demanded that all the citizens should speak only one language. The minorities could not defend itself in the media, it had to be quiet.
Finnish students Paavo Alkio and Ilmari Turja visited the Finnish areas in Northern Sweden in 1925. They wanted that the minority had Finnish schools. Next winter they took the matter up at the Students' Union. In March 1926 the Helsinki Student Union asked Swedish students to urge their government to organize Finnish education for the Finnish minority, in vain. Swedish students supported their government and were not interested in minority rights. The Helsinki Student Union published a booklet of correspondence with its Swedish counterpart in spring 1930 (in French).
This booklet proved to be sensitive, namely the Finnish foreign minister did not consider a good idea to publish the booklet. Over the decades there are many similar cases. Is the Finnish foreign ministry a kind of Office of Censorship? The irresponsible practice to avoid criticizing the neighboring country has been adopted by Finnish media in the 1930s.
The Swedish Bureau of Education had ordered to punish minority children from speaking their mother tongue at school.
One of the few Swedes to defend the minorities was professor Nils Erik Hansegard (1918-2002). His book on minorities "Bilingualism or half lingualism" came out in 1968 and was translated into Finnish. This book has long been almost a unique of its kind while Finnish media has been silent on the Finnish minority in Sweden and its problems caused by government policy.
In 1958 Hansegard had pointed out about the denial of speaking minority language at recess and after his comment the Swedish Bureau of Education repealed the denial. But this brutal practice did not come to an end and the Bureau had to repeat this order. And still at a lesson pupils should speak the majority language only.
One of the few Swedes to defend the minorities was professor Nils Erik Hansegard (1918-2002). His book on minorities "Bilingualism or half lingualism" came out in 1968 and was translated into Finnish. This book has long been almost a unique of its kind while Finnish media has been silent on the Finnish minority in Sweden and its problems caused by government policy.
In 1958 Hansegard had pointed out about the denial of speaking minority language at recess and after his comment the Swedish Bureau of Education repealed the denial. But this brutal practice did not come to an end and the Bureau had to repeat this order. And still at a lesson pupils should speak the majority language only.
Violated human rights in Norway in the 1930sFrans J. Rantanen wrote an article about the Finnish minority in Northern Norway and its dire situation in the magazine of the Finnish Alliance in 1937 (Suomalainen Suomi, no 8, pages 643-648). He had studied the minority situation there.
Some 7,000 to 8,000 Finns lived in Northern Norway in the 1930s. Their exact number was not known because the Norwegian government wanted to hide their number and assimilate them into Norwegian culture. There were not Finnish libraries, newspapers or schools in Norway. The only official language was Norwegian. One third of the area was populated by the Finns. Notable Finnish areas in Northern Norway were Vesisaari, Alattio (Alta), Porsanger and fully Finnish Skibotn (in Finnish Jyykeä). At the village of Skibotn the Finns formed a big majority of the local population. In a Skibotn school pupils were punished if they spoke Finnish. Teachers did understand Finnish, but they were not allowed to speak it. But a priest, officials and the press were Norwegians and they put pressure on the local population to talk in Norwegian only. The Norwegian government's assimilation policy was severe. |
Confiscated newspapers on the border
On the Finnish side of the Norwegian border Petsamon Sanomat newspaper tried to sell issues to Norway, but all the issues were confiscated by the Norwegian Customs.
Perhaps this confiscation was the reason why Petsamon Sanomat newspaper published only four issues in 1929. The first issue of this newspaper came out on March 13, 1929. Economic condition was good for the newspaper, it had many ads. Most of the ads came from the Norwegian side of the border, Vuoreija, Vesisaari and Kirkkoniemi. This tells us that there was a need for a Finnish newspaper in Norway. Norwegian governments discouraged the Norwegian-Finns to speak or or read Finnish texts. Schools were Norwegian and Finnish was a forbidden language at schools. It seems that jingoistic Norwegian governments did not want that the Finnish minority could read anything in Finnish. In 1932 the Norwegian government decreed export duties to limit the commercial relations of the Finnish minority. To export a wheat flour sack to Finland one had to pay 5 crowns (a Norwegian monetary unit), but to export the same sack to Sweden cost only 2½ crowns. The Norwegian government's aim was to hinder economic ties with Finland. There had been only one Finnish library in the area, at Vesisaari, but it had withered away and the books had been carried to the attic. |
Finnish minority in Sweden
In Northern Sweden some areas close to Finnish border have been populated by Finns for centuries. The number of Finnish speakers in Sweden is hundreds of thousands in Sweden and in some areas close to Finnish border they form a majority, without reasonable rights. Over the centuries Swedish governments have tried to assimilate people using brutal methods. For example Finnish language was forbidden in schools and government offices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me%C3%A4nkieli
In the 1880s, the Swedish state decided that all citizens of the country should speak Swedish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_assimilation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_Finns
Sweden's government aiming at assimilation and Swedification of the Finnish-speaking population. Similar attempts were already initiated in the late 17th century, but peaked in 1850–1950.
