Tornedalians: Difference between revisions
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| rels = [[Lutheranism]] ([[Laestadianism]]) |
| rels = [[Lutheranism]] ([[Laestadianism]]) |
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| langs = [[Meänkieli dialects|Meänkieli]] and [[Swedish language|Swedish]] |
| langs = [[Meänkieli dialects|Meänkieli]] and [[Swedish language|Swedish]] |
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| related = [[ |
| related = [[Kvens]], [[Finns]] |
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'''Tornedalians''' ([[Meänkieli|Meänkiel]]<nowiki/>i: tornionlaaksolaiset; [[Swedish language|Swedish]]: tornedalingar; [[Finnish language|Finnish]]: länsipohjalaiset) are an ethnic group native to the [[Meänmaa]] region of northern [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Tornedalingar |url=https://minoritet.se/tornedalingar |access-date=2024-05-25 |website=Minoritet.se |language=sv}}</ref> Tornedalians are a recognized [[national minority]] in Sweden.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Council of Europe: Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities |title=Fourth Report submitted by Sweden pursuant to Article 25, paragraph 2 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (ACFC/SR/IV(2016)004) |date=1 June 2014 |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/58346ed64.html |accessdate=31 December 2023 |page=3}}</ref> Tornedalians generally divide themselves into three distinct groups: Tornedalians, Lantalaiset, and Kvens.<ref name=":0" /> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 22:43, 25 May 2024
tornionlaaksolaiset (Meänkieli) | |
|---|---|
.svg) Flag of the Torne Valley | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Sweden | 30,000–150,000 (est.)[1] |
| Languages | |
| Meänkieli and Swedish | |
| Religion | |
| Lutheranism (Laestadianism) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kvens, Finns | |
Tornedalians (Meänkieli: tornionlaaksolaiset; Swedish: tornedalingar; Finnish: länsipohjalaiset) are an ethnic group native to the Meänmaa region of northern Sweden and Finland.[2] Tornedalians are a recognized national minority in Sweden.[3] Tornedalians generally divide themselves into three distinct groups: Tornedalians, Lantalaiset, and Kvens.[2]
History
Tornedalians descend from Finnish peasants who arrived from today's western and eastern Finland. Settlements began during the Middle Ages around the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia and along the river valleys nearby (Kalix River, Torne river and Kemijoki River). Following the Treaty of Fredrikshamn the Finnish-speaking communities on the west side of the Torne river were separated from the rest of the population in what became the Grand Duchy of Finland, in the long term also causing a divergence of language.[4]
Tornedalians were the targets of extensive so-called "racial biology" and swedification policies. In the early- to mid-1900s, Herman Lundborg and others from the State Institute for Racial Biology performed skull measurements on Tornedalians, with Lundborg performing the first measurements in 1913. At the same time, speaking Finnish in schools was banned in parts of the country, including the Torne Valley.[4] This ban was only revoked by the Riksdag in 1957.[5]
In 2000, a new law went into effect recognising the Tornedalians as an official national minority and Meänkieli as an official minority language. A truth and reconciliation commission on historical discrimination against the population was appointed in 2020, and made its final report on 15 May 2023.[5]
Population
Sweden does not distinguish minority groups in population censuses, but the number of people who identify themselves as "Tornedalians" is usually estimated to be between 30,000 and 150,000. Estimates are complicated by the fact that the remote and sparsely-populated Tornedalen area has been particularly struck by the 20th-century urbanisation and unemployment. In 2006, a large radio survey about Finnish/Meänkieli speakers was conducted in Sweden. The result was that 469,000 individuals in Sweden claimed to understand or speak Finnish and/or Meänkieli. Those who can speak or understand Meänkieli are estimated to be 150,000–175,000.
Literature
Bengt Pohjanen is a Tornedalian author who has written the first novel in Meänkieli, the language of the Meänmaa.[6] He has written dramas, screenplays, songs and opera. He is trilingual in his writing.
The novel Populärmusik från Vittula (Popular Music from Vittula) (2000) by the Tornedalian author Mikael Niemi became very popular both in Sweden and in Finland. It is composed of colourful stories of everyday life in the Tornedalian town of Pajala. The novel has been adapted for several stage productions, and as a film in 2004.
Flag
The flag is a horizontal tricolour of yellow, white and blue.
See also
References
- ^ "Russian Census 2010: Population by ethnicity" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Tornedalingar". Minoritet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Fourth Report submitted by Sweden pursuant to Article 25, paragraph 2 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (ACFC/SR/IV(2016)004)". Council of Europe: Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. 1 June 2014. p. 3. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Den tornedalska minoritetens historia tar form" (in Swedish). Sámi Parliament of Sweden. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ a b Langseth, Anna (21 May 2022). "Lång historia av statliga övergrepp mot tornedalingarna". Syre (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Meänkieli elämänsä kiikkulaudalla". Kaleva (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 July 2021.