The Kven language is in danger of extinction. This thesis was proclaimed by a member of the Finno-Ugric Peoples' Consultative Committee of the Norwegian Kven Organisation Bjernar Seppola on the closing of the conference “Innovation projects in the national education”, held in Syktyvkar on February 9.
The guest of Komi capital told the participants of the forum about the Kven people, inhabiting the northern part of Norway, Sweden and Finland. They were first referred to approximately in the IX century - and they had already had state system at that time! “We have our own language, culture, way of life, - B. Seppola emphasized. – Closely related nations to us are the Finns, Karelians, Ingrians and Veps”.
According to him, 200 years ago in Norway the Kven children were taught at school in their native language. “But afterwards the government of Norway decided to turn schools into the instrument of converting the Kven children into Norwegians. A hundred years ago it was prohibited to speak the Kven language at school, and its studying was partly continued only at the lessons of Christian religion. Under the National Socialism movement in 1930s the Parliament of Norway imposed a ban on using the Kven language in schools and churches in 1936. It lasted for about 60 years and was abrogated only in 1997, after the Cold War, - told the speaker about the history of the Kvens’ oppression. – As a result, parents gave up speaking Kven with their children at home, so that to avoid discrimination in society. And when the language was again allowed to use, the negative process appeared to have gone too far – the Kven language is now spoken only by the elder generation.”
“This situation concerns neither the Norwegian politicians, nor the European Union, - affirmed the member of FUPCC. – They are making up a new definition of a national minority, which is suitable for them. Formerly a Kven was considered to be a person speaking the Kven language, whereas now it is proposed to take those, whose grandmother or grandfather speaks Kven, or even the elder relatives. As a result, the statistical data may maintain that the Kven population numbers 30 thousand people, whereas in fact within 50 years there will be not a single person remained, speaking the Kven language.”
“There is a conception that being a Kven and yet speaking Norwegian is quite normal and usual. What is more, formerly the Kvens speaking their native language were considered to be extremists, - said B. Seppola. – The most Norwegian Kvens speak only Norwegian, and they want the state financing to be used for organizing events in the Norwegian language, and as little money as possible to be spent on support of the Kven language – they consider bilingualism unnecessary and useless. So, the prevailing point of view is: a good Kven is a dead Kven. We all together should rise in wrath against this conception”.
B. Seppola explained to the media-centre FINUGOR that the situation in Finland and Sweden where the Kven population numbers 40 and 50 thousand respectively, is better; however in Finland the Kven language is regarded as a mere dialect of Finnish, and the Kvens are regarded as Finns.