The authorities of Northern Sweden forbade local Finns to have Finnish books. From the 1900s to 1960s Swedish officials took books away from locals as it were a crime to be a certain nationality. Does a government have the right to confiscate books from citizens if the books are written in a certain language? No. This is for sure national discrimination and a theft as well.
Swedish governments have attempted to take minority children into custody and place them in Swedish families. After children have learned Swedish they were sent back to their parents. I remember a story in which a child was sent to the southernmost part of Sweden and after he was returned to his parents the locals wandered his peculiar way to speak majority language. This method was in force until 1960s.
Norway's Finnish minority
Over the centuries thousands of Finns emigrated from Northern Finland to Northern Norway. But Norwegian government had the policy to assimilate the Kven (Finnish) and Sami (or Saami) people into the national majority. The policy was motivated by nationalistic ideas and later by race theory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kven_people
There have been serious deficiencies in Norway's minority policy. And who are responsible for it? Norwegian politicians. One of them decides who gets the Nobel Peace Prize!
Hard policy by Norwegian government has caused that Finnish language is under threat in Norway. I quote from a Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvens. Please note that the word Kven means Finnish and not all Kvens (or Finns in Norway) like this word, which has been used as a mocking word by the Norwegians.
Assimilation policy
At the beginning of the first immigration until the 1860s, the Norwegian government was positive to the Kvens establishing farming colonies in the sparsely populated areas in Northern Norway. However, from 1850s until World War II the Norwegian government initiated the norwegianization policy, where the goal was to assimilate the Kven and Sami people, and culture, into the national majority. The policy was motivated by nationalistic ideas and later by race theory. Also the Sami and Kvens even came to be considered a national "security risk". Both groups were monitored by the Norwegian security police. Later research has shown that there was no actual threat.
From World War II until the 1970s, Kvens were not mentioned in politics, but were still monitored by the security police.
During this period the use of the Kven language was forbidden in schools and government offices. Land purchase was prohibited for those who did not acquire Norwegian family names. Eventually, selling land to non-speakers of the Norwegian language became prohibited. Also, the Norwegian Defense Ministry in 1870 demanded that all Kven/Finnish names ("foreign names") to be removed from maps.
A similar article is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kven_people
A Finnish weekly newspaper Ruijan Suomenkielinen Lehti had come out at Vesisaari (in Norwegian Vadsø) as early as 1877. Unlike Petsamon Sanomat newspaper in 1929, the Finnish newspaper did not have many ads, because it was boycotted by most Norwegian advertisers and the publisher could not continue publishing. According to the next Wikipedia article only 26 issues were published in 1877.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruijan_Suomenkielinen_Lehti
In the past Norwegian governments have persecuted people if they have had Finnish or Saami background. The Norwegian government policy on minorities has violated human rights in the past. Today's situation a little better for the Samis but still bad for the Finnish minority.
Please note that in some areas of Northern Norway, for example Vadsø (in Finnish Vesisaari), the Finns had formed the majority of the population. Many Norwegians and Finns moved to America via this town in the 19th century.
I cite a Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vads%C3%B8
Township privilege was granted in 1833, and soon settlers came from Finland and the northern part of Sweden, which suffered from famine. Finnish was rapidly becoming the language of the majority, and this continued for decades. Even today Finnish is still spoken in some households.
