#kvens

[populusfennicapatriam]

Portrait of ten year old Peder Mikkelsen from Akkarfjord in Hammerfest, Norway. Sami from the father’s side and Kven from the mother’s side. September 3rd 1910. (Hanna Resvoll-Holmsen)

[populusfennicapatriam]

Vesisaaren Kveenipatsas. Veistäjä: Ensio Seppänen, 1977. Finnmark, Norja 1978. (Magnus Berg)

[populusfennicapatriam]

Kvens milking a reindeer, Finnmark, Norway ca. 1890-1900. (Ellisif Wessel / National Library of Norway)

[populusfennicapatriam]

Aurora Harila with her ten sons. Finnmark, Norway.

[yokyopeli]

Kveenit ovat pohjois-Norjan eli Ruijan eli norjaksi Finnmarkin suomalaisperäistä väestöä. Kveenit ovat Jäämeren rannikolle 1700- ja 1800-luvuilla pääasiallisesti Tornionjokilaaksosta, Peräpohjolasta ja Lapista muuttaneiden suomalaisten jälkeläisiä. Tästä väestöryhmästä käytetään joskus myös nimitystä Ruijan suomalaiset sekä norjansuomalaiset. Kveenit on hyväksytty Norjassa kansalliseksi vähemmistöksi vuonna 1999[2]. Kveenin kieli sai Norjassa kansallisen vähemmistökielen aseman vuonna 2005[3]. Kveenien ja muiden norjansuomalaisten kansallispäivää on vietetty vuodesta 2014 saakka 16. päivänä maaliskuuta.[4]

[fornsed-blog]

Birkarl

Birkarls (birkarlar in Swedish, unhistorical pirkkamiehet or pirkkalaiset in Finnish; bircharlaboa, bergcharl etc. in historical sources) were a small, unofficially organized Finnish group that controlled taxing and commerce in central Lappmarken in Sweden during the 13th to 17th centuries.

The most probable assumption is that Birkarls were originally Finnish traders mainly from historical Tavastia. King Magnus III Birgersson is traditionally claimed to have granted their privileges to control the trade and taxes in the north in the later half of the 13th century, possibly just legalizing an already existing situation. Birkarls (bircharlaboa) are first mentioned in 1328, when they are listed as one of the settler groups in northern Hälsingland that covered the western coast of Gulf of Bothnia all the way up and around the gulf to Oulu River.

Origin of the name birkarl is probably in an ancient Scandinavian word birk that has been used in reference to commerce in various contexts.

In the late 16th century, claims about birkarls coming from Great Pirkkala (a parish in northern Tavastia) emerged, propagated by birkarls themselves in their battle to prevent the state from stripping their privileges. This is at least partly true, since men from Pirkkala appear as witnesses in a document from 1374 about local borders in northern Pohjanmaa.

Later in the 19th century a Finnish term pirkkamiehet or pirkkalaiset was invented as a "domestic" name for birkarls. It never appears in any of the documentation or traditions, but is commonly used in Finland today to mean birkarls.

In total, some 20 theories are estimated to exist to explain the origin and name of the birkarls.

The "runic" looking signs are "bomärken". Housemarks or brands (a bit like the ones American ranches puts on livestock).