Porsanger is the only municipality of Norway, in which Finnish (or Kven) is an official language. The Finnish minority lives in some areas of Northern Norway, together with the Norwegians and Saamis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsanger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakselv
* *
The denial of minority rights and justice in Sweden and Norway is a hushed subject in the media of Scandinavian countries and Finland. Sweden and Norway have Finnish minorities without reasonable rights due to long term assimilation policy practised by these countries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me%C3%A4nkieli
In the 1880s, the Swedish state decided that all citizens of the country should speak Swedish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_assimilation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_Finns
Sweden's government aiming at assimilation and Swedification of the Finnish-speaking population. Similar attempts were already initiated in the late 17th century, but peaked in 1850–1950.
The authorities of Northern Sweden forbade local Finns to have Finnish books. From the 1900s to 1960s Swedish officials took books away from locals as it were a crime to be a certain nationality. Does a government have the right to confiscate books from citizens if the books are written in a certain language? No. This is for sure national discrimination and a theft as well.
Swedish governments have attempted to take minority children into custody and place them in Swedish families. After children have learned Swedish they were sent back to their parents. I remember a story in which a child was sent to the southernmost part of Sweden and after he was returned to his parents the locals wandered his peculiar way to speak majority language. This method was in force until 1960s.
Norway's Finnish minority
Over the centuries thousands of Finns emigrated from Northern Finland to Northern Norway. But Norwegian government had the policy to assimilate the Kven (Finnish) and Sami (or Saami) people into the national majority. The policy was motivated by nationalistic ideas and later by race theory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kven_people
There have been serious deficiencies in Norway's minority policy. And who are responsible for it? Norwegian politicians. One of them decides who gets the Nobel Peace Prize!
Hard policy by Norwegian government has caused that Finnish language is under threat in Norway. I quote from a Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvens. Please note that the word Kven means Finnish and not all Kvens (or Finns in Norway) like this word, which has been used as a mocking word by the Norwegians.
Assimilation policy
At the beginning of the first immigration until the 1860s, the Norwegian government was positive to the Kvens establishing farming colonies in the sparsely populated areas in Northern Norway. However, from 1850s until World War II the Norwegian government initiated the norwegianization policy, where the goal was to assimilate the Kven and Sami people, and culture, into the national majority. The policy was motivated by nationalistic ideas and later by race theory. Also the Sami and Kvens even came to be considered a national "security risk". Both groups were monitored by the Norwegian security police. Later research has shown that there was no actual threat.
From World War II until the 1970s, Kvens were not mentioned in politics, but were still monitored by the security police.
During this period the use of the Kven language was forbidden in schools and government offices. Land purchase was prohibited for those who did not acquire Norwegian family names. Eventually, selling land to non-speakers of the Norwegian language became prohibited. Also, the Norwegian Defense Ministry in 1870 demanded that all Kven/Finnish names ("foreign names") to be removed from maps.
A similar article is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kven_people
A Finnish weekly newspaper Ruijan Suomenkielinen Lehti had come out at Vesisaari (in Norwegian Vadsø) as early as 1877. Unlike Petsamon Sanomat newspaper in 1929, the Finnish newspaper did not have many ads, because it was boycotted by most Norwegian advertisers and the publisher could not continue publishing. According to the next Wikipedia article only 26 issues were published in 1877.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruijan_Suomenkielinen_Lehti
In the past Norwegian governments have persecuted people if they have had Finnish or Saami background. The Norwegian government policy on minorities has violated human rights in the past. Today's situation a little better for the Samis but still bad for the Finnish minority.
Please note that in some areas of Northern Norway, for example Vadsø (in Finnish Vesisaari), the Finns had formed the majority of the population. Many Norwegians and Finns moved to America via this town in the 19th century.
I cite a Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vads%C3%B8
Township privilege was granted in 1833, and soon settlers came from Finland and the northern part of Sweden, which suffered from famine. Finnish was rapidly becoming the language of the majority, and this continued for decades. Even today Finnish is still spoken in some households.
Porsanger is the only municipality of Norway, in which Finnish (or Kven) is an official language. The Finnish minority lives in some areas of Northern Norway, together with the Norwegians and Saamis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsanger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakselv
* *
The denial of minority rights and justice in Sweden and Norway is a hushed subject in the media of Scandinavian countries and Finland. Sweden and Norway have Finnish minorities without reasonable rights due to long term assimilation policy practised by these countries.